What is a hotel booking app?
A hotel booking app is an application or website that travellers use to book a stay at a hotel. Often travellers will use apps via their mobile devices to research, book, and pay for hotel accommodation. Some well known examples of hotel booking apps include Booking.com, Airbnb, or HotelTonight.
This blog will provide a full guide to hotel booking apps and which ones may be the most useful to sell your inventory on.
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Why should you be aware of the best hotel booking apps?
Hotel booking apps are now a dominant source of bookings for accommodation providers, with travellers booking their trips online more often than not.
Travellers can spend up to 12 weeks researching their trip and may visit up to 38 websites before they complete a purchase.
Given the online travel industry generated revenue worth $667.55 billion in 2023, booking apps are where the money is – as well as your own hotel website.
Being present on the best and most popular booking apps will help your hotel become a consideration for travellers as they prepare to book their stays.
The wider you cast your net, the better too. If you use a solution such as a channel manager, you can list your inventory on as many booking apps as you want with no risk of double bookings or inaccurate inventory. More bookings, less work What if you could boost your hotel's bookings while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.
List of popular hotel booking and travel apps
As we know, travellers are very resourceful. They look high and low, using many different apps and websites to find the best deals, value, and experiences for their stays. However there are also many different traveller profiles – who all have unique needs. This is another reason why it pays to be advertising on a range of travel apps.
Cheapest hotel app
There’s really no definitive ‘cheapest’ hotel app, since budget hotels and affordable accommodations can be found on all apps. Of course, there are specific examples such as HostelWorld which offers hostels exclusively, a generally cheaper type of accommodation.
Hotels.com is another channel renowned for having cheap accommodation available.
Travellers might also use metasearch apps like Trivago, or local apps such as Australia’s Wotif, to discover properties at lower prices and easily compare their options.
Discount hotel app
Plenty of hotel apps might offer exclusive discounts or deals, or make it easier for travellers to survey the best options available to them.
Hopper is a fast-growing mobile travel app that offers plenty of personalised deals to users, while Kayak is another strong metasearch option.
Last minute hotel booking app
The very appropriately named Lastminute.com is one of the most popular options for travellers looking to secure hotel rooms at short notice, finding good deals in real-time.
HotelTonight is a similar app that is also used a lot for last minute bookings, while Hotwire is slightly less popular but also advertises last minute deals.
RedDoorz hotel booking app
RedDoorz is a popular hotel booking app across hot asian destinations such as Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Members of RedDoorz can enjoy special offers and deals, while hotels listing on the platform will have access to highly focused and motivated travellers searching for accommodation in these regions.
Best travel booking app for hotels
So which travel booking apps should your hotel be listing and selling your inventory on? There’s no secret about which booking channels are the biggest and most popular in the world – of course we mean Booking.com and Expedia.
However, unique channels like Airbnb, Mr and Mrs Smith, or Lastminute.com can also provide strong reservation and revenue opportunities.
You also have to consider key metrics within your channel performance, such as which channels have the highest cancellation rates or longest lengths of stay.
Best hotel booking app in USA
Thanks to SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends, we know the best hotel booking app in the USA and across the rest of the world.
If we take revenue generation as a measure of success, the best booking apps for USA hotels are:
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Agoda
- Airbnb
- Hotelbeds
- HotelTonight
- Hostelworld Group
- Webbeds
- Hopper
- HotelsCombined
Note: Direct bookings (hotel websites) drive the third most revenue for USA hotels, while Global Distribution Systems are at number five.
Best hotel booking app in Europe
Using the same data, we can look at the best hotel bookings apps in Europe too.
For instance, here are the top five in some key destinations:
- UK – Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds, Agoda, Trip.com
- Spain – Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds, Jet2holidays, World 2 Meet
- Italy – Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds, Hostelworld Group, Agoda
- Germany – Booking.com, Expedia, HRS, Hotelbeds, Hostelworld Group
- France – Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds, Agoda, Hostelworld Group
As you can see there are variations across markets in Europe, and the best hotel booking app will depend on the goals of your hotel and who you are looking to attract.
For example, the UK attracts a lot of travellers from China which is why Trip.com is such a prominent booking channel.
Best hotel reservation app
Determining the best hotel reservation app depends on how you define it, because it will mean different things to travellers and hotels.
For hotels looking for an app to help manage their reservations, there are plenty available on the market.
Popular options include Little Hotelier, Cloudbeds, Preno, WebRezPro, and Hostaway to name a few.
Little Hotelier in particular is a great option for smaller accommodation providers, as it’s an all-in-one solution that includes a property management system, channel manager, booking engine, and more. It’s also equipped with a mobile app so operators can manage their reservations anywhere, anytime.
Similarly, SiteMinder can be a great choice for independent properties and larger hotels, as it has the industry’s leading channel manager and booking engine, making it easy for hoteliers to attract and convert reservations for their business. It also has a mobile app, further enhancing the convenience of the platform.
Mirja Wolf, Manager Hotel Kragemann
Booking apps for and by hotels
Omni hotel app
The Omni hotel app is an app offered by Omni Hotels. It allows hoteliers to maintain efficient and effective housekeeping using real-time data and communication.
Choice hotel app
The Choice hotel app is offered by Choice Hotels and allows travellers to easily search and book Choice hotels from their mobile device. Guests can also manage their reservations, and redeem rewards if they are a member.
Hilton hotel app
The Hilton hotel app, or Hilton Honors App, is offered by Hilton Hotels. It allows travellers and guests to book stays, search destinations, and earn rewards.
Sheraton hotel app
The Sheraton hotel app is actually the Marriott Bonvoy app, since Marriott owns Sheraton Hotels. The app allows guests to book stays, gives them a mobile room key, unlocks live chat for assistance and requests, and enables them to order food and beverages.
Westin hotel app
Just like Sheraton, the Westin hotel app is actually part of the Marriott Bonvoy app. Many brands fall under Marriott’s umbrella, including Westin. The app allows guests to get rewards and discounts for these brands.
Radisson hotel app
The Radisson hotel app is offered by Radisson Hotels. It gives members exclusive benefits, cheaper rates, and additional offers. Guests can book stays across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
