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Booking Engines
An internet booking engine (IBE) is a system that enables hotels to process online bookings directly and in real-time through their brand’s website. A modern and optimised booking engine should provide a seamless 3 to 4 step process where website ...
UpsellGuru
95Based on 24 reviews4.8UpsellGuru is a guest communication software focusing on generating revenue through upselling. As a first in the industry, UpsellGuru launched a bidding system for hotel upgrades in 2016. Today the system does more than just upgrades- e-guma voucher and ticketing system94Based on 20 reviews4.7The voucher and ticket management system e-guma offers a clear and fully responsive online shop, which opens an additional sales channel for you. The voucher shop is multilingual, adapted to the design of your website and can be linked to your webs
- dailypoint™ 360° – Central Data Management93Based on 25 reviews4.5dailypoint™ is the leading #abovePMS solution for individual hotels and hotel groups. dailypoint™ collects data from all relevant sources such as PMS, POS, website, newsletter or Wi-Fi and creates a central and consolidated guest profil
- RoomPriceGenie93Based on 13 reviews4.9RoomPriceGenie is the world's best-rated automated dynamic pricing software for independent hotels and hotel groups, apartment businesses and more. Built to be simple to use for non-experts, but with the flexibility for thos
- Rateboard92Based on 38 reviews4.8RateBoard was created to offer hotel managers a simple tool to optimise their revenue through customized price recommendations. Behind all this stands a complex technology, solving the big data problem, therewith illustrating all relevant market in
- Überblick92Based on 18 reviews4.8Überblick supports hoteliers and their teams in the day-to-day life. It features via web or mobile app task, communication, and knowledge manangement. Easy to use, direct and transparent. A typical use case with &Uuml
- Rezlynx PMS (Guestline)92Based on 14 reviews4.8The Rezlynx PMS provides you with the tools and insights to make your daily life easier by automating routine tasks and liberating your staff to focus on the guest. Fully configurable, PCI compliant, and featuring a comprehensive rate and
- Ariane Systems92Based on 19 reviews4.4Ariane is the world leader in providing self-check-in and out solutions for the hotel industry with 3.000 installations. They enable Mobile and Kiosk self-service solutions, including all required hardware, consultancy and support for services that
- Smart Host91Based on 16 reviews4.8Smart Host provides a CRM and data cleansing software to help you leverage the data you gather from different touch points with your guests. By connecting to your PMS, Smart Host allows you to segment and automate email campaigns, track p
- Revinate Marketing91Based on 26 reviews4.5Revinate Marketing helps hoteliers drive revenue, repeat bookings, and improve the guest experience. It’s easy to create personalized one-time or automated email campaigns, upsell rooms and amenities, and build lifetime guest relationships.
- better.guest tab (Betterspace)89Based on 19 reviews4.3The digital guest directory better.guest Tab offers all advantages of an information guide for your hotel room, combined with a high-end tablet. The smart guest directory is your digital concierge, sales manager, travel guide and much mor
- SIHOT.PMS88Based on 29 reviews4.4SIHOT.PMS offers the most complete hotel management software on the market. You can benefit from countless functions. But more importantly, you don’t have to, as our software is based on a modular approach. All front office, reserva
- Conversion & Personalization (The Hotels Network)2 months for free83Based on 8 reviews4.8The Hotels Network is an innovative technology company working with over 5,000 hotels around the globe. The company offers clients a full-stack growth platform to power their direct channel. By leveraging a series of integrated tools and analytics,
- ASA HOTEL82Based on 6 reviews5ASA’s PMS is the ideal tool to help you manage every process throughout the guest journey: extra services are recorded in the system either automatically or in just a few clicks; hotel departments like the restaurant, bar, housekeep
- INCERT Voucher Management & Ticketing Solution80Based on 8 reviews4.5The incert e-commerce system for selling vouchers, gift cards, tickets, take-away offers and shop products offers a professional and comprehensive all-round solution and generates sales with a direct cash flow to your bank account. We deliver and s
- Front Office Cloud (SiTec)79Based on 8 reviews4.9The award winning new cloud based system brings every hotel to the next level. Beside a classical PMS with built in AI, it combines a bunch of systems in one: Restaurant and POS system, mailing and marketing with graphical mail-designer hotel commu
- Branding & Advertising Strategy (Influence Society)79Based on 9 reviews4.8We grow compelling stories for our clients through a creative and insights-driven approach of your digital marketing strategy: brand content, social media, online advertising and mobile-first web development.
- Hotel Connect79Based on 10 reviews5In a time where big online travel agencies and property management systems are not treating independent hotels as equal partners, our mission is to give power to independent hotels. Give them back control over their own hotels, their rates and inve
- FairPlanner (Fairmas)78Based on 7 reviews4.5FairPlanner is the software solution created by hoteliers for hoteliers. Fairmas tailored the software to address the unique financial planning and reporting needs of the hotel industry.
- happyhotel78Based on 7 reviews4.8The happyhotel revenue and yield management system has a simple dashboard that supports the hotelier in the data analysis of the most important hotel KPI’s. happyhotel is a cloud-based hotel software specially designed for smal
What is an Internet Booking Engine?
An internet booking engine (IBE) is a system that enables hotels to process online bookings directly and in real-time through their brand’s website. A modern and optimised booking engine should provide a seamless 3 to 4 step process where website visitors and future guests can review available room types and rates for specific dates. It should allow for credit card payments as well as potential alternative payment methods such as PayPal and be compliant with PCI and PSD2 requirements.
What are the benefits of using an Internet Booking Engine?
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Reduce OTA dependency and drive direct bookings: Implementing a booking engine can have a significant impact on revenue as the cost of acquisition will lie solely in website, booking engine, and advertising costs.
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Enhance the purchase experience moment: modern travelers are used to buying products and services on retail websites. Therefore, getting rid of an old-fashioned contact/request form and replacing it with a shopping cart like experience will lead to a better experience for guests and better conversion rates
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Eliminate manual processes: selecting a booking engine that is integrated to your PMS and channel manager will automate most manual booking data inputs to your PMS and automatically update the availability on all other channels thanks to pooled inventory from the channel manager.
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Collect guest behavior insights: the use of a booking engine will not only allow hoteliers to better understand guests and how they prefer to book but also to improve offerings based on what sells and doesn’t sell.
What are the most important features to look for in a Hotel Booking Engine?
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Mobile-first (responsive design): As modern travelers book more and more through their mobile devices, it is crucial to pick a booking engine that is designed to offer a seamless experience when guests book on their phone or tablet.
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Target promotions and discount coupons: a modern booking engine should enable hoteliers to create promotions that are triggered depending on the website visitors’ demographic such as geography, traffic source, returning user, and more.
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PMS and Channel management integration: to ensure no overbookings are made and update all channels automatically, make sure the booking engine interfaces to your PMS and channel manager.
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Upselling and attribute-based selling capabilities: upselling is the easiest way for hoteliers to increase the average basket of customers. Any modern booking engine should allow hotels to create add-ons which guests can add to their booking. New booking engine providers are working hard to create a new booking experience enabling guests to create their perfect stay by choosing the view, the floor, and many other room features. This is called attribute-based selling.
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Packages creation: Not all booking engines allow it but hoteliers should be able to create special packages for important dates such as Valentine’s Day or Black Friday.
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Flexibility for the hotel’s target group: The booking engine should be able to serve guests in their preferred language and currency.
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Data analytics: the vendor should provide insights to help hoteliers identify improvement possibilities such as booking patterns, abandonment, and more.
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Script integration: Any booking engine provider should allow hoteliers to add specific scripts and widgets such as rate comparison, reviews or chatbots.
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Loading speed: it is a critical factor when comparing potential booking engine as its correlation with conversions can be extremely high
What are the key integrations you should look for when selecting a Booking Engine for your hotel's website?
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Property management system (PMS): Finding a PMS which can have a two-way sync with the hotel’s booking engine is a must for synchronisation of booking data at all times.
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Channel manager: Your channel management software needs to integrate with your booking engine in order for you to have one view of inventory and bookings at any point in time.
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Website Conversion Tools & Chats: The booking engine provider should enable hoteliers to add scripts on the booking engine’s page to have personalised messages, rate comparison widgets, or elements such as chats, throughout the booking process.
What is the typical pricing for a Booking Engine?
Typically, there are two different payment models either commission-based (this model is less and less common) or a monthly flat fee. We recommend having a flat monthly fee, as this will help your budgeting and as you perform better allow you to increase your margins. Flat fees per property can start from €30 for small properties and go above €100 per month as the number of rooms increases. You can also expect a setup fee starting at €59. Some booking engines can be packages with a channel manager or other product type and therefore increase the cost.
What to expect when implementing a booking engine on your website?
The duration of the Implementation depends on each system. The timeline is often determined by how much work is put into setting it up. Some tasks which require attention during the setup phase:
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Domain setup - your webmaster or IT department will need to link the booking engine under your domain (brand.com). Sometimes, a booking engine can be hosted under another domain but this is not recommended
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Creation of room profiles (description, pictures, attributes).
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Creation of the rate structures