Choosing the right software can be a nightmare when managing your hotel. It’s hard to know exactly what management features you require — and don’t get us started on compatibility checks. One of the most popular software systems is the Opera system hotel, which has around 40,000 current global users. The real question is, though, is it right for you and your property?
As a software, it has all the significant features you need to run a mid-size hotel. From loyalty programs to sales and (of course) reservations, it has everything hoteliers require just a click away. While a technological investment might seem premature for smaller hotel businesses, it quickly becomes a necessity with growth.
In this guide, we’ll weigh up the pros and cons of the Opera hotel system so you don’t have to. Get ready for a thorough introduction. Here’s what you need to know about one of the leading software options for hotel management. You’ll know whether it’s right for you in as little as five minutes. Let’s start!
What Are Opera Hotel Systems?
These systems are actually called OPERA 5, and Oracle offers them as a hotel software management package. Hotel businesses automate much of their everyday processes when using an Opera system.
When hotel owners invest in this software, they gain multiple features, including:
- Centralized controls for multiple locations.
- Multilevel rate and inventory controls.
- Making reservations, including through third-party systems
- Monitoring real-time data for pricing adjustments
- Promoted customer loyalty.
Essentially, it becomes a hub for all the main actions. Marketing, day-to-day booking processes, and strategic pricing decisions all come out of a single software. In addition to this, it also monitors and displays analytical information. This is great for reviewing hotels and identifying pain points and potential improvements.
Opera is a practical tool that offers heavily cloud-based hotel software — perfect for chains. However, it does come under some fire for its inability to work properly without the internet.
If there’s a WiFi issue or power cut, hotels will lose their entire system’s functionality. If you regularly face complaints about your hotel WiFi not working, this might not be the choice for you. In the meantime, though, you should definitely look into WiFi extenders and call your provider to troubleshoot.
Another thing to note is that there is no advertised pricing. You’ll have to contact Opera/Oracle directly. There are also no advertised free trials.
Speaking of Oracle, though, it’s worth providing some context about the company.
Oracle is a data management company launched in 1980 in the US. Oracle Hospitality is the specific branch of the business that offers OPERA. The company’s goal is to streamline all operations. While Oracle operates across multiple industries, its different branches have separate niches, like Opera for the hospitality industry.
4 Benefits of Opera Systems for Hotels
Nothing is perfect; we’ve just covered some of the drawbacks of Opera hotel systems, including precarious internet reliance for functionality. However, generally speaking, it’s a great way to manage your hotels, with plenty of benefits.
Here are the main pros to consider when weighing Opera. Even if you don’t pick Opera’s package, these are features and benefits to look out for in other software. So pay close attention!
1. Multi-Functionality
Opera’s multi-functionality is a huge benefit. It offers hotel software reservation capabilities for reception staff, as well as analytical insights and sales features for marketing staff.
That flexibility means hotels get great value for money out of the software. And there’s no extra hassle of purchasing second or third software — everything is okay to complete from one place. Don’t underestimate the joys of an all-in-one approach.
2. Adjusts Pricing for Optimized Profit
Pricing should never sit the same all year round and at all times. There are natural points when you should charge higher to rise with the rates of your competitors. And equally, times when it pays to undercut competitors during quieter spells.
However, yield management (a variable pricing strategy) is the sort of approach that is hard to fully uphold manually. A considerable benefit of Opera is that it upholds this for you. It uses smart pricing to evaluate and adjust rates on a reactive basis. This means no panicking over constantly monitoring rates for you!
3. Easier for Hotel Staff
While this is a general benefit of all property management system software, the reviews specifically praise Opera, too.
So, overall, the biggest benefit of all is that Opera makes life easier for hotel staff. And we all know that slicker processes mean higher levels of guest satisfaction. With faster results and lesser processing time, it’s a win-win.
4. Better Security
Opera Cloud PMS is another huge pro of this software; it’s a plug-in that allows you to back up everything to the cloud. This is great because rather than using a physical server, you rely on remote internet-based servers with multiple backups.
Better yet, the system lets you hide certain information, so the most sensitive data is only accessible to channel managers.
How Much To Budget
It’s hard to say since Opera’s rates are not published online — you’ll have to contact Oracle directly for a quote.
However, comparable software costs between $80 and $200 a month. So, if you’d like a ballpark figure, we’d budget around that. It pays to know what competitors charge anyway; this way, you know whether or not to walk away from quotes.
How To Use Opera Hotel System
The best way to learn how to use Opera hotel system software is to book a demo. Just like any technology, learning to use Opera takes practice.
It’s mostly about learning how to navigate the system, input the data accurately, and understand the features. The good thing is that reviews say it’s user-friendly, so this shouldn’t take you long.
With that said, if you really want to learn to use the system properly, there is free training available. Skip to the next session if you want extra assistance. These courses are for help that goes beyond demos and the occasional email to customer support when using Opera.
How To Find Opera Hotel System Training
You might want to listen carefully to the answer to “How to find Opera hotel system training.” These training certifications include a totally free option called Learning Explorer, which gets you up to grips with the program. You can find the free option right here on the official website.
With that covered, let’s look at what you can learn for free. It’s a savvy way to upskill yourself at zero extra cost.
If you start with the Learning Explorer course, the program takes you through all the Oracle infrastructure. You can access it from a desktop or mobile device, and training includes an overview of Oracle Cloud. It also takes you through each of the applications, from profitability and cost management to global payroll. Let’s just say it’s a thorough all-around introduction.
The next step is Oracle MyLearn, which includes a mix of paid and free courses. And lastly, there’s Oracle Certification, a more formal and paid option.
In summary, that’s three training choices:
- Learning Explorer
- Oracle MyLearn
- Oracle Certification
The training aspect is a nice touch of Oracle’s business model. It’s great that business owners and staff can both get up to speed together.
The only slight drawback is the lack of free trials for the hotel management software. There’s less room for learning in real-time without a financial commitment to factor in.
FAQ
Where do you think you’re going? Don’t rush off so quickly. We realize we’ve thrown a lot of information at you. But we did promise to get you up to speed in under five minutes!
Here’s a quick pop quiz to ensure you’ve understood everything so far. These are the three top FAQ for you to glance over.
What is an opera hotel system?
Opera is a software package offered by the data management company Oracle to hotel businesses. It acts as a property management solution, automating reservation, pricing, and inventory systems.
You pay a subscription fee each month to get access. And there are additional training programs available to get up to speed even quicker.
Which hotels use the Opera system?
Any hotel can use Opera. However, chains, large, and multi-location businesses are better off because of its many different functionalities. To really get the best value for money, it’s better for those medium to large-sized businesses.
What is Opera system in hotels?
Opera system is a type of hotel management system. It relies on cloud-based software, meaning it uses remote servers to store its data on the internet.
This software manages things like reservations and pricing so that staff don’t have to do so manually. It’s great for streamlining everyday processes and makes staff lives easier.
Beambox: How WiFi Helps in Hotels
It doesn’t matter whether you have independent hotels or mega chains; every hotel needs WiFi. As you now know, Opera relies heavily on WiFi. In fact, it stalls to a halt without it! That’s why 98% of guests expect hotel WiFi.
Don’t despair, though. WiFi is equally beneficial for you as a hotel owner. Aside from facilitating valuable property management software like Opera, it allows for internet marketing. It’s especially great for customer data collection.
You can easily add a captive portal to your existing guest internet. This system temporarily barricades guests from joining your WiFi, first taking them to a webpage form. Here, you get to ask them multiple questions of your choice, requesting specific information. Once they comply, they immediately gain WiFi access, and you get to store the details for future use.
WiFi isn’t only a tool to uphold software functionality and guest satisfaction; it’s a valuable marketing tool. Every business owner knows how hard it is to collect genuine marketing contacts. Using captive portal marketing, you can collect consenting contacts for future campaigns — be that email or SMS marketing.
At Beambox, we can help. We offer an all-in-one WiFi marketing system that specializes in captive portals. We’d love to assist you in fine-tuning your hotel strategies and provide a monthly subscription model for minimal upfront investment. Besides, hotel WiFi systems are the perfect internet models to upgrade.
Whether you choose vacation rental software, Opera, or something different entirely, it’s worth monetizing your WiFi.
Start your Beambox free trial today and get ahead of the game with WiFi and an Opera hotel system!
