There’s no magic in saying that choosing a booking engine for your website is crucial these days. It is indeed, one of the most important choices that you make for the betterment of your business. Online bookings are no more a feature for the guests, it is now a necessity that the guests expect from you. Most of the guests like to book their stays online, directly through your website as it is easier and convenient for them. And when you work as a hotel operator, then it gets important for you to invest in the right hotel booking engine for your property. But, before we dive into the pool of the supporting details of the features that you should look while you go for selecting the right hotel reservation system, let us first know what hotel booking engines are?
What’s a Hotel Booking Engine?
A software tool that is embedded into your hotel’s website, it allows your website to accept direct bookings from the guests. However, the guests’ records automatically get updated as it integrated with the property management system. For the distribution of the rooms without any hassle, you can connect the online booking engine with your channel manager. In short, a good booking engine will not only drive sales, but it integrates with your existing hotel technology, and this, in turn, manages all the reservations across your distribution networks with complete ease.
Now you know what a Hotel Reservation System is, now let’s take a peek at the features that you should consider while going for one!
What You Need to Look For in a Hotel Booking Engine?
There is numerous booking software that you can get and these are easily accessible all around the world, but we can’t term them as “easy-to-manage hotel booking systems.” If you want to do something for the betterment of your business, it is essential to look at all the good features and benefits that a hotel booking system can bring to you. Below are the top features that a booking engine must-have in order to get implemented into your hotel’s site.
It Should Have Multi-Currency And Language Features:
For attracting the audience from all around the world and not from a single city, it is essential for your hotel booking software to have multi-currency and multi-language features. It will make it easier for guests to make their bookings.
Make Sure That It Allows Simple Reservation Processes:
The more creative yet easier is your reservation process, the more audience will get attracted and come back to you for their future bookings. Your guests should not be redirected to another site for performing their reservation and payment process. It should be as easy as it can be made. Make sure that it has a ‘BOOK NOW’ option.
It Should Be Mobile Friendly:
There’s nothing to be shocked that each of us has a smartphone today. We all like to make all of our reservations through it. Nevertheless, your hotel booking software should allow you to accept those bookings that are made through mobile phones.
It Should Have The Feature To Connect To Other Social Media Platforms:
It is important for your website to have a booking engine that can connect to social media platforms like Facebook, etc. In this way, it will get easier for the guests to book in a way that is convenient for them.
Stay In Contact With the Guests:
One of the important features of some good booking engines is the ability to send emails of pre-arrival and post-departure. Not only this, but booking engines can also help you to reach out to those customers who have dropped their cart. If they’ve signed in before they left the page, then you can remind them that they haven’t completed their reservation yet.
Regular Release of Updates:
Innovations in technology occur with each passing year and if the software you use doesn’t adopt these changes, then it is a sure thing that with it, your business will also be left behind. So, it is important for the booking engine to adapt to these changes. Make sure that the booking engine you choose has a feature of regular updates.
Keep One Thing In Mind, Free Is Never Better!
It is true, you get what you pay for. The same thing goes for the booking engines. It is the hotel booking engine that takes the guests through the most significant steps of the sale processes. So, it is crucial for you to understand the importance of the investment that you’re putting in a booking engine.
So here are the top things that you should look into the booking engine before you buy it. A booking engine is simply an all-in-one reservation system that handles all the hassles for you. Focus on making the booking experience better for your guests and get ready to receive all the success, all your way!