Customers visiting your website will expect to find live rates and availability. They want to find the right accommodation and book it there and then. Without it you will lose bookings because customers will jump from site to site until they find one they can book online. Without online booking, customers will call and email for dates when you are full. This drains their energy and yours responding to dates you simply can't accommodate.
If you already have online booking then you don't want to lose money by paying commission on bookings from your own website. Selecting the right online booking engine is an important decision. You need to know it is right for you, your business and your customers.
It must to be cost effective, easy to use and straightforward to add to your website. Fairwinds Chalets "I found freetobook quick and easy to set up. Flexible booking Are bookings instant or do you have the option to review them before confirming? Rate setting Rate setting is a critical feature and having the ability to create multiple rates sets, minimum nights and apply discounts is priceless.
Automation tools Booking software is supposed to make life easier and remove the manual tasks such as sending emails. Updates Is the software regularly updated? Security What percentage uptime does the site have, is there a SLA and how often is your data backed up? Freetobook Provides a free online booking system for accommodation websites.
Starting from 0. Freetobook is a low-cost option which enables to take bookings and payments online. Holiday Bookings Online Booking software for property owners and agents. Key features: Take bookings and payments online through PayPal or via a merchant account and Sagepay Easy to set up with the option to have the booking pages customised to match your website design A channel manager to updates your calendar on listing sites Technical support is UK based Automatically send customised emails and invoices.
Bookalet Offers booking management for holiday lets. Key features: Option to have your own customised booking website Updates availability calendars — bookings forms — guest correspondence — payment tracking — invoicing — reporting Online payment integration with your merchant service Automatically update calendars on portals such as Airbnb, HomeAway, Independent Cottages and Holiday Lettings day free trial UK-based support.
PIMS Allows rental owners to manage the booking process how they want to. Key features: Option to take instant online bookings and payments Send customised emails Manage the whole booking process with a to-do list and reminders Option to synchronise with listing site calendars day money back guarantee UK-based email support. Anytime Is another provider of booking management software for self-catering businesses. Bookster Has three plans dependant on features required and the number of properties owned.
Key features: Website — online bookings and payment — automated emails — update availability on marketing channels — reporting — email marketing Custom website design option Free trial. An affordable solution with the option to create the full package with a website. Final notes Investing in booking software is a wise decision. Booking software evaluation checklist How long have they been in business? Who owns your booking data if you decide to switch to another provider?
Can you export your data easily? Is the software cloud-based? Are bookings provisional or instant? One Comment Graham Stow 17th April See how much you could save! Click here to start your quote. How much could you Save? Online Reservation system with booking calendar. Accommodation booking system for holiday property owners and agents. Property Owners Booking Software. Online Booking Systems For self-catering property owners and agents Booking calendar shows availability and takes online bookings Take payments online for booking deposits and invoices Easy to use online control panel lets you manage your bookings Significantly reduce your workload by using our system to automatically send out customer payment reminders and arrival instructions.
Have your booking pages customised for your website Easy to set up - just add a HTML link on your website GDPR compliant UK based company with full after-sales support included with the booking system.
Web Designers - Find out more. Links to your availability and booking calendar with simple HTML. Assuming you use more than one advertising platform it is possible to synchronise your availability calendars. Most systems also enable you to take online payments. In a nutshell, it makes the booking process much easier and less time consuming for both you and your guests.
Having an online booking system is also likely to increase your bookings as it catches potential guests when they are looking at your property and allows them to book at times of the day that you might not be available. For example, some people might start browsing for a holiday once the kids are in bed and they can relax with a glass of wine.
If something they like catches their eye and they can book it there and then, they are more likely to book rather than waiting until the morning when they are back at work and the moment is lost.
It also allows people from different time zones to make a booking when you might be asleep. It is unlikely that you will find one product that will do everything to suit your specific needs perfectly. It is important to decide what functions you really cannot live without and which ones you are realistically unlikely to use. Here are a few things to consider when comparing online booking management companies.
If you advertise your property through an OTA it is possible to use the OTAs default booking system to manage your bookings. However, you need to be aware that you will be bound by the OTAs rules and regulations which might not suit you.
For example, some OTAs allow their guests to cancel up to 24 hours before arrival. Others will hold onto payments made by the holiday makers until after they have checked in, even though the holiday might have been booked months in advance.
Most OTAs do not allow you to have direct contact with the owner until after the booking has been confirmed and the deposit paid. Some guests like to be able to speak to the owner before making a booking. Most online booking companies will allow you to dictate your own rules and set your own policies and procedures. Probably the first thing you are keen to establish is how much a new online booking and management system is going to cost.
Obviously the cheaper systems will offer less, so you need to work out exactly what your priorities are and what your rough budget is. Some companies offer more than one system so it may be possible to start with a cheaper package and upgrade as and when you need to.
Make sure you add up all the individual costs as some systems have additional fees. As well as the subscription charges you need to check whether you will be charged a fee for each booking. Some systems will have set-up costs, costs for handling credit card payments if you choose to accept them and extra charges for simple updates or adding additional users such as property managers or cleaners.
A Channel Manager will synchronise key information across multiple booking websites. This is most commonly used for availability calendars. Once a booking is confirmed it will automatically update your availability calendars across all the different websites on which you advertise. The Channel Manager for some online management systems also synchronises pricing, listing content and photos across multiple sites.
This obviously saves time and also removes the risk of double booking. An online booking and management system does not necessarily need a Channel Manager to synchronise calendars.
This can also be done through an iCal short for iCalendar feed. It can be used as a way to synchronise bookings between calendars on various OTAs as well as independent booking sites. For example, Independent Cottages can take a feed from any website that offers an iCal feed which will automatically update your availability calendar on the Independent Cottages website.
Alongside online management systems, it is likely that you will also want to be able to take payments online. Not only does this make the booking quick and simple, but it is also the most secure way for guests to pay for their holiday.
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