25 Essential Hospitality & Software Acronyms

The hospitality and golf world is full of technical acronyms that can feel overwhelming if you’re not dealing with them every day. This guide breaks down the most common terms in simple language, with quick examples to show how each one is used in real operations.

1. SaaP – Software as a Product

A once-off purchase model where software licences are bought outright and become company assets. This is the model CiMSO uses. Once purchased, the organisation owns the licences permanently, similar to acquiring equipment rather than renting it.
Example: A lodge purchases CiMSO licences, records them as fixed assets, and continues using the software indefinitely, only paying the LUSA for access to support, 24/7 emergency support, and all future upgrades to the suite.

2. SaaS – Software as a Service

A subscription-based rental model where businesses pay monthly or annually to access cloud-hosted software. CiMSO does not operate as SaaS – CiMSO is SAAP.
Example: A hotel pays a recurring monthly fee for access to a PMS, and access ends if the subscription stops.

Did you know?
The word hotel comes from the French hôtel, originally referring to large townhouses where important guests were received. It wasn’t until the 1700s that the meaning shifted to the modern idea of guest accommodation.

3. PMS – Property Management System

The central system used for reservations, billing, housekeeping and guest operations.
Example: Reception checks a guest into Room 12, and the PMS automatically updates housekeeping and billing.

4. ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning

A fully integrated platform combining accommodation, POS, stock, events, spa, golf, CRM and finance.
Example: Management views a single ERP dashboard showing total daily revenue across all departments.

5. CRS – Central Reservation System

A central engine that manages and distributes reservations across channels.
Example: A booking from the website instantly reflects in all connected properties via the CRS.

Did you know?
Hospitality comes from the Latin hospes, meaning both “host” and “guest.” It’s the same root behind hospital, hostel, and host-all tied to the idea of caring for travellers and strangers.

Excavated remains of an ancient Roman inn in Herculaneum, offering a glimpse into everyday life nearly 2,000 years ago.

6. POS – Point of Sale

Used in restaurants, bars, shops and spas to process guest charges linked to rooms.
Example: A guest’s bar bill is posted straight to their room using the POS terminal.

7. CRM – Customer Relationship Management

Stores guest preferences, history, profiles and communication records.
Example: CRM alerts staff that a returning guest prefers a room with a mountain view.

8. OTA – Online Travel Agency

Booking platforms like Booking.com and Expedia show room availability at properties and facilitate bookings.
Example: A late-night OTA booking syncs instantly into the PMS.

Did you know?
The world’s oldest continuously operating hotel is Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan, founded in 705 AD. It’s been run by the same family for over 50 generations.

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan – the world’s oldest continuously operating hotel.

9. API – Application Programming Interface

Allows different systems to communicate and share data.
Example: CiMSO integrates with various third-party systems, such as channel managers, through APIs.

10. DBMS – Database Management System

The software layer that stores and organises structured hotel data.
Example: Guest history, transactions and reports are stored securely in the DBMS.

11. BI – Business Intelligence

Dashboards and analytics that provide real-time performance insights.
Example: BI reveals that weekday occupancy has grown 7% month-on-month.

Did you know?
Early reservation systems weren’t digital at all-hotels used massive pegboards where each room and date was tracked with coloured tags. These boards were the ancestors of today’s PMS and CRM systems.

12. GDS – Global Distribution System

Industry networks connecting hotels to travel agencies worldwide.
Example: A travel agent in Germany books through Amadeus, and it syncs with the hotel PMS.

13. RBAC – Role-Based Access Control

Controls what data each staff member can access or edit.
Example: Finance can view revenue reports, while housekeeping can only update room status.

14. PCI – Payment Card Industry (Compliance)

Security standards that govern how credit card information is handled.
Example: The hotel’s payment device encrypts card data to remain PCI-compliant.

Did you know?
The first recorded “room service” dates back to ancient Rome, where upscale inns delivered food and wine to VIP travellers. While the concept evolved over centuries, the core idea-personalised service-has stayed the same.

15. KPI – Key Performance Indicator

Measures operational performance using standard metrics.
Example: Occupancy %, ADR and RevPAR are reviewed daily as KPIs.

16. ADR – Average Daily Rate

The average revenue earned per sold room.
Example: Selling 50 rooms for R100,000 gives an ADR of R2,000.

17. RevPAR – Revenue Per Available Room

Revenue generated per available room, including unsold stock.
Example: With 80 rooms and R120,000 revenue, RevPAR is R1,500.

Did you know?
The term concierge comes from the Old French comte des cierges-“keeper of the candles.” Their original job was literally managing candles and lighting for guests before evolving into modern guest services.

18. CM – Channel Manager

Syncs room inventory and rates across OTAs and direct channels.
Example: When a room is sold in the PMS, the CM removes it from all OTAs.

19. CRM (Rates) – Central Rate Management

Used in revenue management to centralise pricing logic.
Example: A manager updates rates in one place and pushes them to all channels.

20. FIFO – First In, First Out

This inventory method ensures older stock is used before newer stock.
Example: The bar uses FIFO to make sure older wine batches are served first.

Did you know?
The first electronic keycard system was introduced in 1979 by a hotel in Sweden. Before that, metal keys were so frequently lost that some hotels spent more on lock replacements than on staff uniforms.

21. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

Documented instructions for consistent operations.
Example: Housekeeping follows an SOP to clean a room in the same sequence every time.

22. SLA – Service Level Agreement

Defines support response times, availability and performance commitments.
Example: The hotel’s software provider guarantees 99.9% uptime in their SLA.

23. UI – User Interface

The visual layout that staff interact with.
Example: A receptionist benefits from a clean and effecient UI to quickly look up reservations.

Did you know?
Golf’s earliest “clubhouse records” from the 1700s were kept in handwritten ledgers noting tee times, wagers, and bar tabs, making them the spiritual ancestors of today’s digital Tee Sheet, POS and member-management systems.

The world’s oldest golf club: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland.

24. UX – User Experience

How intuitive, efficient and pleasant a system is to use.
Example: Staff prefer software with strong UX because it cuts training time in half.

25. LAN – Local Area Network

The on-site network connects devices and servers.
Example: On-premise PMS servers, printers and workstations communicate via the LAN.

26. VPN – Virtual Private Network

A secure tunnel for remote system access.
Example: A manager logs into the ERP from home using a VPN connection.

Once you understand these acronyms, the systems and processes behind hospitality technology start to make a lot more sense. We hope this glossary gives you a handy reference you can return to whenever you need a clearer picture of how everything fits together.

Contact Us

CiMSO supports clients transitioning from fragmented legacy software systems to fully integrated ERP solutions. We also manage the successful deployment of new systems in compliance with our ISO90003 Quality Management Systems and PRINCEII project management methodologies.

Don’t hesitate to contact your local CiMSO office or Value Added Reseller for more information on CiMSO’s Integrated ERP Software Suites for Hotels, Lodges, Resorts, Clubs, Timeshare, and Leasing management.