What is the best booking engine for independent hotels?

An effective reservation system will greatly increase direct bookings

A hotel booking engine is an application on hotel websites used to securely process online reservations. The purpose of a hotel booking engine is to allow reservations to be made:

Directly on your hotel’s own website; and,
Third party websites like Facebook, on which your hotel is listed.

No matter the size of your hotel, you need to allow guests to book rooms on these websites if you want to remain competitive and stay open for business. Travellers have come to expect this functionality from modern-day accommodation providers, appreciating the convenience and security it provides. This is because:

Guests can easily self-serve – checking which rooms are available when, and for how much – without ever speaking to you.
When guests make a booking, your booking engine can securely accept credit card payments to make sure you get paid.
All online bookings are safely stored in your booking engine so that all of your guest data is accessible in one place.

What are the benefits of using a hotel booking engine?

A wholly-branded booking engine for your hotel’s website helps you to attract, reach and convert guests direct. With the right booking engine in place,

You can increase conversions with a simple guest booking experience
You can save time with quick and easy setup
You can eliminate manual entry with instant integration
You can make better decisions with data

What should you look for in your booking engine?

Customisation to your hotel’s brand to ensure the reservation experience is seamless
A simple booking process (no more than two steps)
Multi-language and currency capabilities to convert international guests
Mobile-friendly and Facebook-compatible to reach travellers on-the-go
The ability to upsell so you can offer a more personalised stay and increase revenue per guest
Google Maps integration so guests know how to find you
Customisable emails – confirmation, pre-arrival, during and post departure
Complete integration with PMSs and CRSs to instantly update your rates, availability, and special offers
Payment gateway options to facilitate real-time payments directly into your bank account
Integration with all of your booking sites through a channel manager
Google Analytics, Google Adwords and eCommerce tracking so you can analyse direct booking trends – including website traffic, conversion rates, and ROI