Hotel PMS migration checklist

01Before you sign

Most slow migrations are slow because of decisions, not data. Settle these first.

• Name one person at the property who owns the migration and can make decisions
• List every system connected to your current PMS: channel manager, payment gateway, POS, accounting, door locks
• Ask your current vendor how you can export your data, in what format, and whether there is a charge
• Check the notice period and end date in your current PMS contract
• Pick a go-live date in a low-occupancy window, away from festivals and big group arrivals
• Agree to move your current setup first and redesign rates or room types after go-live

02Export your data

Ask for each of these as a spreadsheet or CSV. A PDF is a last resort but can still be used.

• Room types and the full room list, with room numbers
• Rate plans, seasons and any derived or package rates
• All future reservations, including deposits already paid
• In-house guests with their open folio balances
• Guest profiles, company accounts and travel-agent accounts
• Historical reservations, ideally the last 24 months for reporting
• Tax settings: GST slabs, GSTIN and invoice series
• Open city-ledger (accounts receivable) balances
• Staff users and what each role can do

03Channel manager and payments

• Confirm which OTAs are connected through your channel manager and that they will stay connected
• Map each room type and rate plan in the channel manager to the new PMS
• Find out whether stored card tokens can move to the new system, or whether guests will need to pay again
• Set up the payment gateway (for example Razorpay or Stripe) and a test payment
• Update the booking-engine link on your website, ready to switch at cutover

04Set up and train

• Check taxes, invoice templates and your GSTIN on a test invoice
• Set up restaurant and bar outlets, menus and kitchen printers if you use the POS
• Train each team on its own workflows: front desk, housekeeping, F&B and accounts
• Run real scenarios on test bookings: walk-in, group, split bill, cancellation, no-show

05Parallel run

Run both systems for one shift before you switch.

• Compare today's arrivals, departures and in-house list between the two systems
• Compare folio balances for in-house guests
• Fix every mismatch before cutover, not after

06Cutover

• Take a final export of anything that changed since the main import
• Stop taking new bookings in the old PMS
• Switch the channel manager connection to the new PMS
• Reconcile three numbers against the old system's final report: reservations on the books, deposits held and open folio balances
• Reopen sales once all three match

07First seven days

• Check each day that OTA bookings, changes and cancellations are arriving
• Review the night audit exceptions every morning
• Spot-check GST invoices for correct slabs and SAC codes
• Collect staff questions in one place and answer them daily
• Keep the old system available read-only for at least 30 days