Here are 10 important features that should be a part of your hotel booking system

1.?Central Reservation System

Nowadays, travelers prefer to make reservations from numerous sources- hotel web booking engines, online travel agents (OTAs), and the front desk. It can be difficult to manage these reservations and errors such as forgetting to confirm reservations, overbooking, or double bookings can have negative effects on a business. Having a central reservation system for hotels that is linked to a?channel manager?will help you manage these discrepancies efficiently. Your channel manager and hotel reservation system are integrated to give you real-time updates of room availability as well as prices of these rooms across all your booking channels.

2. Multiple Language & Currency Support

Your hotel reservation software should allow guests to make reservations in the currency and language of their choice. When guests make reservations in a particular language, they should receive confirmations in the same language.?With this simple feature, your hotel can enhance guests’ experience and encourage bookings from across the globe. If you want to target a global audience, then it is very important to cater to different currencies. A?good booking engine?will be capable of automatically setting language and currency preferences based on the IP address.

3. Cloud-Based Services

It is rare for hotel staff to stay in one place all day. They will be more productive and efficient if they have access to a hotel reservation system online that can be accessed remotely. Additionally, accessing data remotely will encourage social distancing and keep your hotel workers and guests safe. Cloud-based hotel booking software can be accessed from anywhere at any time and from any device like laptop, cell phone, or tablet.

4. Online Hotel Reservation System

An excellent hotel booking system should have a user-friendly interface that is helpful to both guests and staff. A convenient calendar front-desk view will be a huge advantage to make the reservation process simpler. The software will need to have a plugin or JavaScript that can be embedded into your hotel’s website. Or, it should be able to redirect visitors to an online portal from which they can complete their reservations. The?booking engine?should provide your guests with all the information that they may look for including prices, packages, room types, add-ons, inclusions, and other details, without them having to scroll through your website.

5. High-tech Data Management System

Data is crucial for achieving the objectives. Getting the right data can boost your business efficiency and provide a more personalised experience for your customers. In order for employees to make the right decisions, hotel reservation software should come with a comprehensive reporting system.

6. Enable Online Payment

It would be beneficial to integrate an online payment option into your hotel reservation system in order to meet your booking/cancellation policy requirements as well as to simplify the booking process for guests.

7.?Discounts and Promotions

Providing exclusive promo codes or discounts is a great way to increase revenue and keep your guests happy. An efficient?hotel booking system?should give you the option to create and apply promo codes.

8. Review Management

A hotel’s reviews are extremely important to its reputation and business. They are the best form of marketing you can have. According to a report, 81% of travelers prefer to read reviews before booking a hotel, and 91% of 18 to 34-year odds treat reviews as they would personal recommendations from friends. It is important that you should encourage your guests to write online reviews for your hotel. Respond to those reviews by engaging with them. By doing this, you provide a better experience to your guests because they feel acknowledged and appreciated. Genuine and prompt response to feedback can potentially convert guests into loyal customers.

9.?Automated Replies & Communication

Automated communication has become essential in the service industry. Guests expect to receive detailed confirmation emails after booking a hotel room. Confirmation emails should be customised according to the hotel’s brand identity.

10. 24/7 Support

Working in the hospitality industry means you don’t have time to relax. In order to remain competitive, hotels need to operate 24/7 and must always be responsive. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of business over time. To make things more streamlined, you need to provide 24/7 chat support. As such, it is important for you to use both chatbot technology & to have a person on call at all times to answer questions.