Vaccination drives are in full swing around the world. This is a positive sign for small hotels and owners can expect their hotel reservation system to be full. It is time for hoteliers to prepare for an influx of guests after almost 2 years. Hospitality experts are expecting interstate travel to peak by the second half of this year. In fact, a recent study confirmed that 73 percent of Americans have already made plans to travel in the next 3-6 months.
Although the light at the end of the tunnel may be flickering, the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging. Many smaller hotels and independent bed and breakfasts have had huge losses and the tourism industry at large suffered an economic loss. Therefore, as things resume to normal, small hotels are evidently unprepared for the high number of travelers. To support the recovery of small businesses, cloud-based hotel reservation management systems are re-entering the hospitality market.
What is a hotel reservation system?
A hotel reservation system is a digital booking application that allows hoteliers to manage all their bookings in one place. A hotel booking system is a centralized platform that can synchronize multiple bookings from an array of different channels. A hotel reservation system software integrates booking requests from your existing website, online travel agents (OTAs), and social media in real-time. An efficient hotel reservation system allows your guests to make quicker, hassle-free reservations via a medium that is convenient to them.
These online booking engines double up as a tool for small hotel owners to manage their operations. Hotel reservation platforms like Hotelogix offer a unified, single-dashboard view of the inventory along with the check-in dates of the arriving guests. With only a few additional resources, the hotel reservation system can be integrated with a channel manager. Having an integrated channel manager as part of the booking system allows hotel managers to distribute their inventory across the online network. This two-way integration prevents loss of revenue due to manual errors and duplicate bookings.
Why do small hotels need a reservation system?
Since the advent of smartphone apps, a majority of travelers rely solely on online reservations to make their accommodation bookings. In turn, the hospitality industry today is largely dependent on technology. Both large and small hotels consider a hotel reservation system necessary to run their operations smoothly. Online reservations are the primary revenue generators for these properties and without a reliable hotel reservation system, a considerable amount of business will be lost.
Smart hoteliers have realized that a good hotel booking management system offers them a competitive advantage. Until recently, most small hotels and home-stay owners did not have an online booking system. Due to limited awareness and lack of distribution channels, fewer people stayed in these places generating smaller profits.
Hotelogix identified this challenge for small and medium-sized properties and introduced a cloud-based online booking system that empowers these businesses to compete with their larger counterparts. Its intuitive, user-friendly design and simple features make this hotel reservation management system the ideal choice for hoteliers all across the planet. Hoteliers who have integrated the online booking system have confirmed a boost in business efficiency.
Moreover, Hotelogix’s remote access allows hoteliers to manage operations from their smart-phone. Property managers and small hotel owners can instantly check the availability and confirm a reservation from an app on their phone. An online booking system saves time, improves productivity, and minimizes the risk of overbooking your property.
What are the benefits of a reservation system for small hotels?
1. Revenue optimization
A major function of the CRS is to generate revenue by simplifying hotel distribution. Having an online hotel booking software is useful in tracking room allocations, reviewing hotel demand, and automatically modifying room rates to generate maximum profits. A reservation system for small hotels can also help to prepare and plan for the reservations and up-sell services such as room upgrades based on the number of guests checking in. Having a single dashboard also helps to put in action pricing strategies based on the demand and vacant inventory.
2. Personalized experience
The hospitality industry is a customer-focus industry. As a small hotel owner, your customers’ exceptions should not just be met but ideally exceeded. Catering to the demands of your guests and delivering a personalized experience forms a long-term connection. These connections can be leveraged by small hotels to gain awareness and success. The data gathered from the CRS can be used as a tool to improve your customer service. An online booking system integrated with a property management system like Hoteogix tracks the booking habits of every customer.
This data can be used to create unforgettable experiences. Let’s imagine your guest is traveling for a special occasion, like their birthday or anniversary, you can add a personal touch by sending them flowers or birthday cake in their room. This is a great way to show your guests that you genuinely care.
3. Streamline Operations
A CRS system has multiple diverse functions apart from online booking. A remote property management system like Hotelogix can be used for maintaining room inventory, simplifying booking processes, and also inter-departmental communication. Hotelogix acts as a PMS and RMS that are fully integrated with a CMS. This enables the distribution of hotel rooms across channels and all major search sites at dynamically changing prices all from a single screen. It also monitors all reservations in real-time and syncs that data and key performance indicators for future analysis.
Summary –
For small hotels, having a hotel reservation system that can also perform the functions of a website and revenue management system is the sweetest deal. Since small hotels often have smaller budgets, they rely on providing the highest level of customer service to attract repeat customers. However, with the growing popularity of social media, investing in software that can manage reservations and room prices from multi-channel is becoming the need of the hour.
Whether you own a bed and breakfast or small property, Hotelogix offers multiple benefits in your budget. These benefits often include increased profitability, better channel visibility, and valuable customer information – supporting you with the technology you need to efficiently manage your revenues and hotel processes.
