- You will be able to save the commissions that other suppliers take from their clients, since the booking procedures are done from your website.
- Your booking engine will save you manual work, as you will be able to automate the efforts of the booking process.
- And it will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, available to any part of the world.
There are advantages you can’t overlook, as your visitors won’t even have to leave your hotel’s website when they want to book a room. Think that an online booking engine will also allow your potential customers to easily purchase your hotel’s products or services no matter where they are or what device they are using. It is the way any traveler consumes today and decides to make any purchase.
Now, do you know which online booking engine is right for your hotel? Have you ever wondered if you need a specific type of software for your website? The right one for you will obviously depend on the needs of your hotel, how big your business is. But clearly there are some features you need to have on your checklist when considering the ideal online booking engine:
Ad hoc characteristics.
Many online vendors offer very good software. But if you pay attention to their customers’ sites you will see that their solution is pretty much the same. The reservation processes on the websites of these hotels do not differ, apart from changing some colors or icons. Would you like yours to be like this? Make sure to order an ad hoc front end of your booking engine that is unique, so that your users can instantly identify it with your hotel’s identity, without hateful comparisons.
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2. UX-friendly booking engine.
Users want things to be easy and fast. If your booking engine offers a three-step process, you will be able to efficiently satisfy this consumer preference. Also make sure it is fully
responsive
. If the user wants to book from their mobile device and this process is not easy or fast, they will abandon your site.
Management by tariff and/or client.
A system that is flexible enough to be able to manage different price rates, that is to say, that for the same product or service assigns different rates based on the customer; and that also manages offers, promotions, commissions and cancellation fees.
4. Payment terms and conditions.
In this case, it is necessary for your customers to have different payment options available. For example, PayPal is considered a secure and easy service that is used worldwide and guarantees your customers’ payments. But it is the same with other options, currencies and payment terms. If you want more customers, don’t limit the way they want to pay you for a room.
5. Validation by credit card or payment gateway.
These allow sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, to be encrypted to ensure that customer information is handled securely.
6. Reservation conditions and cancellation policies.
Pay special attention to this section. Your potential customers deserve this transparency of information and you protect yourself from any inconvenience that may arise.
7. Language settings.
It is very important to have a reservation system that can be displayed in different languages. If users cannot understand the booking process, they will leave. This also aligns with user experience satisfaction.
8. Visual characteristics.
On the one hand, the system must be able to provide a visual calendar that updates automatically and a high-resolution image gallery that attracts your potential customers.
9. Alternatives to unavailability.
If a user finds that the vacation period they have selected has no availability, they need to be able to view alternatives close to the dates of the selected travel days.
10. Integrated user feedback.
If your customers rate the services you offer, in particular your rooms, other users will appreciate the transparency of this rating. Include it in your booking engine and analyze it from your system.
11. Access to the reserve.
The consumer’s ability to access, modify or even cancel their reservation is an option that guarantees the satisfaction of the user experience and gives you credibility. Including this option for the potential customer is important.
12. Cross-selling options.
Let’s say your new customer is very satisfied with their room and price, with the easy booking process. This user is now more likely to make a new purchase. For this reason, you need a system that allows you to offer complementary products and services to your hotel to increase revenue per customer.
