The Must-Have Features in a Modern Hospitality POS
The hospitality industry has changed—and so have the expectations around your point-of-sale (POS) system. Today’s operators don’t just need a cash register that takes orders. They need a flexible, powerful platform that can adapt to any service model, reduce overhead, and deliver a top-tier guest experience.
The hospitality industry has changed—and so have the expectations around your point-of-sale (POS) system. Today’s operators don’t just need a cash register that takes orders. They need a flexible, powerful platform that can adapt to any service model, reduce overhead, and deliver a top-tier guest experience.
So, what should you look for in a modern hospitality POS? Here are the must-haves:
Flexible Service Models
Whether you’re running full-service dining, counter service, room service, or a mix of everything, your POS should support it all—without requiring separate systems. Look for tools like handheld POS, kiosk ordering, and mobile ordering via QR or RFID for ultimate versatility. Many POS platforms lock operators into specific hardware. Make sure your point of sale can run on multiple hardware platforms. This will provide the most flexibility in your operations, enabling quick changes in the event of hardware failures or different needs.
Integrated Payments & Tab Management
A modern POS makes it easy to open, share, and split tabs across the property. Guests should be able to move from bar to table—or even merchant to merchant if you’re in a multi-unit property—without friction. And with integrated payments, staff can close out quickly and accurately, keeping lines short and guests happy.
Real-Time Reporting & Inventory Insights
Operators can’t afford to wait for end-of-day reports. Real-time sales and inventory data helps you make smarter decisions on the fly—whether that’s 86ing a menu item or reallocating staff based on demand. Ensure your point of sale offers a mobile app that allows you to access reports and make quick decisions/changes from wherever they are. Everybody needs a day off … even GMs.
Open API & Integrations
A closed POS system is a dead end. Point-of-Sale providers that make it difficult to integrate with other hospitality technology tools is just as bad. Look for a POS with a robust open API and built-in integrations to tools like PMS (for hotels), event software (like Tripleseat), accounting systems (like Quickbooks), back office tools (like Restaurant365), and brewery management platforms (like Beer30 or Ekos). When your systems talk to each other, your operation runs more smoothly, your managers have more fun, and you clear more profit.
Mobile-Friendly & Cloud-Based
A POS that only works from a terminal behind the bar is yesterday’s tech. Today’s systems should work from any device, anywhere—whether you're reviewing reports from your phone or serving tables from a tablet. Cloud-based platforms also allow for faster updates and less downtime.
Guest-Centric Features
Today we don’t just talk about point-of-sale. We need to talk about points-of-purchase. That means that every guest has a virtual POS in their hand utilizing their mobile device. Features like mobile ordering and payment, digital receipts, and loyalty integration create a seamless, modern experience your guests will appreciate (and come back for).
Built for Events & Scale
Can your POS handle a 200-person wedding or a 70,000 sq. ft. beer garden? A modern POS should make large-scale operations easier, not harder—with batch ordering, seat mapping, shared tabs, and easy integration into your event management workflow.
Why It Matters
The right POS doesn’t just ring in sales—it shapes how your business runs. It gives your staff confidence, your guests convenience, and your operation the flexibility to grow. At GoTab, we’ve built our platform with exactly that in mind.
Want to see how a modern POS can change your business? Request a demo.
Tap Room Playbook Episode 2:
When you really think about it, with everything managers need to do in a tap room, the hospitality aspect is often overlooked.
Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.
The Situation
Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.
The Solution
Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.
“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.
The Benefits
Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.
Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
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