Booking engine
Choosing a booking engine for a small hotel or guesthouse: what to look for
With a booking engine, guests can book on your own website day and night, and you no longer have to confirm free rooms by email. But which one you choose matters. Here is what to look out for.
Do you need a booking engine at all?
For a small holiday home or a single apartment, an enquiry form with dates on the website is often enough. But if you have several rooms and also sell on the portals, a booking engine takes a lot of work off your shoulders and reduces the risk of overbooking.
1. Connection to the portals (channel manager)
If you are also listed on Booking, Szallas.hu or other portals, the most important thing is that the booking engine keeps availability in sync everywhere. Ask which portals it works with, and whether this is included in the base fee.
2. Pricing
Some charge a monthly fee, some a commission per booking, and some a combination of both. Work out what it would cost in an average month and in a peak-season month. Also ask whether there is a minimum term or a one-off setup fee.
3. The booking page should work well on mobile
Open the booking engine’s demo booking page on your phone and try to complete a booking. If it feels clumsy to you, it will feel clumsy to your guests too.
4. Languages and payment
If you have many international guests, check which languages the booking page is available in and which payment methods it supports (card, deposit, SZÉP card (Hungarian employee leisure card), bank transfer).
5. It should connect to your website
It is important that the dates and number of guests from your website’s booking bar are passed on to the booking engine, or that an embeddable booking widget is available. That way guests do not have to enter the same details twice.
6. Hungarian-speaking customer support
If something stops working in peak season, you need help fast. Ask which channels they use and how quickly they respond.
7. Trial period and references
If there is a trial period, use it. Ask a property of similar size what they use and how satisfied they are with it.
See what you would get, with your own hotel
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