GLOSSARY
Property Management System (PMS)
Core system for hospitality to manage rooms, reservations, housekeeping, and billing.
A PMS handles reservations, folios, housekeeping, and guest services. It is the operational hub for hotels and accommodations.
PMS platforms like our PMS platform integrate with CM for distribution, RMS for pricing, POS for on-property spend, and CRM for guest profiles. Key workflows include check-in/out, room assignment, billing, and tasking for housekeeping/maintenance.
A modern PMS exposes APIs and automations for upsells, keyless entry, and incident handling. Accurate PMS data underpins revenue reporting, forecasting, and reconciliation with payment processors and ERP.
In the product
Where this term matters in operation.
The glossary is not meant to be academic. It explains the language teams use in Kotao while selling, planning, paying, reporting, and automating.
In sales
Terms like this appear inside POS, checkout, bookings, offers, and customer communication.
In back office
Finance, inventory, HR, and reporting need the same meaning so reports do not drift apart.
In integrations
APIs, imports, webhooks, and exports work better when teams use the same definitions.
Related terms.
Acquirer
Bank or payment institution that signs merchants and routes their card transactions into the card networks.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet by Apple that tokenizes cards for contactless and in-app payments.
BaaS (Banking as a Service)
A model where licensed banks expose banking capabilities to other companies via APIs, letting them embed accounts, cards, or payments.