Buyer’s guide
Cloud vs on-premise hotel PMS
A cloud hotel PMS runs on the vendor’s server over the internet: no server at the hotel, but it stops when the line drops. An on-premise PMS runs on a server inside the hotel: it keeps working offline and the data stays put. iHotel is on-premise. Part of the guide to the best hotel management system in Saudi Arabia.
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The comparison
| Item | Cloud system | On-premise system (like iHotel) |
|---|---|---|
| Internet outage | Work on it stops until the line is back. | Reception, the restaurant and the locks run on the internal network; government reporting waits for the line. |
| Where the data lives | On the vendor’s servers. | On a server inside the hotel. |
| Hardware at the hotel | No server needed. | A mini-PC the system runs on, priced separately. |
| Access from outside the hotel | From anywhere. | Remote support only inside a window the hotel opens itself. |
| Backups | Run by the vendor. | Encrypted, with the key never stored beside the backup; a restore checks the whole file first. |
| Several reception desks | A browser on each desk. | Several computers on the same network with one server. |
When a cloud system suits you
When the hotel’s internet connection is stable and redundant, you want no hardware in the building, and you need to reach the system from many places outside the hotel.
When an on-premise system suits you
When reception and the locks must not stop whatever happens to the line, when you want the hotel’s books and its guests’ data to stay in the building, and when the rooms and locks are run from the same system.
Questions
Common questions on this topic
Does iHotel work without internet?
Yes. Reception, the restaurant and the locks run on the hotel’s internal network. Tax reporting and guest messages queue up and go out when the line is back.
Does iHotel offer a cloud version?
iHotel is sold as a system that runs on a server inside the hotel. That is what we install and support.
Can anyone reach an on-premise system remotely?
Only inside a support window the hotel opens itself, for a reason the engineer records, and the hotel can end it at any moment.
Next step
We show it on your own rooms
Tell us your room count and what you use today, and we will show you the system on your room types, rates and balances.
Request a quote for your hotel Request a trial of the system
Or write to us directly at info@ihotel-app.com