Written by: JJ Tan, Founder, Jelly
Key Takeaways
Before diving into the details, here are the essential points about integrating Epos Now with your hotel inventory system.
- Hotel inventory management integration with Epos Now connects EPOS sales data to stock and property management systems for automatic stock deduction and real-time reporting.
- UK hotels face margin leakage and admin burden when front desk, F&B, and stock systems remain disconnected.
- Three integration routes exist: native PMS connections, custom API builds, and Jelly’s native integration, each suited to different operational needs and technical resources.
- Real-time, item-level sales data sync ensures accurate margins, handles VAT correctly, and supports MTD compliance without manual rekeying.
- Jelly offers a native integration that automates F&B inventory alongside Epos Now, with a demo available on request.
Book a demo to see Jelly in action with your Epos Now setup.
The Hotel Inventory Challenge
Most UK hotels run with a structural disconnect at their core. The front desk runs on a property management system (PMS), the restaurant and bar run on Epos Now, and stock records live in a spreadsheet if they are updated at all. This gap creates margin leakage, stockouts at peak service times, and hours of weekly admin that pull operators away from guests and growth. This guide addresses that disconnect directly with a UK-focused walkthrough of how to connect Epos Now to your hotel inventory system, which routes are available, what data syncs, and how to get started.
Why Integrate Epos Now with Hotel Inventory?
The operational and financial case for integration is straightforward. Epos Now’s own multichannel inventory guidance confirms that a connected system updates stock levels the moment a product sells anywhere, which prevents overselling and reduces the risk of disappointing guests. For hotel F&B specifically, the benefits include:
- Automatic stock deduction the moment a sale is made at the bar, restaurant, or via room service
- Unified front desk and F&B operations, with charges posting directly to guest folios
- Real-time reporting on sales mix, stock levels, and margins without manual exports
- Reduced manual data entry and fewer associated errors
- Better cost control through automated purchasing triggers and low-stock alerts
Epos Now was founded in Norwich and remains a UK-headquartered business, which matters for local support accountability and data residency considerations. Its POS supports solid and liquid ingredient tracking, low-stock alerts, and multi-site syncing as standard hospitality capabilities.
To explore how this works in practice, schedule a chat with the Jelly team and review your current setup.
Integration Options: How to Connect Epos Now to Your Hotel Inventory
Three realistic routes connect Epos Now to a hotel inventory or PMS system. The right choice depends on your technical resource, budget, and the depth of F&B automation you need.
| Route | Setup Effort | Best For | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native PMS Integration | Low–Medium (vendor-led) | Hotels needing guest folio posting and front-desk sync | Limited F&B inventory depth; no recipe costing or supplier management |
| API Middleware / Custom Build | High (developer required) | Hotels with bespoke systems and technical resource | Webhooks still in beta, relies on polling, ongoing maintenance cost |
| Jelly’s Native Integration | Very Low (~5 minutes, self-serve) | Growing hotels wanting automated F&B inventory without a custom build | Covers F&B inventory layer; front-desk PMS posting handled separately |
Route 1: Native PMS Integrations
Epos Now connects with PMS providers including RoomRaccoon and Mews. These integrations handle front-desk operations well, posting charges to guest folios and syncing room data, and are typically configured through the PMS provider’s marketplace or Epos Now’s partner network. They do not provide deep F&B inventory management, so ingredient-level stock tracking, recipe costing, and supplier price monitoring remain outside their scope.
Route 2: API Middleware or Custom Build
Epos Now publishes a self-serve REST API at developer.eposnowhq.com, covering products, customers, stock, purchase orders, transactions, staff, and end-of-day reports. A developer can build a custom integration or use middleware to sync data between Epos Now and your inventory system. Authentication uses Basic Authentication, a Base64 key and secret pair per API Device, with no OAuth option. Webhooks remain in beta with limited event types, so most synchronisations fall back to polling. This route offers maximum flexibility and requires technical resource plus ongoing maintenance.
Route 3: Jelly’s Native POS Integration
Jelly integrates natively with Epos Now via real-time API, pulling item-level sales data to automate inventory, invoice management, and menu profitability. Setup takes around five minutes with no developer involvement. Jelly processes all discount and refund calculations at the individual line level, which keeps margin data accurate even when transactions are complex, such as a 50% discount applied to a bottle of wine at the bar. This route suits growing hotels that want automated F&B inventory without commissioning a custom build.
Setup Overview by Integration Route
Jelly’s Integration (Recommended for Most Operators)
Connecting Jelly to Epos Now takes only a few minutes and requires admin access to your Epos Now account. The process follows the same flow used across all of Jelly’s supported POS systems:
- Open Jelly and navigate to Integrations.
- Sign in to your Epos Now account.
- Grant the requested permissions.
- Select which POS categories to sync, such as food and beverages.
- Map POS items to Jelly dishes. Only items sold since the connection was established will appear, which keeps the mapping clean and free of legacy menu clutter.
Native PMS Integrations
Setup usually happens through the PMS provider’s marketplace, such as Mews or RoomRaccoon, or via Epos Now’s partner network. Both vendors typically handle configuration, and timelines vary based on property complexity.
API Middleware
Key steps include generating API credentials from your Epos Now Back Office by registering an API Device, mapping data fields between systems, configuring sync frequency, and running test transactions before going live. For most operators, the practical target is an API-first approach with event-driven coordination, using REST APIs as the default for transactional operations such as inventory queries and order creation.
What Data Can You Sync Between Epos Now and Your Inventory System?
The following table outlines the common data categories that flow between Epos Now and an inventory management layer. Field names marked as illustrative reflect the resource categories documented in Epos Now’s published API surface. MinStock and MaxStock reflect threshold parameters confirmed in Epos Now’s own multichannel inventory guidance.
| Data Category | Example Fields | Sync Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Product ID, Name, Category, Price | Epos Now → Inventory |
| Stock Levels | CurrentStock, MinStock, MaxStock (illustrative) | Bidirectional |
| Sales Transactions | Item-level sales, discounts, refunds | Epos Now → Inventory |
| Suppliers | Supplier ID, Name, Lead Time (illustrative) | Inventory → Epos Now |
Item-level sales data syncs in real time via Jelly’s integration. This line-level handling of discounts and refunds keeps margin data accurate regardless of transaction complexity. Stock data is only as good as the transactions feeding it, so real-time, item-level sync matters more than batch exports for hotel F&B operations.
UK-Specific Considerations for Hotel Inventory
UK hotel operators face regulatory and operational factors that generic inventory guides overlook.
VAT treatment: Food and drink consumed on premises is standard-rated at 20% VAT. All alcoholic drinks are also standard-rated at 20% with no exceptions, while most cold takeaway food is zero-rated. Your integration must handle mixed VAT rates correctly to avoid HMRC audit risk. Manual VAT categorisation has been reported to cost operators around 8 hours of admin time per quarter and introduce inaccuracies. An integrated system can reduce this to under 30 minutes.
Making Tax Digital (MTD): MTD for VAT has been mandatory for all VAT-registered UK businesses since April 2022, which requires digital record-keeping and digital submission of VAT returns. An integrated system ensures your EPOS sales data flows into MTD-compliant accounting software without manual rekeying, which HMRC prohibits under its digital links rules.
Supplier landscape: UK hotels typically deal with multiple local wholesalers with volatile pricing. Real-time cost data from integrated invoices provides the evidence needed to challenge price increases and protect margins.
Epos Now’s UK heritage: As a Norwich-founded company, Epos Now offers UK-based support, which is relevant for operators who require local accountability and prefer data residency within the UK.
Best Practices for Stock Control and Purchasing
Strong processes help you capture the full value of your integration. The following practices apply regardless of which integration route you choose:
- Automate invoice capture so every line item updates your cost base without manual entry.
- Set reorder points based on sales velocity and supplier lead times, and review thresholds seasonally.
- Use price alerts to identify supplier increases early and negotiate credits or alternative sources.
- Review menu profitability weekly. A dish that was profitable last month may lose money today as ingredient costs shift.
- An integrated EPOS reduces manual admin by 4–6 hours per week by connecting the till, stock system, and accounting platform. For operators still on spreadsheets, moving to automated systems can free 10–20 hours of weekly admin.
How Jelly Fits as an Inventory Management Layer
Jelly is one of Epos Now’s native POS integration partners and connects via real-time API. It sits on top of your Epos Now sales data to automate the back-of-house operations that a POS system does not handle, such as invoice management, ingredient-level costing, and menu profitability.
Jelly’s value proposition for UK hotel operators includes:
- Automated invoice scanning: Photograph or email any supplier invoice and Jelly digitises every line item, including quantity, SKU, price, and tax, without manual entry.
- Real-time dish costing: Ingredient costs update with every invoice, so gross profit margins stay current. A red percentage flags any dish whose margin has fallen.
- Price alerts: Instant visibility of supplier price increases, giving you concrete evidence for negotiations and credit note requests.
- Accounting integration: One-click push of digitised invoices into Xero, with Sage integration coming soon, which delivers around a 90% reduction in bookkeeping time.
One Jelly operator improved gross profit from 65% to 72% within 12 weeks on approximately £500,000 in revenue. Stuart Noble, Head Chef at Cairn Lodge Hotel, reported: “Price hikes were crushing our margins, I felt helpless. With Jelly, every dish cost is up-to-date at my fingertips. We slashed food costs by 5% in a month.” Jelly charges a flat rate of £129 per month per location with no variable charges per user or feature.
Talk to the Jelly team to see how Jelly automates your hotel’s F&B inventory alongside Epos Now.
Common Challenges and Pitfalls
Even with the right tools, operators can undermine their integration by falling into familiar traps. Operators often undermine their integration by repeating the same mistakes. They rely on manual stock counts after go-live, accept delayed reporting instead of demanding real-time data, and keep POS and inventory disconnected because setup feels complex. Others ignore supplier price changes until margin damage is already done or choose systems so complex that kitchen staff will not adopt them. Effective integration focuses on operational efficiency and supports a stretched team rather than adding administrative burden.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Epos Now a UK company?
Yes. Epos Now was founded in Norwich, UK, and remains headquartered there. It offers UK-based support for its hospitality and retail POS systems, which is relevant for operators who want local accountability and prefer data residency within the UK.
What operating system does Epos Now use?
Epos Now is cloud-based and runs on Android and Windows devices, with data accessible from any connected device. Its cloud architecture means stock levels and sales data are available in real time across all locations without local server dependency.
Can Epos Now integrate with my hotel PMS?
Yes. Epos Now has native integrations with PMS providers including Mews and RoomRaccoon, which enable restaurant, bar, and room-service charges to be posted directly to guest folios. Its open REST API also allows custom connections to other systems. These PMS integrations focus on front-desk operations and guest billing rather than deep F&B inventory management at the ingredient level.
How long does it take to integrate Epos Now with Jelly?
The connection uses the same quick setup described earlier and usually completes in a few minutes. You will need admin access to your Epos Now account to grant the required permissions. Once connected, Jelly pulls item-level sales data in real time and surfaces only items sold since the integration was established, which keeps the dish-mapping process clean. The only common friction point occurs when the user does not have admin access to their Epos Now account, so Jelly flags this requirement upfront.
What data can I sync between Epos Now and my inventory system?
The data available depends on your integration route. Via Jelly’s native integration, item-level sales transactions sync in real time with the accurate margin tracking described earlier. Epos Now’s REST API covers products, stock levels, purchase orders, transactions, customers, and locations. For hotels using a PMS integration route, front-desk data such as room charges and guest folios also flows between systems, while ingredient-level stock management still requires a dedicated inventory layer such as Jelly.
Conclusion
Integrating Epos Now with your hotel inventory system is essential for protecting F&B margins and staying competitive in a market where supplier prices shift weekly and manual processes compound errors. Native PMS integrations handle front-desk billing effectively. Custom API builds offer flexibility at a significant cost in time and technical resource. Jelly delivers automated F&B inventory, real-time dish costing, and supplier price alerts while sitting directly on top of your Epos Now data with no developer involvement required. To explore the impact on your hotel, request a Jelly demo and review your current F&B operation.