What is a hotel POS system? (+24 leading providers)

The importance of a POS system for hotels

While most of your revenue may come from room reservations, chances are you have additional sources of income (or points of sale) as well. These could include:

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Cafe
• Room-service
• Spa
• Gift shop
• Rentals
• Tours
• Transportation

A hotel POS system allows you to efficiently process transactions from every point of sale in one place. This is especially important as the use of cashless transactions rises; hotels need to be prepared to accept a variety of payment methods anytime, anywhere.

For example, if a hotel guest orders room service, books a massage, and participates in a city tour, wouldn’t adding those transactions to a single bill be easier than treating each separately? A POS system tracks and groups all the transactions made by each guest in one invoice so they can pay at checkout.

When your POS system is built for hospitality, you’re able to streamline the guest experience, eliminate manual reconciliation, and get a better view of what’s actually driving on-property revenue so you can better allocate resources. 

POS vs. PMS: Why they’re better together

Hotel businesses leverage various software solutions, and property management systems (PMS) and POS systems are both very important. The property management system is the heart of hotel operations and facilitates everything from back-office functions to guest reservations and inventory management to check-ins and housekeeping.

Connectivity between the PMS and POS for hotels is crucial as it helps streamline processes, ensuring that any transaction made across the property is reflected in the PMS. This enhances the guest experience by consolidating payments into one folio and gives hoteliers more detailed insights into guest spending habits. 

How the POS system connects to the rest of your hotel tech stack

While the POS and PMS connection is especially important, there’s real impact in having your POS integrate with the rest of your tech stack: 

When these systems are connected, data flow automatically instead of being re-entered by staff.

Example: How the full tech ecosystem works together 

Imagine a returning guest books directly through your website. Your CRM recognizes them and triggers a pre-stay upsell offer for a spa package, which they book before arrival. 

At check-in, they bypass the front desk through digital check-in. During the stay, the guest:

• Orders drinks at the bar
• Books a massage
• Charges dinner to the room

Each transaction flows through the POS, which:

• Posts charges instantly to the folio
• Processes payments securely through your payment platform
• Sends revenue data to your accounting system
• Updates guest spend data inside your CRM
  

At checkout, there’s one accurate invoice. Behind the scenes, your reporting reflects total guest value, not just room rate.

12 benefits of POS systems for hotels

Without a POS system, your staff would have to add on-property charges to a guest’s folio by hand. These manual methods take up valuable time and leave room for error. Manual entries also prevent hospitality businesses from capturing data around guest spending patterns, which is critical for guest acquisition and marketing.

Today, a hotel’s POS can (and should) integrate with its existing tech stack, including its hotel management system, booking engine, channel manager, and revenue management system. This integration provides essential benefits for hotels, including: 

1. Real-time synchronization

Your systems should be in sync in real-time so that communication flows from wherever a sale takes place on the property to the front desk, so that staff are updated on every transaction.

2. Task automation

Automate manual POS processes to save your team time and improve efficiency across departments. Consider implementing self-ordering options for guests via apps, kiosks, or QR codes to further reduce your staff’s workload (plus, customers spend an average of 20% more when ordering themselves).

3. Data tracking

A POS solution tracks valuable customer data, such as sales patterns and guest preferences. This information lets you improve your hotel’s offerings and implement targeted marketing efforts. For groups, look for a POS with multi-location management to gain clearer visibility across the business.

4. Expanded service

With a mobile-friendly POS, your staff can take orders anywhere: tableside by the pool, in the lobby, or at the spa. Wherever guests are, your team can maximize incremental revenue opportunities.

5. Upselling opportunities

Upsells represent a $28 billion opportunity for properties and are becoming an increasingly important part of a hotel’s revenue management strategy. Your POS system can display personalized recommendations of services as add-ons by using your guest data.

6. Seamless guest experience

Guests expect a seamless experience from large and small businesses alike; they don’t want to carry a payment method while roaming the property or have to use a specific credit card to make purchases. Hotels must use a POS to add guest expenses to a single folio automatically, so they only pay once (using their preferred payment method) at checkout.

7. Real-time inventory management

From merchandise in your gift shop to food and beverage stock levels, understanding when goods need to be replenished is crucial to seamless operations. A POS can help manage inventory in real-time, preventing stockouts and overstock situations. 

8. Increase loyalty

A POS can help support loyalty programs for both guests and non-guests. If you have an on-site bar or restaurant, for example, you can track purchases and reward repeat patrons with personalized offers and services to foster loyalty.

9. Improved billing

POS systems reduce the possibility of errors produced by manual reconciliation, which results in faster service and more accurate billing.

10. Streamlined transactions

Streamline transactions by allowing guests to pay with their preferred method of payment (EMV and other credit or debit cards, cash, gift cards, bank transfers, checks, digital wallets, mobile payments, etc.).

11. Useful reports

A POS system surfaces new insights about guest behavior. Since you can view a guest’s spending on a single folio, you can determine which guest profiles are the most profitable and which channels deliver higher-spending guests. Using this information, you can invest in marketing and distribution efforts that yield greater profitability. Reporting also makes accounting responsibilities more accessible and efficient.

12. Improved security

POS systems help improve safety by encrypting payment data and recording every transaction, which can be helpful in the event of theft or fraud.

Types of POS systems

Finding the right POS system for your hotel is crucial for efficiency and a seamless guest experience. Over the years, POS systems have become much more user-friendly, portable, and affordable – giving hoteliers flexibility and choice when delivering ancillary services for guests. POS systems fall into two categories:

Legacy-based POS systems

Also known as traditional POS systems, legacy systems need software to be installed on a computer system that saves data on a local server. They require a significant investment (license and POS hardware), more training than other systems, and can be challenging to update with new features. Even though legacy POS systems can process payments offline, you can’t access them from other servers or devices.

Cloud-based POS systems

Cloud-based POS systems store data in the cloud instead of on local devices or servers and can be accessed anywhere. They have inventory management, payment processing, and reporting features, and can easily integrate with other systems. Since they’re cloud-based, these POS systems have automatic updates and upgrades that keep the technology fresh and up to date.

Different types of POS tools include:

Mobile POS systems

A mobile POS system is a portable point-of-sale system that can be an independent mobile app. It runs on hardware like tablets or smartphones, making it more accessible for staff across a property. This system allows you to check inventory and stock levels, make personalized recommendations, and charge guests on the spot.

Kiosk POS Systems

Kiosks or self-service POS systems are designed for a contactless experience. Since they have scanners and card readers, guests can check in and out and make contactless payments through booths. Although these systems are a great alternative to the traditional front desk, installation and maintenance can be expensive, and staff are usually still required on-site to help guests navigate the system.

Terminal or desktop POS systems

Terminal or desktop POS systems require a terminal, such as a cash register, to record data into the POS software and perform transactions. Although they are the most common type of POS system, they require staff time and manual reconciliation.

Multichannel POS systems

Multichannel POS systems integrate sales across multiple channels, including mobile, kiosks, and in-person, providing a seamless experience for guests. For hotels, multichannel systems allow guests to order room service or dine in the restaurant, shop merch online and in-store, buy drinks at the pool, or secure a bike rental online.

POS hardware components

POS systems also require different types of hardware depending on a hotel’s specific needs. Hardware can include:

• Signature capture pads 
• Barcode scanners and printers
• Cash drawers 
• Tablets
• Card reader 
• Receipt printer
• Kitchen display system
• Customer-facing display
• Terminals

Features to look for in a POS system

Choosing the right POS system can be tricky. Ensure your POS system includes essential functions such as invoicing, order customization, and billing. In addition, consider the following features:

PMS integration

According to Hospitality Tech’s POS software trends report, integration is one of the key features driving POS purchases. A good hotel PMS integration looks like:

• Validating guest details (name, room number) in real time
• Automatically posting charges to the correct folio
• Updating the PMS instantly when transactions occur
• Consolidating all outlet spend into a single invoice at checkout

Without proper integration, staff must manually reconcile charges, increasing the risk of billing errors, which impact revenue and guest satisfaction.

Inventory management

Your POS system should be able to track stock levels and send alerts when the quantity drops below a certain threshold to ensure that you never run out of product.

Payment processing

You should be able to support a variety of payment options (like credit & debit, digital wallets, gift cards, etc.) with your POS system and offer the possibility to conduct multi-payment transactions to split bills.

Menu management

If you handle food and beverage operations, menu management allows you to modify items across outlets, add seasonal items, update pricing instantly, and easily manage modifiers and add-ons.

Employee management

A strong POS also supports operational accountability.

Look for role-based permissions, individual staff logins, and performance tracking. These features reduce internal shrinkage, simplify tip reporting, and give managers clearer visibility into staff productivity.

Muli-property/multi-outlet management

For hotel groups or properties with multiple revenue centers, centralized oversight is key.

Your POS should provide consolidated reporting across outlets and locations, while still allowing outlet-level performance insights. This ensures consistency in pricing and operations while giving leadership a full view of portfolio performance.

Mobile capabilities

You’ll limit your use cases if your chosen POS system doesn’t provide a full-featured mobile experience. Sometimes it’s not realistic or feasible to install POS terminals; a mobile POS gives your employees flexibility in how they serve guests, like enabling tableside service.

Cloud-based

If you use a cloud-based PMS, opt for a cloud-based POS system. It is less expensive and more reliable than on-premise systems that require steep upfront investments, ongoing maintenance, and extensive training.

77% of Hospitality Tech’s respondents cited cloud-based data storage and management as a top priority for their POS investment.

Fair pricing

Choose a POS vendor with fair and transparent pricing that reflects the features and functionality your business needs. 

Loyalty tools

If you want to encourage customer loyalty to your restaurant or other points of sale, you should look for a POS system with built-in loyalty program tools to encourage repeat business.

Ease of use

With the amount of turnover in the hospitality industry, you don’t want to spend too much time and money training your staff. Your POS system should have an intuitive, user-friendly interface that your staff and guests can easily use.

Data protection

Since POS systems contain sensitive data such as account numbers or credit card information, they should include security measures to protect your hotel’s information from unauthorized access and data breaches. 

Customer support

Hotel operations are conducted day and night, with guests ordering room service or staying late at the bar. You must work with a provider that offers 24/7 support and can help resolve issues quickly.

Robust reporting

Reporting is a key component of any POS system. Your system should provide a dashboard with a detailed look into your revenue streams with data backed by your PMS. Insights into key metrics on inventory, sales activity, and employee performance will help inform your future business decisions.

24 leading hotel POS systems

The following are 24 of the best hotel POS systems that offer comprehensive functionality and receive high ratings on platforms such as Softwareadvice, Capterra, and Trustpilot.

1. Cloudbeds

The Cloudbeds POS system is a mobile app integrated with Cloudbeds PMS that allows properties to manage sales transactions efficiently by adding orders and payments directly to guest folios or house accounts, supporting multiple payment methods, including cash, third-party processors, and Tap to Pay, where available.

It streamlines operations without requiring additional hardware and leverages the Cloudbeds ecosystem for item management and reporting.

Cloudbeds also integrates with the following POS systems. 

2. 2TouchPOS

2TouchPOS is designed to optimize inventory management and enhance customer interactions, empowering businesses to increase operational efficiency and reduce errors.

3. Accesso

Accesso Point of Sale solutions seamlessly streamline operations, improve transaction accuracy, and ensure real-time data exchange.

4. Ágora

Agora integrates with hotels to search and retrieve rooms, post charges directly to guest rooms, upload invoices during daily cash closure, and manage cancellations and refunds, enabling seamless POS and hotel system connectivity.

5. Aloha

Aloha POS streamlines F&B operations, ensuring real-time data exchange and automatically posting all restaurant bills to the guest folio.

6. Cegid Revo

The Cegid Revo ecosystem of solutions for restaurants and retail is centered on its native iOS point-of-sale applications for F&B (restaurants) and retail services (swimming pool, gym, spa…), and it leads the Spanish market for tablet POS software.

7. Dish

Dish is a smart, cloud-based POS with offline capabilities that streamlines operations and maximizes revenue for restaurants.

8. EposNow

EposNow is an all-in-one hospitality POS system that allows hotels to save time and satisfy their customers.

9. GlowPOS

Elevate guest service quality with GlowPOS, a solution that integrates seamlessly with self-service kiosks, digital menus, and mobile ordering. 

10. Infrasys POS

Infrasys Cloud POS offers the flexibility and scalability to provide a seamless digital guest experience across a hotel’s F&B outlets, driving revenue and enhancing operational efficiency.

11. INVUPOS

INVUPOS is a cloud-based POS solution that offers hoteliers comprehensive and easy-to-use tools to simplify selling and information gathering.

12. Last.app

Last.app is an all-in-one restaurant software solution that includes a restaurant POS system, delivery integrators, an online store, reservations, and more. 

13. Lightspeed

Lightspeed is a cloud-based POS provider offering a complete hotel restaurant technology suite. It helps you verify a guest’s occupancy status and add restaurant charges to their room.

14. Loyverse POS

Loyverse POS enables hotels to turn their smartphone or tablet into a powerful POS to manage sales, inventory, and employees with ease.

15. Oracle Micros Simphony

Simphony is a leading cloud-based restaurant management platform that unifies data by synchronizing revenue and payments directly with Cloudbeds.

16. Papaya

Papaya is an AI-powered POS with QR ordering that lets guests order, pay, and even charge meals to their room.

17. Poster

Poster’s cloud-based POS system combines solutions for the front office, onsite restaurants, inventory, finances, analytics, and CRM.

18. Soft Restaurant

Soft Restaurant is the leading point of sale software for restaurants in Mexico and Latin America, allowing restaurants to improve operations and increase sales.

19. Storehub

StoreHub is an all-in-one platform that enables retailers and restaurants across Southeast Asia to automate and grow their businesses.

20. Tabology

Tabology is an integrated cloud technology suite that includes EPOS, stock management, staff scheduling, booking, deposit handling, and online ordering on mobile devices.

21. Tevalis

Tevalis is an award-winning EPOS that can be adapted to multiple areas across a hotel venue, such as FnB, leisure, and retail, through to an integrated PMS. 

22. Toast

Toast is a POS system uniquely designed to meet the needs of hotel restaurants. With robust PMS integrations, Toast empowers lodging operators to streamline operations, increase revenue, and deliver great hospitality with a best-in-class room charge experience for guests and staff.

23. WINTOUCH

WINTOUCH Restaurant Solution is a market-leading reference for the hospitality industry, including Restaurants, Bakeries, Bars, Nightclubs, Catering, and F&B Management.

24. Zone Soft

ZS rest is a cloud-based POS solution built for restaurants, bars, and other outlets. It offers fast order management, detailed reporting, and operational control — all from an easy-to-use and scalable platform.

How to implement a POS at your hotel

Choosing the right POS system is only half the battle. Here’s how to successfully implement a system to ensure it becomes a revenue driver, not an operational headache. 

1. Audit your current workflows

Start by mapping how transactions currently move across your property.

• Where are charges manually entered?
• Where do billing errors occur?
• Which outlets operate independently?

Understanding your existing gaps helps you choose a POS that solves real operational friction.

2. Define integration requirements

Before implementation, confirm how your POS will connect to:

• Your PMS (for real-time folio posting)
• Your payment processor
• Your accounting software
• Your CRM or loyalty platform

Integration should be tested before go-live to ensure charges validate correctly, payments process securely, and reporting flows as expected.

3. Configure menus, outlets, and permissions

Next, configure:

• Menu items and pricing
• Modifiers and add-ons
• Tax rules
• User roles and permissions
• Outlet-level reporting structures

For multi-property groups, ensure standardized naming and reporting structures are aligned across locations before launch.

4. Train staff by role

POS adoption fails when training is too generic. Ensure that you (or your provider) conduct role-based training sessions across front-of-house (FOH), managers, and finance teams to reduce friction and improve confidence.

5. Run testing before full launch

Before switching fully to the new POS, conduct controlled testing:

• Process sample transactions
• Validate room-charge posting
• Confirm payment reconciliation
• Review reporting outputs

What a successful POS implementation looks like

When implemented correctly:

• Staff no longer manually re-enter charges
• Guests receive one accurate invoice at checkout
• Finance teams close faster at month-end
• Commercial teams gain visibility into total guest value

How does a POS system work with Cloudbeds?

Hotels using Cloudbeds have two options when it comes to point-of-sale:

1. Use Cloudbeds POS, our native mobile POS solution
2. Integrate with one of our certified POS integration partners

Both approaches ensure real-time synchronization between your POS and the Cloudbeds PMS — so every on-property transaction flows directly into the guest folio.

Option 1: Cloudbeds POS

Cloudbeds POS is a mobile-first point-of-sale app built directly into the Cloudbeds ecosystem. It allows staff to process orders and payments from a smartphone or tablet and post charges instantly to:

• Guest folios
• House accounts
• Walk-in transactions

Because it’s native to Cloudbeds, there’s no separate middleware required. Item management, reporting, and payment processing operate within the same unified platform.

This is ideal for properties looking for a streamlined solution that eliminates system complexity.

Option 2: Integrated POS partners

For hotels with existing restaurant operations or more complex F&B needs, Cloudbeds offers integrations with a wide range of POS providers.

Through these integrations:

• The POS validates guest information in real time
• Charges are automatically posted to the correct room folio
• Transactions sync instantly with the PMS

Revenue data flows into reporting and accounting systems

How Ô de Casa eliminated manual billing with a connected POS system

When Marina Moretti founded Ô de Casa, São Paulo’s first hostel, she built more than accommodation — she built a community. But as the property grew to 140 beds and a 30-person team, operational complexity grew with it.

Before Cloudbeds, on-property transactions required manual coordination between systems. Bar tabs and other outlet charges had to be transferred manually, increasing the risk of billing errors and slowing down service.

After switching to Cloudbeds, Ô de Casa integrated Glow POS directly with the Cloudbeds PMS through the open API.

Now, when a guest orders at the bar or charges a service to their room:

• The POS validates the room number in real time
• The charge posts instantly to the correct folio
• Guests receive one accurate invoice at checkout

The result? Cleaner billing, faster reconciliation, and a smoother guest experience all powered by connected systems.

Make every sale seamless

Your guests aren’t just buying a bed—they’re buying every drink, dish, and experience along the way.

A modern POS keeps it all connected, so service feels effortless, bills and every purchase flow straight to your bottom line. You’ll deliver the kind of smooth, elevated experience guests expect from the big brands, without losing the personality that sets you apart.