Booking Button (by BookingSuite) vs. Booking Engine by HotelRunner:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Booking Button by Booking.com and HotelRunner’s booking engine hinges on your hotel’s specific needs and existing infrastructure. Booking.com’s offering is more of an embedded website tool designed to reflect real-time data from Booking.com directly on your site, primarily targeting properties wanting to showcase availability from a giant OTA. Conversely, HotelRunner’s booking engine is a comprehensive platform that manages direct bookings, channel integrations, and marketing tools, aiming to streamline operations and maximize revenue. Which approach aligns best with your hotel’s growth plans?

Booking Button simplifies website integration with Booking.com’s data, making it ideal if you rely heavily on Booking.com’s listings and want minimal tech setup. HotelRunner offers extensive features and multiple integrations, making it the better choice if you’re seeking control, customization, and a broad online presence. Are you ready to decide based on your goals?

Is Booking Button or HotelRunner Better for Hotels?

Booking Button by Booking.com is designed to embed a simple booking widget with real-time availability from Booking.com directly into your website. It’s optimized for properties that want to promote their Booking.com listings without building a full booking platform themselves. HotelRunner’s booking engine, however, provides a full-fledged reservation management system that connects with multiple OTAs, offering extensive customization options and marketing tools.

Booking Button’s core strength is its simplicity, which reduces setup time but limits control over the booking process. HotelRunner’s platform, with 40+ features, offers a broad toolkit for online reservations, multi-channel management, and marketing automation. If your hotel depends on Booking.com and wants an easy, direct link, Booking Button is suitable. But if you want to grow direct bookings and streamline operations across channels, HotelRunner is the clear winner.

The key question is: Do you want a straightforward widget tied to Booking.com, or a comprehensive platform that consolidates your entire booking operation? The decision ultimately hinges on whether your focus is on promoting Booking.com listings or managing a full booking sales funnel.

Booking Button vs HotelRunner: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel’s primary goal is to showcase availability from Booking.com directly on your website with minimal fuss, Booking Button is the logical choice. Its tight integration ensures your site always reflects Booking.com’s current prices and availability, making it ideal for properties with limited tech resources or those heavily reliant on Booking.com’s platform.

On the other hand, if you need a flexible, feature-rich booking platform capable of handling direct reservations, multi-channel distribution, and marketing campaigns, HotelRunner is the better fit. It’s suitable for hotels looking to increase direct bookings, customize their booking experience, and manage multiple OTAs from a single dashboard.

For hoteliers prioritizing simplicity and real-time Booking.com data, Booking Button offers quick deployment. If your hotel seeks more control, customization, and growth potential via direct bookings, HotelRunner’s platform outperforms the alternative. The choice depends on whether your focus is on promoting Booking.com or expanding your direct sales.

Is Booking Button or HotelRunner Easier to Use?

Based on recent reviews, HotelRunner significantly outperforms Booking Button in ease of use, with a rating of 4.73/5 compared to Booking.com’s 0/5. HotelRunner’s platform features an intuitive UI, straightforward onboarding, and prompt support, with a recent NPS score of 9.33/10 and four recent reviews emphasizing its user-friendliness. Users praise its fast setup and helpful training, noting it makes managing their hotel operations simpler.

Booking Button’s interface is not rated, but given Booking.com’s general approach, it’s likely very basic and limited to embedding a widget rather than managing reservations directly. This makes it less flexible but also easier to deploy if you only need a simple booking link.

Edge: HotelRunner.

Which Has Better Features: Booking Button or HotelRunner?

HotelRunner offers a suite of 40 features, including mobile responsiveness, multi-currency, multi-lingual support, automated emails, flexible rate plans, booking abandonment recapture, Google Analytics integration, and more. It connects with 17 verified OTA partners, supports advanced marketing, and provides detailed reporting tools.

Booking Button only enables embedding a booking widget that pulls availability from Booking.com, with no additional features or integrations. It’s essentially a single-function tool without options for marketing, customization, or direct reservations.

HotelRunner’s broad feature set makes it the clear choice for hotels seeking operational control and advanced marketing tools. Edge: HotelRunner.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Booking Button or HotelRunner?

HotelRunner’s support and onboarding ratings are near perfect, with a 4.8/5 and a recent NPS score of 9.33/10. Multiple reviews highlight prompt, helpful support, including WhatsApp assistance, and an easy onboarding process that gets properties operational quickly.

Booking Button’s customer support details are unavailable, but given Booking.com’s reputation and the lack of recent reviews, it’s unlikely to match HotelRunner’s high support standards. Its role as a simple widget limits the need for ongoing support.

Edge: HotelRunner.

Which Has More Integrations: Booking Button or HotelRunner?

HotelRunner connects with 17 verified OTA partners, including major players like Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda, and Oracle Hospitality, along with numerous other integrations for payments, marketing, and operations. This extensive connectivity allows for comprehensive management of online distribution channels.

Booking Button’s integrations are limited to Booking.com, innRoad, SiteMinder, ResNexus, MARA Solutions, Yanolja, and Exely—only seven partners. Its scope is narrow, focusing mainly on embedding Booking.com’s availability.

HotelRunner’s broader integration network provides more flexibility to expand your online presence and streamline operations. Edge: HotelRunner.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Booking Button or HotelRunner?

With nearly 40 recent reviews, HotelRunner’s platform boasts a 4.5/5 overall rating, and a 96% likelihood to recommend, especially among boutique hotels and property owners managing multiple rentals. Users praise its features, ease of use, and support, with many highlighting how it simplifies their operations and boosts revenue.

Booking Button has no recent reviews, and its overall score is 0/5, indicating a lack of user feedback or dissatisfaction. Its limited role as a simple widget likely contributes to its absence of review data.

HotelRunner’s higher ratings and recent positive feedback make it the preferred choice for active hoteliers. Edge: HotelRunner.

How Much Do Booking Button and HotelRunner Cost?

Booking Button does not publicly list specific pricing or a trial option, making it difficult to compare directly. It’s likely included as part of Booking.com’s suite of tools, possibly free for properties listed on the platform.

HotelRunner charges $100/month, with no implementation fees, offering a clear and predictable pricing structure. This fee covers access to their extensive features and integrations.

If you need transparent, predictable costs with extensive features, HotelRunner’s pricing is straightforward. Booking Button’s costs are less transparent, possibly included in existing packages or free, but with limited scope.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Booking Button?

• Hotels heavily reliant on Booking.com listings, seeking quick website integration
• Properties with limited technical resources wanting a simple, embedded booking widget
• Hotels that do not require extensive customization or direct booking capabilities
• Properties prioritizing visibility on Booking.com’s platform over independent sales channels

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel wants to increase direct bookings
• You require extensive customization or marketing tools
• You manage multiple properties or need multi-channel distribution
• You’re aiming to develop a unique online presence beyond Booking.com

Booking Button suits hotels where simplicity and Booking.com visibility are paramount, without plans for advanced marketing or direct reservation growth.

What Type of Hotel Should Use HotelRunner?

• Hotels seeking to increase direct bookings and reduce OTA dependency
• Properties that want advanced customization, marketing automation, and multi-channel management
• Hotels with multiple properties or complex rate plans
• Business owners who value detailed analytics, reporting, and integrated payment options
• Boutique hotels, villas, and resorts aiming for operational control and revenue growth

Not ideal if:

• Your hotel relies solely on Booking.com and has no need for other integrations
• You prefer a very simple booking process without extensive features
• Your budget is limited to very low-cost options or free tools
• You’re not prepared to manage a feature-rich platform

HotelRunner is ideal for hotels ready to scale their online presence, optimize revenue, and control guest experiences through a comprehensive platform.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Booking Button offers a straightforward solution for hotels that want to display real-time availability from Booking.com directly on their website, with minimal setup. Its role is limited to embedding a widget, making it best for properties heavily dependent on Booking.com’s platform and seeking simplicity.

HotelRunner provides a broad set of tools designed to manage bookings, marketing, and multi-channel distribution from one platform. It is well-suited for hotels aiming to grow direct reservations, automate operations, and expand their online reach.

If your hotel’s focus is on maximizing direct bookings and operational control, HotelRunner’s platform warrants serious consideration. For properties that want quick, easy visibility on Booking.com, Booking Button may suffice—though it lacks the depth to support long-term growth.

Final recommendation: For most hoteliers looking for a full-featured, scalable booking solution, HotelRunner is the stronger choice, thanks to its extensive features, recent positive reviews, and superior support.