Buyer’s guide
An Opera PMS alternative for Saudi hotels
Oracle OPERA is a hotel management system used by many hotel chains. A Saudi hotel looking for an alternative usually needs a system on a server inside the hotel, in Arabic, with ZATCA e-invoicing, Shomoos, tourism reporting and accounting built in. Part of the guide to the best hotel management system in Saudi Arabia.
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What to look for in the alternative
| Criterion | Why it matters | iHotel’s answer |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi government integration | E-invoicing, Shomoos and tourism reporting are obligations on every hotel. | Built in; each connection is switched on with the hotel’s own credentials. Details |
| Works without internet | A dropped line must not stop reception or the locks. | Runs on a server inside the hotel, on its own network. |
| Where the data lives | The hotel’s books and its guests’ data. | On the hotel’s server; backups are encrypted and stay with the hotel. |
| Accounting | A hotel system without full accounting means a second program. | Double-entry accounting and the VAT return inside the system. |
| Rooms, locks and energy | One system for the room instead of three suppliers. | GRMS, locks and energy metering in the same system. |
| Arabic | Staff work in their own language. | Arabic right to left, and English. |
| Moving your data | A switch must not break the balances. | Rooms, room types, rates and opening balances come across, with a report proving they match. |
| Installation and support | Who comes to the hotel when something breaks. | A team that installs and follows up in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and Riyadh. |
We state only what iHotel provides here. For what OPERA provides on each criterion, check with Oracle directly.
How the move works
- We take your rooms, room types, rates and opening balances from your current system.
- We set iHotel up on a server inside your hotel, and test the room devices in a real room before a guest sleeps in it.
- The system produces a report proving the opening balances match what was brought across.
- You start working on iHotel on the day you agree with us, after you have reviewed that report.
Rooms and locks from the same system
If your rooms are run by a program separate from your hotel system, iHotel puts them together: room control, locks and key cards and energy metering in one system.
Questions
Common questions on this topic
Does iHotel run on a server inside the hotel, like on-premise Opera?
Yes. iHotel runs on a server inside the hotel, on its internal network, and keeps working when the internet is down.
Can you bring our data across from Opera?
We bring across rooms, room types, rates and opening balances, with a report proving the balances match before you start working on iHotel.
Does iHotel cover Saudi government integration?
Yes: ZATCA e-invoicing, Shomoos, tourism reporting and National Address, each switched on with the hotel’s own credentials.
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