04/09/2024
Online Booking Hotel System: Key Features & What It Is
An online hotel booking system is a piece of software that enables you to effectively manage incoming bookings for your hotel, regardless of where they come from. This is extremely useful for hoteliers to be able to ensure that their bookings are properly organized and managed.
What Is Hotel Reservation Management?
Most hoteliers utilize OTAs to increase their reach, meaning they list their property (or properties) on multiple websites. Combined with other booking methods, like direct booking through the hotelier’s own website, plus bookings that are done over the phone or in person, managing every booking accurately can quickly become difficult. With manual management and so many possible different platforms that a potential guest can book on, the possibility of double bookings and incorrect pricing can quickly become an issue.
The key is to be able to manage all of these incoming bookings in a centralized location and use automation to ensure that the correct availability and pricing are always listed online and in internal systems, no matter where and how a guest decides to book with you.
With a centralized reservation system, all bookings from every source that you’re listed with online, plus bookings that are done on your website or internally all go to one place for ease of management, even if you have multiple properties. This is an essential feature that you should look for in any online booking hotel system that you’re looking at purchasing.
How Does an Online Booking Hotel System Work?
Centralized reservation management aside, an online accommodation booking system allows you to take direct reservations from guests on your website. But the software takes it beyond the guest simply selecting a date and time, it allows them to have more control over their stay by enabling them to select things like site size (if you have an RV park or Campground), available rooms or sites from an interactive map, and even add amenities and services during the booking process.
Using Newbook as an example, other features that an online accommodation booking system typically has includes:
Suggestions for similar accommodations and/or dates when the initial selection is unavailable. By automatically suggesting similar dates and accommodation types, you can more easily secure bookings for guests who would otherwise look elsewhere if what you have wasn’t available at the time they made their initial selection. This is especially useful when you have multiple properties that are close together, as the software can recommend available sites or rooms at one of your other properties as well.
The ability for guests to manage their bookings after the fact via a guest portal. Whether a guest decides that they want to lengthen or shorten their stay (you can also indicate minimum or maximum nights) or add additional amenities and services, they can do so through the guest portal. This is not only convenient for the guest, but reduces workload for frontline staff as well.
Upselling is incorporated during the booking process. Guests want to be able to tailor their vacation experience easily. By giving them the ability to add things like wine to the room, a kayak rental, breakfast in bed, or whatever else your business offers, it streamlines their vacation booking experience and gives them more options to make it a truly special time.
Payment plans for long-term stays. If you allow guests to stay for weeks or months, a hotel room booking system like Newbook offers your guests the ability to pay in installments. Plus, automated notifications ensure that your guests are reminded when their next payment is due.
Discounts, offers, and promotions. With online booking hotel software, you can encourage more direct bookings by incorporating unique offers during the booking process for your guests. Incorporating loyalty and referral programs is also possible.
