It is a wise consideration to contemplate acquiring a captivating and attractive hotel website.
If your website does not allow direct booking for guests, you could miss out on many potential customers.
All hotel operators aim to raise the number of reservations made directly and redirect traffic from online travel agencies (OTAs) to their own website. This strategy not only improves revenue, but it also guarantees guests a hassle-free booking process.
It is crucial to obtain a Booking Engine as explained above.
In this article, we will discuss the process of choosing the appropriate online reservation system from the various options available. Without further ado, let’s get started!
What is hotel reservation software?
The hotel reservation software provides a safe platform where you can search for and reserve hotel accommodations. When you complete your reservation, the software will securely handle all the data and notify the hotels of your booking.
Multiple factors, including length of stay, room type, check-in time, and additional amenities, can be used by travel managers to filter accommodations.
Think of your digital free accommodation booking system as the virtual equivalent of a hotel reception. It provides you with all the necessary information to finalize your hotel reservation, allowing you to arrive without any worries.
Top 8 hotel reservation software you can consider
Having learned what to search for in a hotel reservation platform, it’s time to explore eight of the leading hotel booking solutions that can aid your investigation and streamline your choice.
1. TravelPerk
TravelPerk is a comprehensive travel management solution suitable for companies of all sizes. With an extensive range of hotels available, TravelPerk ensures affordable travel and a hassle-free booking process. Additionally, TravelPerk offers an unparalleled selection of travel-related services, such as flights, rental cars, and trains.
Additionally, you enjoy the advantage of being charged only when you embark on a trip, with no regular fees or membership expenses.
Main strengths:
- Flexible travel : one of TravelPerk’s strongest features is its FlexiPerk solution—which enables you to book refundable trips. If your plans change, you can cancel your reservations up to 2 hours in advance and get at least 80% of your money back.
- VAT-recovery solution : TravelPerk makes VAT recovery simpler than ever. You can easily reclaim all your VAT expenses for trips within the EU—enabling you to save up to 20% on your travel expenditure. Unsure of how much you can save? Try the free VAT recovery calculator , and discover how beneficial a VAT-recovery solution can be for your business.
- Risk management solutions : TravelCare gives you a high degree of protection against any kind of travel risk or uncertainties with real-time updates, easy access to support, and complete visibility about possible disruptions. Safeguard your employees’ wellbeing and get complete visibility on their travels through a single dashboard.
- Ease of use : TravelPerk is both simple to use, and easy to integrate into your business workflows. It requires no training and can be onboarded to your company workflow the same day.
- 24/7 customer support : get expert advice to plan the most convenient trips for your team. With TravelPerk’s seasoned support, planning trips is simple and efficient. Plus, TravelPerk experts are with you in 15 seconds or less, making their support services unrivaled in the industry.
2. Airbnb for Work
Airbnb for Work is an online booking platform that provides global corporate housing options. It offers a diverse range of lodging choices for your staff, such as boutique hotels, furnished apartments, vacation rentals, hostels, motels, and similar accommodations.
Additionally, Airbnb accommodates the travel requirements of businesses with features such as expense reports and duty of care.
Main strengths:
- A large inventory : ensure you have ample choice when it comes to stay options.
- Ease of online booking : for extended periods rather than just overnight.
- Work dashboard : that’s integrated with expense tracker and centralized billing.
- Integrations for risk management : to ensure a safe experience for your traveling employees.
- Shared payment methods : to ensure employees are never paying out-of-pocket.
3. Booking.com
Booking.com is a renowned player in the hotel sector, providing specialized services for corporate travel. Their all-encompassing solution simplifies travel planning for travel agents and managers, and their hotel booking platform features an extensive database of 1.2 million accommodations.
Main strengths:
- Quicker bookings : 35% faster reservation process compared to legacy booking tools.
- Cost-efficient : comes with no subscription fees or ongoing costs, plus zero booking fees.
- Risk management : strict safety measures followed by all accommodation partners.
- Massive variety : pick a hotel, hostel, BnB, vacation rental or more over a million choices.
- AI personalization : get customized hotel recommendations based on your preferences.
4. Agoda
Agoda is an end-to-end travel management tool equipped with a white-label hotel reservation platform. The brand offers turn-key solutions for travel managers with its collection of 2.5 million properties spread across 200 countries.
Main strengths:
- Robust API : gives hassle-free access to its inventory and accommodation options.
- Greater flexibility : make reservations for a few hours or daycations using the “day use” feature and save costs.
- Intuitive mobile app : offers the convenience of booking on the go with complete functionality.
- Rewards program : win incentives for your bookings and double down on savings.
- Customer support : available 24/7 in 16 different languages via call, app, and chat.
5. Kayak
Kayak, a hotel booking and search engine, collaborates with over 2500 travel providers and conducts searches across various booking platforms to offer the ultimate deals for any hotel. With Kayak, you do not have to worry about extra payments on subscriptions or covert fees while making your reservations.
Main strengths:
- Map-based search : simplify your search for hotels within budget through a simple map of your destination showing property and price markings.
- Great filters : filter through multiple properties to get the best-in-class rates and locations.
- Policy compliance : all-in-one solution for approval and booking process in line with your corporate travel policy.
- Accurate reporting : assess your travel spend on accommodation with automatic reports.
- Track prices : keep a tab on the rates for your shortlisted properties before you book to ensure you’re getting the best deal.
6. Hotels.com
Hotels.com is an online booking platform loaded with features that provide utmost flexibility when making hotel reservations. In addition to offering a free cancellation policy, this website also aggregates more than 3 million reviews for your convenience in choosing the perfect travel option for your clients. Its streamlined interface and effortless functioning render it an effective resource for companies of any scale.
Main strengths:
- Rewards program : get 1 night free when you complete 10 nights through Hotels.com.
- Cheaper prices : save up to 50% with the platform’s Secret Prices—additional lower rates offered through the platform.
- Mobile app : manage bookings and access the details even when offline using the Hotels.com mobile app.
- Greater flexibility : find options to book and pay later or cancel and secure a complete refund if your plans change.
7. Expedia
Expedia is a prominent figure in the travel and hotel business, and has made significant strides in the realm of corporate travel. With its exceptional hotel booking tool that boasts top-of-the-line characteristics, Expedia handles all the research to locate the most optimal accommodations for any excursion.
Main strengths:
- Virtual property tours : get a complete 360-degree view and feel of your shortlisted properties before booking.
- Low prices : maximize savings on your bookings and optimize your revenue management with Expedia’s Special Rate hotels.
- Unlock benefits : book more to win rewards, perks, and better rates for your employees.
- Guest reviews : learn more about your chosen properties through 40M+ reviews.
- One-click cancel : cancel a reservation at any point and get a complete refund on most properties.
8. Amex Travel
Amex Travel provides efficient and scalable options for managing corporate travel, including a booking engine for accommodations. With Amex Travel’s hotel reservation platform, you can easily oversee and arrange everything from overnight stays to work trips, ensuring excellent guest experiences and enhanced visibility.
Main strengths:
- Personalized solutions : travel consultants design customized itineraries for your needs.
- Virtual card solution : payments made easy for everyone using a single accessible card.
- Guaranteed savings : book rooms at discounted prices for 96% of your reservations.
- Extras™ Hotel Program : get discounts of up to 25% among other loyalty benefits.
- Extensive support : find answers to any questions through well-defined customer support channels.
9. SiteMinder
By utilizing SiteMinder’s ‘The Booking Button’ engine, you can enhance direct bookings without incurring any commission fees.
Completing the booking process in only two steps will bring joy to your visitors. This option is customizable and mobile-friendly and is available in 20 languages with support for 20 currencies.
SiteMinder’s booking engine allows you to easily provide special offers such as last-minute deals, early-bird promotions, discounted rates, and other promotional incentives.
Guests have the option to book multiple rooms and compare rates with online travel agencies using the TripTease widget, all within a single reservation.
SiteMinder’s platform is widely integrated with a majority of Online Travel Agencies, PMS/RMS systems, and similar entities, which has made The BookingButton an immensely popular hotel booking system across the globe. Additionally, SiteMinder provides numerous (chargeable) integration options with diverse third-party applications.
Ideal for midscale and upscale establishments, spanning across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, as well as Central and South America.
10. Cloudbeds
The Cloudbeds Booking Engine is designed to facilitate direct bookings and seamlessly integrates with any website, effectively converting it into a high-performing booking platform without any extra commissions.
Independent property owners can harness the complete potential of direct reservations through the Cloudbeds Booking Engine.
Suitable for economy and midscale lodging establishments, including small and medium hotels, hostels, and short-term rentals, across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America.
11. RateTiger
The RateTiger Booking Engine facilitates a quick and hassle-free booking process for hotel guests while ensuring that room availability and rates are updated consistently across various booking channels, including the hotel’s official website.
The RateTiger Booking Engine provides a user-friendly and adaptable solution for hotels to integrate into their websites. It enables them to effortlessly manage rates, availability, and restrictions, as well as design and manage promotions. The system supports hot dates, promo codes, various currencies and languages, and allows for the generation of ancillary revenue by offering extra services like spa treatments, car parking, or package deals. Furthermore, the platform has a flexible pricing model that allows for efficient cost management, both on existing and new bookings.
Suggested for short-term rental properties and medium to large hotels located in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, as well as Central and South America. Suggested for properties falling under the categories of economy, midscale, and upscale.
12. Cubilis
The Cubilis Booking Engine is an online booking system available on your very own website that doesn’t charge commission fees. This booking module allows for greater visibility on OTAs, but your website remains the primary channel for commission-free bookings that result in higher profits for your hotel, B&B, or vacation rental.
Suitable for hotels, hostels, and rental accommodations of varying sizes located in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Central, and South America. Suitable for properties falling under the categories of economy, midscale, and upscale.
13. STAAH
Staah’s ConvertDirect is a booking engine that allows for complete customisation and is certified with PCI, all while not charging any commission.
Guests can easily proceed to the payment page with the help of a 3-step and user-friendly booking procedure.
Included in the product are beneficial additions such as enhancements, supplemental services, and a price comparison widget called WatchMyRate.
ConvertDirect Booking Engine offers various features such as support for multiple languages and currencies, as well as the ability to provide hot deals and promo codes, aimed at boosting your direct bookings.
Suggested for mid-range properties in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Central and South America.
14. 5stelle
On a daily basis, 5stelle* streamlines your hotel management and online sales while also saving you time. As a cloud-based PMS, it is designed to be user-friendly and efficient.
Your accommodation management is effortless as the reception remains in check at all times using native cloud technology. The latest Pocket feature allows you to attend to your affairs from the comfort of your smartphone, no matter where you are.
The 5stelle* system offers a comprehensive package including PMS, Channel Manager, Booking Engine, Business Intelligence, Restaurant POS and Payment Gateway, providing an all-encompassing solution.
5stelle* is 100% hardware free and runs on any device, even on your Mac: there are no servers, cables or installation cost; you just need an internet connection.
The 5stelle suite is utilized by 2500 establishments across 15 nations, incorporating telephone and internet help 7 days a week, upgrades, hosting and data backup, boundless workstations, and users all-inclusive. The installation process is fast and straightforward!
Suggested for moderate hotels in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Advised for budget accommodations.
15. bookingplanner
Bookingplanner is an online property management solution designed to aid B&B and hotel managers in planning tasks, maintenance, and housekeeping. It offers guest management, access control, payment processing, invoicing, compliance management, and communication as its key features.
The guest reservation information is transferred to the Bookingplanner platform from the channel management system, which then automates the room assignment process. Reports for the cleaning staff, specifying special demands such as linen change, extra beds, and special decoration, can be printed by administrators. The check-in and check-out process for guests can be conducted by front office personnel through the dashboard, planboard, or reservation sheet, which streamlines operations. Furthermore, the system records data from reservation sheets to create invoices automatically.
With Bookingplanner, users can create a guest directory and grant staff members access based on their roles. By using pre-designed message templates, Bookingplanner sends messages to guests at specific times to improve their overall experience. Additionally, managers can accept payments in various currencies, produce financial and occupancy reports, and securely store guest data and credit card information on a server that is PCI-compliant.
