Every hotelier likes to make more profit out of every booking. I am sure that you are one of them, and given a chance, you will do everything possible to increase your hotel revenues. So let’s get to the point without wasting time – adopt a hotel booking engine. This useful solution will empower you to sell more rooms directly via your hotel website and other social media platforms.
All about hotel booking system
Hospitality industry experts call this vital piece of software as hotel booking software, hotel booking engine, web booking engine, or just booking engine. You can plug it into your hotel website and other social media platforms to allow your guests to reserve their rooms directly with you. It also gets integrated with your Hotel PMS and ensures that all reservation and guest details are captured in the system.
Reasons to invest in hotel booking software
The reasons are many. Here, we will talk about some of the MOST COMPELLING points. Let’s get going.
Sell more rooms directly, save more on OTA commission
Okay, this reason tops the chart. There is nothing like selling more rooms on your own rather than selling via OTAs. The more you sell directly, the extra you get to earn per booking as you don’t have to pay 25% to 30% of the booking amount as OTA commission. Apart from increasing your hotel’s profit margins and lowering your guest acquisition costs, it also reduces your dependency on OTAs while optimizing your sales strategy.
Earn more non-room revenue
Create and promote unlimited special packages and add-ons for your loyal guests. You can customize those packages based on demand and seasonality. This allows you to upsell items, including gym and spa services and many others, to earn more non-room revenue.
Prompt guests to upgrade their rooms
When you know one of your premium rooms is available, advertise special rates and ask your guests to upgrade rooms by paying a relatively minor amount. This way, you get to sell your premium room at an extra cost that goes to your pocket.
Accept payments quicker
You can ask your guests to pay an advance against their bookings. Guests who book directly on your website or social media pages are more likely to make payments if you offer them a safe payment gateway option. Display on your web booking engine that you are PCI DSS Certified/Compliance, and their card details are safe with you. Now, is it not the best way to get paid quickly?
Reduce no-shows
Most guests booking directly with you tend to show up and honor their reservations, helping you deal with no-show issues. Additionally, display cancellation policies on the booking page and keep some percentage of the advance paid as last-minute no-show compensation.
Receive reservations 24/7/365
With an online booking system embedded in your website, your hotel is ready to accept bookings 24/7 for 365 days. Guests can book with you anytime they want. You don’t need your staff to monitor and manage those direct bookings as the solution does everything for you. It maximizes your sales, resulting in improved revenue.
Automate the booking process, reduce errors
The hotel web booking software reduces the number of availability once a room is booked. It also does the same when an existing booking is modified or canceled. Your front desk staff also has a clear picture of your hotel’s room availability. Most importantly, the solution sends out automatic reservation confirmation emails to your guests.
Gain insights into reservation and guest data
Your system gets updated with every bit of detail related to reservations, modifications, and cancellations. It also captures guests’ booking patterns and preferences. Armed with such data, you can roll out targeted and tailored marketing strategies to attract more guests.
Promote your hotel
An intelligent hotel booking software enables you to promote your hotel via high-resolution photographs of your rooms, facilities, and other amenities. “Seeing is believing” – and this is apt here as guests tend to book with you if they get to see your hotel pics.
A robust online hotel booking engine has the potential to help you with an efficient distribution strategy. For example, our cloud-based booking system comes with a user-friendly dashboard. You can check all your information with just a single login while accessing it from anywhere you want to. It helps you with multiple payment options, and you can set up custom tax rates to ensure that your invoices are always compliant with the applicable tax laws. The best part is that it acts as a self-service portal for your guests as they can make bookings, modify, and cancel the same on their own while not wasting their time talking to your reservation agents. This ultimately leads to guest satisfaction.
