What is a booking engine? The Complete Guide to Hotel Reservation Systems

The booking engine integrates with your PMS and your channel manager. The opportunity for you to automate many tasks, and to have a global vision of your activity and all the reservations that are made through your different distribution channels. To avoid overbooking, this is a major asset!

What are the advantages of booking engines?

Offer secure payments to your customers

Thanks to online hotel booking engines, customers know that they are enjoying secure payment, and that their data is stored securely. They can pay with their bank card, or via dematerialized payment, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Your customers can book faster

Thanks to booking engines, the customer can book faster. He no longer needs to call you or send you an email to ask if your rooms are available: he chooses his room, and pays for it directly: you have more free time, and can devote yourself to more important tasks , like the welcome. The customer makes his reservation by himself, independently, wherever he is, and at any time of the day: he does not need to wait for your reception to be open to contact you.

Also note that often travelers will turn to your website to book, hoping to receive a supplement for their stay. This small compromise will allow you to save on the commission fees charged by travel agencies and OTAs.

Improve the image of your establishment

Online booking gives you a more professional and modern image. You show your customers that you are connected, that you know their needs, and that you are committed to responding to their new buying habits. You also show that your site is up to date, that the information on it is relevant, and that he can trust you. Keep in mind that this is the first impression they have of your hotel: it will have a lasting impact on your brand image.

Boost your performance with booking engines

Booking engines help you improve your conversions. The reservation experience is simple, intuitive, fast, and your customers can finalize their purchase in a few clicks: a real plus to boost your conversion rates!

You increase the number of reservations thanks to a simple and intuitive experience for your customers. You and your team no longer have to worry about manually entering reservations: the integration is done instantly, in connection with your other distribution channels. Prices and availability are updated in real time.

Stand out from your competitors

Hotels that have their own booking engine are still rare on the market. To stand out, and attract the attention of your customers, it's a real plus!

Simplify administrative tasks

Responding to email inquiries and phone calls are truly time consuming for you and your staff. The reservation system helps you save valuable time because it does the work for you. For your part, you spend more time welcoming customers, responding to their requests when they are in your establishment, interacting with them, organizing their outings: to increase the level of satisfaction, it is the secret !

Collect essential customer data

With booking engines, you collect interesting data about your customers. You get to know them better, which allows you to offer them a personalized experience. The data can be used in your marketing campaigns to improve your occupancy rates throughout the year.

Name, nationality, types of customers (couples, families, solo travellers, professionals), age: by knowing more about the people who visit your establishment, you can offer them services that are like them, and that really meet their expectations!

Choosing the right booking engine

To maximize the potential of your booking engine, make sure it is compatible with your website. It must be able to synchronize with it without any problem. It must also be able to be linked with your PMS, for better day-to-day organization.

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In addition, your website and your booking engine must have a design that matches your brand image. Ergonomics should not be left to chance: to improve reservations, every detail counts!

Finally, be sure to use the HTTPS protocol with an updated SSL certificate, in order to guarantee your customers a secure payment experience.

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