After nearly 30 years in hospitality, General Manager Darren Aylward knows that a hotel PMS has to do more than manage the property. It has to be easy to use, supported when the hotel needs help, and backed by people who keep the relationship moving forward.
A boutique hotel at the heart of Emory
Across the street from Emory University and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, The University Inn at Emory is a small, independent boutique hotel positioned beside a major university and medical campus.
The property began using roommaster around 2014, after Steven Thomas, now its Revenue Strategy Manager, introduced the system to the hotel. What began as a practical choice for running the property has developed into a relationship shaped by straightforward software, responsive support, and direct access to an account manager.
Nearly 30 years of hospitality perspective
Darren brings approximately 28 years of hospitality experience to the role. He spent much of his career at branded hotels, worked with numerous property management systems, and now manages his first independent property.
That background gives him a useful point of comparison. At a branded hotel, technology often arrives as part of a larger operating structure. An independent property has to choose systems that suit its own team and day-to-day needs. The software has to cover the work without becoming more complicated than the operation it supports.
Keeping hotel operations simple
The quality Darren returns to most often is simplicity. He describes roommaster as an intuitive way to operate the property, even as the system has expanded to support more of what the hotel needs.
For The University Inn at Emory, that balance matters. A property management system sits inside the daily work of the hotel, so every extra layer of complexity can slow the team down. roommaster gives the property the operational coverage it needs while remaining approachable for the people using it.
“I'm pretty impressed with roommaster because there's a simplicity about it, but it's actually expanded to operate everything that we need at the property level.”
Darren Aylward, General Manager, The University Inn at Emory
When support keeps the hotel moving
A hotel cannot put arrivals, reservations, or front-desk work on hold while it waits for a technical issue to be resolved. Darren connects support response time directly to productivity. When help takes too long, the effect reaches beyond the software and into the work of the property.
His experience with roommaster support has been positive. Over the past years, he has found that tickets receive a quick response, giving the hotel a clearer path back to normal operations when an issue appears.
“When I submitted a ticket for an issue, they're actually pretty quick to respond to it.”
Darren Aylward, General Manager, The University Inn at Emory
A direct line to what comes next
The support team helps when something needs attention. The account manager helps the hotel look ahead. For Darren, having a named person at roommaster means the property can ask about products, understand what is new, and stay aware of opportunities that may be relevant to the hotel.
That connection is especially useful for an independent property. New capabilities are easier to evaluate when there is someone who knows the account and can explain how the product is developing. The relationship keeps The University Inn at Emory involved instead of leaving the team to discover every update on its own.
“Any hotel that doesn't have an account manager is missing opportunities.”
Darren Aylward, General Manager, The University Inn at Emory
More than a PMS
After more than a decade, The University Inn at Emory's experience with roommaster is defined by how the system and the people behind it work together. The software supports the property without unnecessary complexity. The support team responds when the hotel needs help. The account manager keeps the relationship active between those moments.
That combination explains why the story reaches beyond a feature list. For Darren, the value of roommaster is found in everyday use and in knowing there are people available to help the property get more from the system over time.
A longstanding relationship and the all new roommaster
The University Inn at Emory began using roommaster around 2014. Since then, hotel operations and guest expectations have continued to change, and roommaster has reimagined the platform for the way hotel teams work today.
The all-new roommaster is a modern, cloud-based hotel PMS with a redesigned interface, faster performance, and simplified workflows. It builds on more than 30 years of hospitality experience while giving current hotel teams a more intuitive way to manage their operations.
Darren's comments describe his experience with the longstanding customer relationship. The all-new platform is roommaster's next step: modern technology supported by the same focus on usability, responsive help, and direct customer connection that The University Inn at Emory values.
See the all new roommaster
Discover a modern hotel PMS built on more than 30 years of hospitality experience, with a redesigned interface and workflows made for the way hotel teams work today.
Explore the all-new roommaster | Click Here
The roommaster team have been able and willing to help us make sure all of our things are connected, that all of our channels are working together.
