Industry
Hotel phone systems
Reception and room service from the phone by the bed, wake-up calls that happen without anyone making them, and calls from the room that end up on the bill. 3CX's hotel module does this, connected to your property management system.
What usually goes wrong
The oldest system in the building
The PABX was installed when the hotel opened. Parts are hard to find, the one technician who understands it is booked for weeks, and renaming a room means calling him.
Room calls that never reach the bill
Calls from the rooms are written down at reception, or not at all. By the time the guest checks out, nobody is sure what they cost, and the hotel pays for them.
Reception is also the switchboard
Every call for every department rings the front desk. At check-in time the phone rings out while the guest in front of the receptionist waits, and the booking on the line goes elsewhere.
How 3CX handles it
Check-in and check-out
From the PMS or from the web client. At check-in the room phone takes the guest's name and can call out. At check-out outside calls are barred and the room's voicemail is cleared for the next guest.
Wake-up calls the guest sets
The guest dials a short code, follows the menu and chooses a time. The room rings at that time with your morning message. The PMS can set them too.
Housekeeping from the room phone
The housekeeper dials a code from the room to mark it clean, and the status reaches the PMS. Minibar consumption can be keyed in the same way.
Calls charged to the room
Every call from a room is logged with its cost, at the rates you set. With a PMS that uses the Fidelio protocol, the charge lands on the guest's bill before they reach the desk.
Empty rooms stay quiet
Outside calls are blocked from rooms nobody is staying in, and a guest who wants to sleep can set do not disturb.
A reservations line that holds callers
Calls about bookings go to their own queue, answered by whoever is free, rather than ringing the front desk. On Pro, alongside WhatsApp for guests who would rather write.
A guest's stay, as the phone system sees it
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PMS sends check-in
Check-in
The PMS tells the phone system. The room phone shows the guest's name and can call out.
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PMS sends check-out
The stay
Wake-up calls, do not disturb, room service on a short number, and every outside call logged against the room.
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Check-out
Outside calls barred and voicemail cleared. With a Fidelio-protocol PMS, the call charges are already on the bill.
3CX talks to the property management system over the hotel's own network, using the Fidelio or the Mitel SX2000 protocol. Charges reach the guest's bill only over Fidelio.
What we set up for you
Before anything is installed
- A site survey: room count, the phones already in the rooms, the wiring they use, and the network
- Your PMS and its interface, and exactly what to ask your PMS vendor for
- A plan for keeping the old system running until the new one is proven
What we build
- The system on site, licensed, secured and backed up
- Room phones: existing analogue handsets kept through gateways where the wiring allows, IP or cordless phones where it does not
- The PMS link configured and tested with a real check-in and check-out
- Short numbers for reception, room service, housekeeping and the restaurant, and the wake-up menu recorded
- Call rates for room billing, and training for reception and housekeeping
What a hotel needs from each edition
| Capability | Basic | Pro | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| The hotel module: check-in, wake-up calls, room status Self-managed systems only | Included | Included | Included |
| Connecting your property management system From 16 calls at once | Included | Included | Included |
| Room and desk phones | Included | Included | Included |
| A queue for the reservations line | Not included | Included | Included |
| Call recording | Not included | Included | Included |
| WhatsApp for guests | Not included | Included | Included |
Our recommendation
Pro, for the reservations queue and call recording, and we confirm the hotel module against your licence before you buy. Connecting a property management system needs a licence of at least 16 calls at once, whichever edition you choose.
On site, in almost every case
3CX reaches the property management system over the hotel's own network, and the rooms should keep calling each other when the internet line does not. So the server sits in the hotel, and a support plan from us can cover it remotely.
The same system connects to Microsoft 365 and the common CRMs as well as the PMS. See every integration →
Questions hotels ask us
Can we keep the phones already in our rooms?
Usually, yes. Analogue room phones connect to the system through gateways on the wiring you already have, so the handsets can stay where they are. We confirm it room by room on the site survey, because old wiring is where the surprises are.
Does it work with Opera?
3CX connects to Opera, Fidelio Suite 6 to 8 and Protel through the Fidelio protocol, and to roommaster and other Mitel-compatible systems through the Mitel SX2000 protocol. Fidelio Xpress is not supported. Your PMS vendor may charge for the interface on their side, and we tell you exactly what to ask them for.
Can call charges go on the guest's bill?
With a PMS that uses the Fidelio protocol, yes: each call from the room is passed to the PMS with its time, destination and cost, worked out from the rates you set. The Mitel protocol carries no charges, so with it the costs stay in the phone system's own call records.
Which licence does a hotel need?
We recommend Pro for a hotel: it adds a queue for the reservations line and call recording, and we confirm the hotel module against your licence before you buy. Connecting a property management system needs a licence of at least 16 calls at once. We size it on the survey from your room count and your busiest hour.
What happens when the internet goes down?
With the system on site, calls between rooms, calls to reception and wake-up calls all carry on. Only calls to and from the outside world wait for the line to come back.
See it on a real system
A 30-minute session on a live system, walked through in your own terms. No obligation.
We confirm your slot within 24 hours. Prefer to write? Email or message us.