A hotel Booking Engine is an online platform or software that allows customers to search for, view, and book hotel rooms and self-catering accommodation directly on a hotel’s or property’s website.
NB: This is an article from GuestRevu
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and stay up to date
It integrates with the accommodation’s Property Management System (PMS) to display real-time availability, pricing, and room details, enabling guests to make secure reservations without needing to contact the hotel directly.
This technology helps hotels streamline the booking process, reduces reliance on third-party platforms such as Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), including Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb, and enhances customer satisfaction.
There are many Booking Engines on the market, all with different functionalities and capabilities, and they fit into the categories of the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Let’s start with The Good
An exceptional Booking Engine should provide a seamless, user-friendly guest experience that combines efficiency, functionality, and personalisation.
User-friendly
The design of the Booking Engine needs to be intuitive, allowing for simple navigation, a logical flow, and minimal steps to complete a booking.
It also needs to be fully mobile-optimised, ensuring a smooth experience across all devices, especially mobile phones, as statistics show the number of bookings made via a mobile device is increasing monthly.
Recommendations
The Booking Engine needs to be instantly responsive and allow quick search functionality by selected options, dates, room, rates, etc.
Tailored offers such as promotions and special discounts can entice guests to book direct, saving on hefty OTA commissions.
Comprehensive property and room information
Your guests want to know what’s on offer, so detailed information about your property, rooms, facilities, as well as your policies (cancellation, check-in, pets, etc.) should be included.
Your Booking Engine, along with your website, is your shop window, so ensure that the images used are of high quality and showcase the best features of your property. Nobody wants to see an image of the toilet!
Seamless Booking Process
And finally, a seamless booking process is fundamental.
Returning guests want to be able to quickly log into their account; having already saved their personal details will enable a faster booking process for them.
The Booking Engine also needs to allow flexibility based on the hotel’s offering, such as multiple rooms with different rate plans and various extras or upsells. These could include anything from room upgrades, late check-out options and breakfast packages to spa treatments and tickets to local attractions.
Guests should be provided with a clear breakdown of costs that includes the room reservation, any additional extras they have selected, and any applicable taxes. There should be no hidden fees.
Instant confirmations should also be sent via email or SMS, with detailed instructions for cancellations or any changes guests may wish to make to their booking.
Allowing for multiple payment options, such as all major credit cards and digital wallets, provides guests with a choice based on their preferred method of payment and helps eliminate potential friction that could lead to them abandoning their booking.
And for the hotel, analytics is a must, which should be easily accessible in the Property Management System and Google Analytics.
The bad and the ugly…
Having an inadequate Booking Engine can significantly affect a hotel’s business in several ways. A poor user experience or a platform with technical issues will not only deter potential customers but also directly impact your bottom line!
