If you’re still managing hotel finances with paper-based processes, it might be because it helps you feel more in control.
You want a paper trail. You want to personally sign off on every check because it gives you peace of mind that everything’s been handled correctly. You’ve been burned by automation and new technology in the past that made things harder, not easier.
So when someone says, “let’s automate the process,” you think about all the control you’ll be losing. But what if the opposite were true?
Automation Doesn’t Mean Letting Go
“There’s a big difference between something that’s automated and something that’s automatic,” says Jon Land, senior director of sales at AvidXchange. “An automated process removes manual labor, but that doesn’t mean it runs without you. You’re still in charge.”
The truth is, automation can give you more control—not less.
Here’s the thing about manual accounts payable processes: the paper is in control. As soon as you put that check in the mailbox, you can’t do anything to prevent check fraud.
“If you want to give a crook everything they need to steal from you, just send them a check,” Land said. “It’s all right there: your name, address, account number, routing number, signature. And they get intercepted all the time.”
“There’s a big difference between something that’s automated and something that’s automatic. An automated process removes manual labor, but that doesn’t mean it runs without you. You’re still in charge."
Gain Visibility, Control, and Efficiency
Automation also gives you more control through visibility. If you manage payments across multiple hotel properties, how do you keep a real-time pulse on every payment?
An automated system like AvidXchange (which is tightly integrated with M3’s Accounting Core and embedded within CoreSelect) centralizes your payment activity. This means you track approvals, statuses, and vendor preferences in real time, even from your phone—and payments only go out when you say so.
You can still set specific approval workflows. Want to personally review every payment over $10,000? Done. Prefer certain invoices to go through a particular manager? Easy.
Automated payments still give your suppliers control. They choose how they want to get paid—whether by paper check, virtual card, or AvidPay Direct—and AvidXchange takes care of the delivery. Then AvidXchange handles payment delivery, and vendors have 24/7 visibility into their payment status.
And then there’s your time. “If you’re processing 1,000 checks a month, and it takes two to three minutes to prep each one, that’s a full-time job,” Land said. That’s time your team could be spending on work that’s more meaningful than stuffing envelopes.”
“At the end of the day, our number one goal as hoteliers is to provide exceptional service,” said Rachel Kammer, strategic alliance sales executive at M3. “That starts with having the right tools behind the scenes.”
Automation doesn’t take away your oversight. It preserves it and makes it scalable.
To learn more about AvidXchange and its integration with M3, visit avidxchange.com/solutions/m3.
“At the end of the day, our number one goal as hoteliers is to provide exceptional service. That starts with having the right tools behind the scenes.”