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Jordan Hollander
CEO @ HotelTechReport
Jordan is the co-founder of Hotel Tech Report, the hotel industry's app store where millions of professionals discover tech tools to transform their businesses. He was previously on the Global Partnerships team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to his work with SPG, Jordan was Director of Business Development at MWT Hospitality and an equity analyst at Wells Capital Management. Jordan received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management where he was a Zell Global Entrepreneurship Scholar and a Pritzker Group Venture Fellow.
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QUICK SUMMARY
Looking for a new hotel website booking engine? Your hotel's website should be your most profitable distribution channel, but if you are sending prospective guests to a low converting online booking engine then you are at best leaving money on the table or at worst burning thousands of dollars a month on paid traffic.
Whenever I evaluate a booking engine for one of my hotels, the first thing I do is time how long it takes to make a booking on one of their existing client sites (ideally one within my compset or local market). A big piece of booking engine performance is tied to speed and design which you don't need to be a tech expert to evaluate.
Our community of 5119 expert hotel digital marketers tested, reviewed, and evaluated the most popular hotel booking engines to shortlist the best tools to increase conversion rate and average booking value on your hotel's direct channel.
Hotel Website Booking Engine Shortlist
Here are 10 of top Hotel Booking Engines that are covered in this in-depth guide:
A hotel booking engine is an online platform that allows customers to search, select, and reserve hotel accommodations in real-time. It integrates with a hotel's property management system (PMS) to provide up-to-date room availability and pricing. It also processes secure payments and confirmations, enhancing the booking experience.
Choosing the right Booking Engine for your hotel depends on several variables some of which come down to personal preference but most of which come down to the characteristics of your property. Is your hotel a small property with limited budget? Or is your property a luxury resort with lots of outlets and high ADR? Below are HTR’s defined key personas based on common property characteristics that typically indicate similar product choices.
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A hotel booking engine is a game-changer for increasing direct reservations and improving the guest experience. Here are the top five benefits that make it an essential tool for modern hotels:
A hotel booking engine is a critical tool for driving direct reservations, maximizing revenue, and enhancing the guest experience. The best booking engines offer seamless functionality, from multilingual support and integrated payments to upselling options and real-time availability. Below are the key features that make a booking engine effective, ensuring hotels can attract, convert, and manage guests with ease.
Language and currencies: Allows guests to book in their preferred language and currency, enhancing accessibility and global reach.
Payment processing: Supports secure online transactions with various payment methods, ensuring a seamless checkout process.
Customization: Enables hotels to tailor the booking engine’s design and features to match their brand identity and operational needs.
Integrated payments: Offers built-in payment gateways for smooth transactions without redirecting guests to external sites.
Reporting and analytics: Provides insights into booking trends, revenue, and guest behaviors to optimize hotel performance.
Upselling options: Allows hotels to offer room upgrades, add-ons, and ancillary services to increase revenue per booking.
Reservation management: Streamlines booking modifications, cancellations, and confirmations to improve efficiency.
Easy booking process: Ensures a simple, intuitive workflow to reduce friction and increase conversion rates.
Integration: Connects seamlessly with PMS, channel managers, and other hotel systems for synchronized data management.
Mobile compatibility: Ensures the booking engine functions well on all mobile devices for on-the-go reservations.
Mobile friendly: Optimizes the booking interface for smooth navigation and usability on smartphones and tablets.
User-friendly interface: Provides a clean, intuitive design that makes it easy for guests to search, select, and book rooms.
Availability and pricing: Displays real-time room availability and dynamic pricing to maximize occupancy and revenue.
Creating package offers: Allows bundling of rooms, meals, and experiences into special packages to attract more bookings.
Customizable booking engine: Lets hotels modify booking widgets, colors, and layouts to align with their branding.
Discounts: Supports promo codes and special offers to drive direct bookings and customer loyalty.
Group booking functionality: Facilitates bulk reservations for events, conferences, and group travelers.
Guests trust online booking: Builds credibility with a secure and professional platform, reducing hesitation in direct bookings.
Multilingual support: Offers translations to cater to international travelers and boost global engagement.
Multiple currencies: Allows guests to view and pay in their preferred currency, improving convenience and reducing friction.
PMS integration: Syncs with the property management system for automated inventory and reservation updates.
Promotion: Enables marketing campaigns, seasonal offers, and direct booking incentives to attract guests.
Reporting capabilities: Generates detailed reports on performance metrics to aid data-driven decision-making.
Review management: Collects and showcases guest feedback to build trust and improve service quality.
Most booking engines and hotel reservation software today are commission-free and run on a subscription (SaaS) model. After all, you shouldn't have to pay a commission on bookings through your direct channel; however, some smaller properties like guesthouses and vacation rentals opt for this model to offset expenses slow months.
Booking engine implementation timelines depend on the provider you decide to work with. A Cloud based online booking system can be set up very quickly, so the implementation time is often determined by how much resources the hotel can allocate to the project. Other tasks that often need to be completed during the set up phase:
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