Hotel software buyer’s checklist for India (PMS, channels, AI)

Write down keys, property count, peak OTA share, whether you run wedding groups, and who approves rate changes. Decide must-have India rails: GST invoices, credit notes, and the OTAs you cannot live without. Clarify if guest WhatsApp is a front-desk habit or a nice-to-have.

Assign a single decision owner (GM / owner / revenue lead) and a go-live window that avoids your highest occupancy month.

• Property profile: keys, F&B outlets, day-use, groups
• Distribution: MMT/Goibibo, Booking.com, Airbnb, direct share target
• Compliance: GST structure, e-invoice needs if applicable
• People: night auditor skill, IT availability, multi-property roles
• AI appetite: recommend-only vs confirm-gated execute

Require live proof, not brochure claims. Ask the vendor to process a sample reservation through modify, no-show, and GST invoice. Break a channel update on purpose in UAT and watch recovery.

• Reservations integrity across direct + OTA (overbooking rules, allotments)
• Rate plans, restrictions, and corporate/contract rates you actually sell
• Channel manager ARI sync, parity warnings, failed-push alerts
• GST-compliant tax lines, invoices, and credit/debit notes
• Payments: UPI / cards / deposits when your gateway is enabled
• Housekeeping / maintenance status tied to room inventory
• Reports owners actually open: occupancy, ADR/RevPAR, source mix
• User roles, audit logs, and who can override rates or folios
• Guest messaging: confirm gates before stay-altering writes (if AI/chat)
• Multi-property entitlements and shared guest/company profiles if relevant

Separate FAQ deflection from agents that can change rates, inventory, or guest stay state. For each AI feature, ask: what data it reads, what actions it proposes, who confirms, and where the audit sits.

Reject unverifiable “average RevPAR +X%” claims. Prefer a POC metric you can measure: time-to-quote, channel error recovery time, or % of guest requests resolved without callback—on your property.

Price the modules you will enable in year one and the packs you might add later. Confirm implementation hours, data migration scope, training language, and support SLAs for Indian time zones.

• License / subscription clarity by module and property
• Implementation fee and what “done” means (UAT sign-off)
• Migration: rates, open reservations, guest history, loyalty notes
• Parallel-run plan with OTAs during cutover
• Exit clause: data export format and timeline
• Security: access controls, subprocessors, incident contact

Score the shortlist against your locked jobs. Bring front office, revenue, and accounts—not only the owner who liked the UI. Require one reference call in a similar India segment when possible, and a written gap list for anything the demo skipped.

When you are ready to validate NISKA packaging for your keys, use pricing and book a demo with your checklist in hand.