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Successful online reservation management for small hotels / 1
littlehotelier.com
Successful online reservations managementfor small accommodation providers
Successful online reservation management for small hotels / 2
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04 / Saves you time
08 / Eases your mind
10 / Brings you global bookings
12 / Delights your guests
14 / Lets you keep an eye on everything
15 / Supports you throughout
17 / Gives you the freedom you need
Table Of Contents
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You may think that you can survive by managing your bookings using Excel spreadsheets and the
like, but your capacity to grow will be seriously stifled.
Because you only have so much time in one day, it’s better put towards revenue-generating activities,
rather than frustrating and ultimately unnecessary admin work.
A modern reservation system geared towards small properties is a necessary investment if you want
to grow your business.
Your reservation management system is truly the heart of your business. It’s the tool that keeps
you organised and helps you run your bed and breakfast, guesthouse or small hotel efficiently.
Make sure the system you have in place has you covered in the following areas.
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#1 - Saves you time
The whole point of having an online reservation system is that it saves you precious time that you can spend on more high value tasks, like putting money back into the business and enjoying quality time with family and friends.
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Does it simplify front-desk management?Your reservation system needs to allow you to deliver excellent service to your guests,
from the moment they book with you to the moment they check out.
Ask yourself if you can easily (tick the appropriate box):
££ View all of your reservations on a calendar page?
££ Add additional rooms and extra sale items to a booking?
££ Add new rate plans to existing rooms?
££ Close out specific rooms for a spring clean?
££ Move existing bookings around?
££ Produce invoices?
££ Check guests in and out?
££ Remember your returning guests?
Your guests need to see that you are totally organised in running your small property.
Modern reservation management systems will give you one source of the truth so
you’re not scrambling between emails and documents.
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Does it untie you from your desk?Managing your reception desk should be so easy with your reservation system that you don’t always have to be tied to it to get things done.
Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ Can I access it from my smartphone, tablet and desktop?
££ Do I have to download a program to use it?
££ Can I use it on the go?
££ Can I create or amend a reservation in one-click?
For this you need cloud-based reservation software, meaning you can access it from anywhere, at any time, as long as you have access to the internet.
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Does it manage your channels effortlessly?Another must-have is an online reservation system that supports distribution channel
management. This means that it evenly distributes all of your available rooms across a
number of sites.
All inventory is automatically reduced across all sites when a booking is made from any
site, removing all of the manual work from selling your rooms online, while maximising
your revenue.
Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ Does it allow for live rate and availability updates?
££ Can you manage all your booking sites from one place?
££ Can you upload your inventory 400 days in advance?
££ Can you easily see an overview of how your channels are tracking?
As we previously mentioned, the problem with having so many distribution channels is
the question of how to manage your bookings across all of them.
If you don’t have a system that distributes your rooms in an organised way, you run the
risk of double booking your rooms - resulting in unhappy customers, lost revenue, and
even more wasted time trying to rectify the situation.
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#2 - Eases your mind
Gone are the days of tossing and turning because you worry about missing booking enquiries being placed outside office hours. An online reservation system will let you accept bookings while your sleep.
“ “TWEET THIS
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Does it ease your mind?As many of your future guests are in different time zones, allowing them to book
through your website is an obvious must-have. You need to make sure that the
customer-facing booking engine on your site has all of the functionality you need.
Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ Is it easy to understand and use from your customer’s standpoint? How many
clicks does it take to confirm a booking? No more than two clicks is optimal.
££ Does your booking engine seamlessly integrate into your website? Does it let
you have the same look and feel, so that people aren’t confused and wondering
whether they can trust your site?
££ Does it allow you to feature images?
££ Does it let you display a location map?
££ Does it integrate with a payment gateway?
££ Can you show off your discounted rates?
££ Does it allow your customers to book from your Facebook page?
Your direct bookings should be commission-free, so you should definitely be trying to
increase the percentage of revenue they bring you.
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#3 - Brings you global bookings
Your reservation system should have all the features you need for it to serve international guests.
“ “TWEET THIS
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Does it open the door to distribution channels? By allowing you to partner with international booking sites, it will help youincrease your
revenue. Save your guests time and effort by allowing them to book directly from the
booking site of their choice, then give them all of the information they need right there
on your booking page.
Does it offer language and currency options?It should also take it easier for people who aren’t from your country to understand
what your property has to offer. Prevent them from clicking away because your website
didn’t allow them to translate your room descriptions and rates.
Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ How many booking sites can it connect you to? Do they keep working on adding
more?
The more there are, the more chance you have of getting booked out. As a
benchmark,£Little Hotelier connects with over 190 of the world’s leading online
booking sites, and continue to add more.
££ How many languages does it support? It should support at least 5, and definitely
include Chinese.
££ How many currencies does it support? It should support at least 80 different
currencies.
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#4 - Delights your guests
Enhancing the guest experience reaps plenty of benefits for your guests and your business.
“ “TWEET THIS
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Can you personalise communications?Communicating with your guests in an ad hoc way just doesn’t work
as your business grows. You need a system where each guest gets a
consistent experience, where you touch base with them before and after
their stay.
££ Can you automatically send pre and post arrival emails?
££ Can you customise each email template to match your brand’s look
and feel?
Consistent communications across your entire customer base builds
confidence in your company and makes you more professional. It shows
that you’re focused on making sure their stay is an enjoyable one.
Can you maximise your revenue?Upselling relevant products and services to your guests benefit the both of
you. It can give them a more pleasant stay while adding to your bottom line.
You shouldn’t just work on getting more guests - you should also work on
increasing revenue from each guest.
££ Can you package extras like late check-out, breakfast, and spa
packages?
££ Can you customise extras to suit each room? ie. a romantic double
bedroom with Champagne.
££ Can you add extra sale items to reservations during your guests’ stay?
You should upsell your extras before they lock their booking in, and while
they stay with you.
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#5 - Lets you keep an eye on everything
As a small accommodation provider, you have a limited budget, so you need to be smarter about where you allocate your money.Without advanced reporting, you won’t be able to see the return on your investments. How easy is it for you
to generate a report of:
££ Your best performing booking sites?
££ Your direct bookings?
££ Your occupancy rates?
££ Your income and oustanding payments?
££ Which of your promotions (hot deals) work?
Your reservation system should make this simple, without having to struggle with Excel spreadsheets.
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#6 - Supports you throughout
If something goes wrong, you need to know that you can rely on your provider to assist you quickly.
“ “TWEET THIS
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Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ How many days per week is support offered?
££ Can you reach someone in a time zone that works for you?
££ Can you speak to an actual person for assistance?
££ Is support offered in the language you speak?
££ Are they willing to train you and your staff to use the product?
££ Is there a wealth of online tutorials to minimise the need for phone support?
There should be up to day step-by-step screenshot and video tutorials available for
you to access.
££ Are there new feature releases being announced on a monthly basis? Make sure
the company you choose is committed to improving the product instead of staying
static.
You can also contact a few of their customers and speak to them for a first-hand review
of the software, and their support team.£
Online reservation software is at the core of running your business, so make sure you choose a company that is easy to reach, and very helpful.“
“
TWEET THIS
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#7 - Gives you the freedom you need
As a small accommodation provider, it would be wise to go with an online reservation software that offers you the most flexibility in working with them. £Ask yourself (tick the appropriate box):
££ Is a free trial offered? Test before you buy! On your trial, you’ll be able to assess whether it has all the
functionality you need.
££ Does it charge a commission per direct booking? This kind of pricing will stifle your business’ growth in
the long run. Instead, look for flat monthly fee pricing structures so you can budget better.
££ Does it lock you into a contract? Choose a pay as you go software to minimise risk if it doesn’t work out
for you.
As a small accommodation provider, you need to budget wisely. Pick the solution that will help you scale the
best, and gives you some wiggle room in the way they will work with you.
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The all-in-one business solutionfor bed & breakfasts, guesthouses and small hotels
Everything you need to run your property like a pro
WATCH A DEMO 30 DAY FREE TRIAL
+ +Front Desk System
Manage your guests stay from reservation to check out
and everything in between
Direct Booking EngineTake reservations
directly from your website, commission-free
Channel ManagerGive your property maximum
exposure on the world’s leading online booking sites
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Get a free assessment of your online profile!One of our online experts will take a look at your property’s online profile and offer you helpful tips.
GET A FREE ASSESSMENT
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