Run your hotel with fewer people — and do it better
"Stay one step ahead. Every competition is decided by a single step."
This management philosophy — often attributed to Samsung Group's late founder Lee Byung-chul — is one hotel operators should think about.
It's the age of ChatGPT moments: everyone feels pressure to adopt cutting-edge AI, and it's easy to worry you're falling behind. But in the real world, you need to ask tough questions: "Do we actually need this tech?" "Will this solution help us pull ahead of competitors?" "Could adopting a complex system backfire?"
After wrestling with those questions, ONDA launched OA PMS (property management system) in H1 2023 — built specifically for mid-sized hotels and serviced residences with 50–200 rooms.
What's the biggest problem mid-sized hotels, serviced residences, and motels face right now? Staffing.
If you're getting plenty of guests but can't find people willing to work in "tough hospitality jobs," you're lucky. Many hotels are at the point where they can't keep operating unless they cut headcount.
We live in an age where you can tap Samsung Pay at the corner store and check out unattended. Yet at hotels, guests book online — then have to confirm again at the front desk, and worry about losing a physical key card. This broken customer experience is another industry problem that urgently needs fixing.
Solving these industry problems is exactly what tech startups like ONDA are here to do.
OA PMS was created to meet the urgent digital transformation needs of mid-sized hotels. The name reflects ONDA's ambition: to be an oasis for hotels facing real, immediate challenges.
Here are the core "appropriate technology" features OA PMS offers — the ones that solve your problems today:
1️⃣ Run a hotel-grade reservation desk with one person
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Simplify booking operations Connect to 30+ domestic and international OTAs via ONDA HUB, Korea's largest online distribution system. Sell inventory and sync availability in real-time to minimize overbookings.
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See everything at a glance Track occupancy, ADR, daily/monthly revenue — 20 detailed report metrics built in.
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Pair with a revenue management service to maximize earnings at minimal cost.
2️⃣ Front-desk-free check-in and check-out
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Simplify front-desk operations See check-in and check-out bookings on one screen. Send room keys via SMS — no physical cards needed. Integrate with self-check-in kiosks so guests handle it themselves.
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Add a remote access control service to block underage guests and handle emergencies remotely — no need for a front-desk staffer on-site 24/7.
3️⃣ From direct bookings to attracting international travelers
- Launch a booking-enabled website
- Sell rooms with minimal payment fees — no OTA commissions
- Your site gets listed as the official homepage on Google Search and Google Maps, helping you attract overseas visitors
OA PMS's goal is to be a partner that makes mid-sized hotel operations easy. We want to automate and streamline your hotel through digital tech — so you can run smoothly with fewer people.
📣 Want to know more? We asked Lee Seung-jun, Head of OA PMS Operations, to answer your questions.
Q. Can you really operate more efficiently? Name three ways OA PMS beats competitors.
One, it's an all-in-one PMS.
It's packed with features — and you can add more as you need them. A PMS typically handles room management, reservations, check-in/out, and revenue tracking. OA PMS goes further.
For example, use the housekeeping tool to update room status. Use the channel manager to sync bookings and inventory. Connect to POS to manage your lobby café sales. Integrate with your ERP to eliminate manual work — everything flows seamlessly. Cutting manual tasks reduces errors and saves 60–80% of time.
Two, we're a dedicated partner.
In our experience, it takes hoteliers 2–3 months to get comfortable with a new system — that's 2–3 months of trial, error, and frustration. We aim to cut that to under a month. Our secret: a support team of hospitality professionals. Because they know the job, they can tailor training to your hotel's SOP and provide ongoing 1:1 care.
We also offer 24/7 support for rare but critical issues. Our empathetic, expert partner support team is the backbone of OA PMS.
Three, we integrate with external services.
Some properties need more than just room management — cleaning, sales, accounting, etc. OA PMS connects to a range of external services to boost operational efficiency.
For example: online revenue management service (replaces your reservation desk), remote front-desk service (blocks underage guests remotely), housekeeping service (hire cleaners via app and manage quality), accounting/finance software (track revenue seamlessly).
Because everything syncs with bookings, check-ins, and check-outs in the PMS, management is effortless — and in today's tight labor market, you dramatically reduce hiring costs and HR burden.
Q. Do I have to use kiosks and keyless locks with OA PMS? And how does pricing work?
You can adopt just the PMS to digitize operations. But if you're running lean on staff, we recommend adding kiosks and keyless locks. You don't have to do it all at once — many properties add features gradually based on their environment and staffing.
Pricing is a monthly subscription that varies by number of rooms and features.
Q. How long does installation take?
PMS-only: 2 to 7 days. Add keyless locks and self-check-in kiosks (which require ordering and installation), and you're looking at up to a month.
Q. How many hotels are using OA PMS right now?
(As of July 2023) Around 200 properties nationwide. From a 450-room resort to a 150-room training center, a 55-room motel, a 20-room guesthouse — all different sizes and types. Because OA PMS is both all-in-one and customizable, it can meet very different needs.
Success stories: A 40-room hotel using PMS, kiosks, locks, and our online revenue service runs with just 1–2 staff. A 20-room property with kiosks, locks, and remote access control blocks 99% of underage guests.
Most properties using OA PMS and automation report less HR burden and smooth operations with minimal headcount.
Q. What's OA PMS focused on now? Any upcoming updates?
We kicked off a usability improvement project in January. Since this is a system you use every day, we're continuously upgrading it to be intuitive and easy to learn.
We've already launched an online help center so you can get answers when you need them. We added favorites and collapsible menus to streamline navigation. We're also rolling out upgrades to reservation management, the website builder, reporting, and more. Stay tuned — OA PMS is only getting better.