Best Hotel Reservations Software
Not all hotels are able to implement and maintain a hotel management software solution; and therefore, some hotels prefer to only rely on applications that handle guest reservations. Hotel reservations software helps hospitality companies facilitate reservation processes for both customers and employees. These applications contribute to the overall customer experience by facilitating smooth processes during the reservation phase of the customer lifecycle. While employees in charge of reservation management benefit the most from this type of software, a good portion of the customer information stored by such applications assists sales and marketing teams to uncover new business opportunities.
For optimal business results, hotel reservations software needs to integrate with back office software, like accounting, or with other applications designed for the tourism industry such as tour operator and travel agency software. While most hotel management solutions include a reservation module, some of them integrate with hotel reservations software offered by other vendors.
To qualify for inclusion in the Hotel Reservations category, a product must:
Best Hotel Reservations Software At A Glance
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- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cloudbeds is the leading platform redefining the concept of PMS for the hospitality industry, serving tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries worldwide. Built from the ground up to
- Hospitality
- 81% Small-Business
- 19% Mid-Market
1,926 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cvent Passkey streamlines and automates meeting and event bookings for hotels, DMOs, and venues—creating valuable upsell opportunities. Event planners can simplify room block management with Cvent
- Hospitality
- Non-Profit Organization Management
- 53% Mid-Market
- 29% Small-Business
42,396 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Created specifically for activity-related adventure experiences, Bookinglayer is one of the most customisable, all-in-one reservation management software systems on the market. The global market leade
- Leisure, Travel & Tourism
- 84% Small-Business
- 11% Mid-Market
107 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Engine is a travel management solution designed to help businesses streamline their trip planning and execution processes. This innovative platform simplifies travel logistics, making it easier for or
- Construction
- 65% Small-Business
- 35% Mid-Market
6,419 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Amadeus Central Reservations System gives you the ability to manage and distribute your hotel's content by connecting to your distribution channels from websites to GDSs to online travel agencies and
- Airlines/Aviation
- 47% Mid-Market
- 33% Small-Business
31,610 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Helium is a comprehensive platform that simplifies the booking and reservation management process without charging booking fees.
- 46% Mid-Market
- 46% Small-Business
5 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
iHotelier is the powerful, web-based central reservation system (CRS) that supports all TravelClick reservations solutions.
- Hospitality
- 42% Mid-Market
- 33% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SynXis Booking Engine provides an integrated solution to your hotel or chain website allowing you to gain control of the design and layout providing your guests a positive booking experience.
- Hospitality
- 53% Small-Business
- 37% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
RoomRaccoon is an innovative all-in-one Hotel Management System for independent hotels, B&Bs, hostels, apartments and vacation rentals. With RoomRaccoon, hoteliers can access a property manageme
- Hospitality
- 86% Small-Business
- 14% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Planyo is an online reservation system which can be used by any business taking bookings (for days, nights, hours or minutes, or scheduled events). It's used, amongst others, by businesses offering va
- 80% Small-Business
82 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Little Hotelier is award-winning hotel management software, purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Helping more than 9,000 properties worldwide, the all-in-one soluti
- 50% Mid-Market
- 50% Small-Business
1,400 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The MotoPress Hotel Booking plugin is a rental property software for those who run hotel or vacation rental websites on WordPress. Unlike non-WordPress solutions, this plugin doesn’t charge you any pe
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Bookwize is a truly efficient booking system with a revenue-driven mind-set combining an easy to use booking engine, a full featured channel manager as well as a set of tools and reports allowing the
- 100% Mid-Market
30 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
onPeak's proprietary hotel reservation system, Compass™, is the power behind many of the top trade shows, events, conferences and meetings all over the world. Users can easily shop, reserve and manage
- 67% Mid-Market
- 33% Small-Business
1,569 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Provab is a leading travel technology company providing travel portals, booking engines, IBEs and travel tech solutions to companies and agents.
- 100% Small-Business
678 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SynXis Booking Engine is a versatile booking platform for hotels, built to deliver an unmatched guest experience and deep retail focus. It‚ the industry‚ first booking engine that leverages smart prof
- 33% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Windsurfer CRS offers advanced features that allow to easily manage rates and inventory across all distribution channels.
- 33% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
805 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
AccuBook Booking Engine offers a two step check out to sell your rooms, packaged offers, vouchers and any other tiems you wish to sell with promotional code offers, yield management, sold out email al
- 100% Small-Business
267 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Airbnb Clone is a vacation rental booking website script designed particularly for aiming holiday rentals.
- 100% Small-Business
280 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Amadeus Central Reservations System is a next-generation, cloud-based solution that optimizes customer engagement, distribution and brand experience.
- 100% Mid-Market
- 50% Small-Business
31,610 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Booking Engine is an online booking engine that combines hotel and air packages to offer convenience for your guests while managing revenue, with features and tools to help you manage your bookings an
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Booking Engine is a hotel reservation software with mobile phone bookings, upsells and add-ons marketing, and personalized emails to your customers.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Hotel Booking Engine - Best Wizard of Amplifying Hotel Revenue We use best in industry technology to provide you with an ingenious and powerful online booking engine that gets you infinite bookings f
- 50% Mid-Market
- 50% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Freetobook is a privately run family business based in Glasgow. We have a long history of building online bookings systems which are both easy to use and economical.
- 100% Small-Business
10,305 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Access real-time, comprehensive hotel rates, availability and booking options with Hotels.
- 50% Enterprise
- 50% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
RateHawk.com is an innovative B2B online booking engine featuring hotels, air tickets, transfers, and car hire. It is designed to be the ultimate day to day booking tool for travel professionals. We s
- 50% Enterprise
- 50% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Grow revenue and streamline operations with our easy-to-use reservations software and online booking engine. With our cloud-based solutions, you have the flexibility to maximize the guest experience
- 100% Small-Business
600 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Vizergy serves the world’s hospitality industry with stunning website design and fiercely competitive tools to maximize revenue. Our formula for success includes cutting-edge technologies, innovative
- 50% Small-Business
- 50% Mid-Market
1,095 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
WebHotelier is an online booking engine platform that provides features and functions to help you manage your clients reservations and bookings.
- 50% Mid-Market
- 50% Small-Business
709 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Abode is a cloud-based accommodation booking system.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
booking engine is the software application being used to secure online reservations For Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia Hotels. A powerful and customized hotel booking system that offers the ability to ful
- 100% Small-Business
375 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ATLANTIS - Reservation System is designed to comprise the solutions for internal management with controlling land arrangements including commitments and allotments control, price list, booking process
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Beds24 Internet booking engine (IBE) is an online booking system with availibility calendars, online booking and property management, channel managers and other tools to help you manage your online re
- 100% Small-Business
1,599 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Convert a visitor of your website into guest by placing Bigfoot Booking Engine. Our Booking Engine is mobile friendly so that customer can book a hotel through mobile itself.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Bookassist brings revenue-growing strategy and technology solutions to hotels, with booking systems, digital marketing and web design.
- 100% Mid-Market
1,412 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
BookingHotel provides hotel channel manager, booking engine, channel manager API to connect PMS.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Hotel Booking Software by Bookon4d-a real time online reservation system, channel manager for hotels, BnBs, hostels.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Complete and advanced system for the management of reservations for hotels and hotel chains, with proven revenue generating features and easy integration to your page.
- 100% Small-Business
8 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Manage your hotel from any location with Clerk Hotel.
- 200% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Everything you need to create professional hotel websites with fully integrated reservations systems. Learn more about CloudHotelier
- 100% Enterprise
224 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Assists hotels, apartments, BandB accommodations, motels, guest-houses or holiday homes in managing and maintaining reservations.
- 100% Enterprise
1 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
EzReservation.net Booking Engine is a secure, online reservations booking system that provides tools and features to help your customers book your rooms, with real-time inventory upload and deduction,
- 100% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Flexibook Hotel Edition is a reservation system that helps you manage reservations, customer accounts, invoicing, tariffs and more in one system.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
One place to keep an eye on what's happening in your hotel. Move, modify, cancel or create bookings, all with just a few clicks.
- 100% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Build your hotels direct sales channel, promote your brand through targeted online advertising and increase your total hotel web bookings.
- 100% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Hotel Management Software helps hotel owners and staff manage day-to-day operations easily. It handles tasks like booking rooms, checking guests in and out, managing room availability, and processing
- 100% Small-Business
693 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Powerful, easy to use online booking system
- 100% Enterprise
112 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cron24 has a high-end expedia clone software named Hyra Hotels. This will ease to create your own online hotel rental business and drag it to the next level. We provide Hotel channel manager integrat
- 100% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
iMagic Hotel Reservation is a hotel software system designed to simplify the booking process and allow you to get on with running your business.
- 100% Small-Business
86 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
IQware's Central Reservation System was designed to simplify reservations in this complicated environment by seamlessly managing rates and inventory across all major channels.
- 100% Mid-Market
153 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Lobbypms has interactive calendar to manage reservations, update rates and monitor the availability of the entire property.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Meetingmax’s room block management software simplifies the hotel booking process for event attendees and helps to maximize contracted hotel room blocks. In the early 2000's Meetingmax was a full-scal
- 100% Small-Business
1,544 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Omnibees is an integrated technology distribution and marketing solution for the hotel market. In a single platform, we offer several tools that allow the hotelier to maximize revenue and reduce costs
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Online Booking Manager - Single Hotel is an online booking solution that provides front-end functions while letting your guests check availability and bookings without having to wait for the reservati
- 100% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Combining our expertise in technology and years of experience in the workings of the hotel industry, our niche is in providing hoteliers with affordable yet extra-ordinary technology that's so far has
- 100% Small-Business
216 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Reservation Master is a hotel/motel reservation software that provides you information on your room availability with features and tools to help you manage your reservations.
- 100% Enterprise
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Trusted by 2000+ hotels, Simplotel's booking engine has successfully helped hotels of all sizes in increasing their direct bookings. With e-commerce like features, Simplotel's Booking engine converts
- 100% Mid-Market
120 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Designed for all accommodation providers such as hoteliers, B&Bs and hostels, this intuitive Hospitality Management Software (HMS) is a custom fit that ensures the running of any type of accommoda
- 100% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Solidres is a Building multiple reservation assets and vendors booking portal. It has been constantly improved with added support for other types of accommodation booking like apartment/villa/B&B/
- 100% Mid-Market
56 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
TheBookingButton is an online reservation software that provides availability checks, purchases and auto-generated email confirmations allowing you to have central control over rates and availability
- 100% Mid-Market
58 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
TheReservationDesk is an online property management/reservation solution designed to help manage your business' needs with tools and functions to manage efficiency, productivity and profitability.
- 100% Small-Business
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
TL: Hotel is an online booking engine for websites.
- 100% Small-Business
568 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Hotel Booking Engine Development
- 100% Small-Business
590 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Reservation booking engine that is easily implemented through your existing website to sell rooms and manage reservations.
- 100% Enterprise
964 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ZOZI Advance is the fastest growing web-based reservations, payments and customer management software for tour, activity, rental, and event businesses. Thousands of tour and activity operators across
- 100% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
3S/Reservations is a reservation database system that helps manage the tasks required to manage your reservations with the ability to generate and print reservation documents, calculate prices, and mo
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Our customer works in the hotel and restaurant management business. The client contacted us with the request of developing the website and application for booking accommodation. The challenge was to
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
AccomPro Original Edition - specifically for Bed & Breakfasts and lodging providers with 10 or less rooms.
107 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Amenitiz is an all-in-one hotel management software that simplifies daily operations for hoteliers at each step of the customer journey. Amenitiz provides hotel software that increases direct bookings
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Hotel Booking is a Magento based hotel reservation system developed by Apptha - an ecommerce marketplace. The hotel reservation script is ready-to-deploy and can be customized in numerous ways before
273 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
availpro is a hotel software suite that allows you to manage your direct sales, online distribution and your decision making and analysis.
1,009 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Comprehensive online business development system combining reservations and marketing tools for hotels.
1,864 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Travellers can book a room directly through customized reservation system.
1,800 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
It's the perfect online booking platform for all modern travel agent and tour operator companies, a flexible and modular management software that supports all the steps of a travel business process.
305 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
b4checkin offers premium cloud-based tools that kick up guest service and interface seamlessly with your Agilysys PMS.
3,294 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Offers a full range of single source traditional & professional support services for application software development, point of sale software(POS), hotel management system, data capturing systems,
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
BestRez Online Lodging Reservation System
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Bidroom is an online booking platform, that offers new solutions for both the hotels and their guests.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Online Marketing and Revenue Management service is for all independent Hotels who want to increase the online revenue.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
An online booking management system for owners and agents to manage every aspect of renting out holiday accommodations.
1,143 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Direct booking buttons, an availability search bar with booking buttons and an availability calendar that automatically synchronizes with AirBnB, Booking a.o. A booking engine made of modern web compo
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Create Your Own Website with Built In Booking System
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Booking Automation automates your operations with calendar sync, automatic emails, price optimization and payment collection.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
High impact direct booking platform packed with features to help you convert lookers into bookers. -- Convert lookers into bookers with market-first innovations and features using Cendyn’s respon
2,968 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
We have developed with the latest technologies an automated reservation system for hotel accommodation. Our system is connected with several hotel accommodation providers and when a reservation is ma
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The Booking Factory is a property management and marketing software solution that helps independent hotels get a better direct relationship with their guest.
- 100% Small-Business
905 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Fully customizable and extremely scalable, it fits into sites of all sizes thanks to the ability for developers to access the OTA-based integration APIs and the Open Source for component, application,
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
More than just a booking engine.
1,611 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
BookingMaya Hotel Reservation system allows you to manage multiple properties and in addition, you will get a free website for each of your property. Guest communication through email and SMS is avail
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Online Reservation System for Tourist Lodging - Hotels - Villas.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Booxys is an online booking engine that provides content management and website templates to help manage your bookings and create a manageable website.
1 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
BugHotel Reservation System is a web-based reservation system that provides you with a centralized online system that allows you to manage your property description, photographs, policies, and more.
1,567 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
From enhanced tools and flexible workflows for reservations agents to loyalty program integrations and voice services, Cendyn offers powerful, web-based solutions for all your call center needs. Empo
2,968 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
CastleDesk is a powerful and reliable online booking system for hotels. CastleDesk lets your customers pay online through their Credit/Debit Cards, Net Banking & Paypal accounts instantly.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The Simple AND Sophisticated Hotel Booking Software!
69 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Central Reservations & Management System is a computerized reservation software used to maintain the hotel information, room inventory, rates, reporting, central cross-property reservation solutio
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Chameleon offers a interactive booking engine that provides property merchandising and conversions to help manage revenues and profits with customizable features to help you manage consistency and loo
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
CHECKIN is an integrated and comprehensive Hospitality system consisting of several modules including Front Office, F & B, Back Office etc.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cheerze Connect is a comprehensive cloud-based hotel management software. It provides a one-stop solution for hoteliers to automate all their hotel operations. The intuitive software is simple, afford
Learn More About Hotel Reservations Software
What is Hotel Reservations Software?
Hospitality businesses use hotel reservations software, also known as central reservation systems, or CRS, to manage online bookings and reservations and ensure a smooth transaction process for guests. While most hotel management solutions offer multichannel reservation functionality, not all hospitality businesses have these tools in place. Some might opt to manage other daily hospitality operations with separate tools and use a dedicated reservation system to handle both online and offline bookings. Conversely, most reservation platforms integrate with hotel management or property management software. No matter the size, all hospitality businesses that manage reservations and bookings rely on these tools to keep an updated room inventory and increase guest occupancy. The booking engine ensures guests receive the most updated information about availability and rates, regardless of which sales channel they use to make a reservation.
Key Benefits of Hotel Reservations Software
- Centralize multichannel booking and reservation data within one interface
- Enable online booking and maximize sales
- Maintain real-time room inventory to avoid overbooking and related errors
- Streamline guest registration and cancellation process
Why Use Hotel Reservations Software?
As consumers continue to expect convenience with their purchasing decisions, hospitality businesses need the correct solutions in place to provide a smooth guest experience from reservation to checkout. A dedicated booking engine enables guests to book rooms online, streamlines the checkout process, and reduces the administrative burden on hotel staff when managing reservations. Central reservation systems assist with managing special travel requests, such as group reservations or corporate travel, by processing group rates, assigning group IDs, and handling any on-site venue reservations. These tools allow guests to book at their convenience, whether it’s from the hotel website, a social media site, or a similar third party interface that transmits customer data into the system.
Most hotel management and property management systems offer some level of functionality to handle reservations and bookings, but a dedicated reservation tool is optimized to aggregate booking information from all relevant channels, such as hotel websites, social media, reservation call centers, and travel agencies. They do this either with their own integrated features or with integrated channel management software. By having their own system in place, businesses drive more traffic to their website and avoid paying listing fees to online travel agencies (OTAs), such as Expedia or TripAdvisor, to boost sales. Furthermore, it is imperative in today’s economy to offer an online interface to customers—hotel reservations tools do just that.
Key Business Problems Solved with Hotel Reservations Software
- Allow guests to reserve rooms online at their convenience
- Reduce staff time spent manually tracking room inventory
- Enhance customer service experience from room booking to room checkout
- Manage room rates across a variety of online listings
- Unlock booking trend data to improve marketing and sales strategy
Who Uses Hotel Reservations Software?
Whether they are chains or independently owned, hospitality businesses of all sizes can benefit from hotel reservations software, including: hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments, inns, lodges, and resorts. Smaller businesses without a robust hotel management solution have much to gain from a dedicated reservation solution, because they can establish an online booking engine to draw a wider customer base. For large scale businesses, a central reservation system becomes essential to manage bookings from a global audience.
The hospitality industry is oversaturated with options, and hoteliers can use these tools to gain a competitive edge over other businesses that may still use outdated paper management systems. These solutions enable businesses with minimal staff to handle large workload volumes that would be overwhelming without software automation. An established booking and reservation system centralizes daily hotel management operations, improving transparency and staff communication.
Front desk staff — Front desk staff rely on hotel reservations software to monitor real-time room availability, and assist guests with checking in and out of rooms. Customer information and related booking data can be accessed from one console, regardless of where the reservation was originally made. These tools also assist with determining the task priority for room maintenance services, such as cleaning newly vacated rooms before the next guests occupy the room.
Marketing teams — Hotel reservations tools unlock data trends that help marketing teams position a business to maximize its occupancy year round. Additionally, businesses can assess which booking channels are underperforming and choose to direct more resources towards securing sales. For smaller businesses that cannot or choose not to pay OTA’s to list on their site, hotel reservations platforms offer website building features that marketers can use to boost direct bookings.
Travel agents — Some tools offer specialized interfaces to help travel agents and related arrangement agencies boost sales. Agents can search for accommodations that meet travelers’ preferences and easily access promotional rates that a hotel may offer.
Hotel Reservations Software Features
Reservation management — The primary function of hotel reservations software is to record reservations and maintain a real-time grid for available and occupied rooms. Typically, this includes a color-coded management system to track occupancy. However, when a guest makes their reservation, the system centralizes this data into one interface for hoteliers to avoid overbooking and related errors. Both guests and staff can make adjustments to these reservations as needed. Some solutions allow businesses to track the original channel source of each reservation.
Rate management — Hotel reservations tools allow guests to apply loyalty points and take advantage of targeted promotions, as well as rates that are specific to certain times of the year. Across all channel listings, room rates can be updated to reflect current pricing.
Guest data management — Reservation systems record all pertinent customer information when bookings are made, including phone numbers, emails, payment preferences, membership status, other preferences, and prior visits. Armed with this information, hospitality businesses can market promotions to specific guests, verify identity for security purposes, contact guests if any issues arise, and ultimately improve the guest experience. This data also helps employees with reporting on monthly booking trends.
Booking engine — These tools enable businesses to accept reservations directly from their website or mobile applications, which are now considered essential functions. Front desk staff can also process in-person reservations. Room availability updates in real time and syncs with other channel listings to ensure accuracy. More robust solutions offer additional website customization features to assist with marketing and to allow discounts and promotions to be applied.
Secure payment processing — Both onsite and online, these tools enable quick credit card processing with regards to payments and refunds. Some also integrate with POS hardware. Credit cards are processed compliantly, and all sales data is securely stored to track revenue and payment histories.
Additional Features
Hourly bookings — Hotel reservation tools sometimes offer specialized reservation listings for hourly bookings, such as in-hotel spa appointments or shorter-term lodging. These function the same way as traditional listings, allowing customers to see real-time availability through the booking engine.
GDS integration — Most reservation systems have the option to integrate with an existing global distribution system (GDS), which massively boosts visibility and sales. A GDS is a network that facilitates transactions between businesses and serves as a main distribution channel. These are predominantly accessed by travel agents looking to book on clients’ behalf, as they offer the most comprehensive view of available listings and prices. Hotels connected to a GDS can manage their listing information, pricing, and inventory from a single touchpoint.
For smaller businesses, GDS access may not be feasible. Hotels typically pay an initial setup fee, as well as transaction fees for each booking on an individual basis. In some cases, agency fees may also be charged. The four major GDS systems that hotels still use nowadays are Worldspan, Amadeus, Galileo, and Sabre. Hotels need to contact a GDS for approval before connecting to the system. These systems are a vital distribution channel, and should be utilized to maximize exposure and revenue.
Potential Issues with Hotel Reservations Software
Limited customer relationship management — As the hospitality industry continues to focus on enhancing the guest experience, businesses need tools that support strong customer relationships. Smaller businesses in particular must manage their loyalty programs effectively to compete with larger chains. While hotel reservations software store some key customer information, not all systems provide enough functionality to sufficiently manage customer relationships. This leaves businesses ill-equipped to personalize guest interactions, and marketing strategy suffers. Many existing products lack integration with more robust CRM tools.
Data privacy — While web-based booking services are more convenient, hotel websites are often unsecured and leave customer data vulnerable to breaches. Most commonly, confirmation emails for hotel bookings pose the greatest security threat, as hotel chains often lack encryption or secure data hosting. Additionally, consumer data is often shared with third party sites and other advertisers. Hospitality businesses are starting to catch on to cybersecurity trends and are working to become compliant with GDPR, PCI, and other data privacy laws that ensure guest data privacy. Some central reservation systems already comply with these existing laws as well, saving time and effort for businesses.
