Accounting and financial systems were introduced during the 1960s, but exclusively as mainframe-based systems operated by the largest hotels. Systems oriented to property management were introduced in the 1970s. Accounting, financial and property management systems finally became available even to the smallest operators. Sales and marketing applications were developed to provide a competitive advantage for properties. The 1990s will be marked as the decade of integration, driven by powerful networking capabilities offered by client server technology.
Client server computing currently has no standard, agreed-upon definition.
Client server systems make the best use of both the networked client computers processing and user interface abilities, and the server systems database, computational and data management abilities. Client server architectures offer major benefits to companies adopting these systems. Data access is more evenly distributed, and users have the ability to query and create their own reports. In addition to improving services, hotel operators are seeking ways to effectively integrate the disparate systems accumulated during the last decade. These platforms have evolved from a patchwork of tactical solutions initiated by various functional areas.