Property managers who need to manage multiple accommodations will never go wrong in getting a booking engine
software for their vacation rental business.
A good booking engine that automates online bookings also promotes accommodations across platforms via a good
channel manager
platform such as Smoobu and many others.
In this article we will discuss the importance of having an online booking engine for your vacation rental website so that you can offer direct bookings which will increase sales and overall brand appeal.
Here we go…
Why You Need an Online Booking Engine and Reservation System
With an online booking engine software, which are both used for hosts, hoteliers, and property managers can provide an automated process for taking
online bookings.
A booking system is not only a platform for booking a hotel like in the past. It can also be used for flights, tours and your vacation rentals as mentioned. And an online booking engine and reservation system can be integrated with an online platform where your rentals are being hosted.
Whenever a guest decides to reserve an accommodation for the dates of their choice, for example, they can use your online booking engine on your website to do it. Allow your potential guest to booking your accommodations online direct from your website will boost your rental conversions and online sales.
Encouraging Guests to Book Directly from Your Website
According to our recent blog post discussing our vacation rental website builder- hosts, hoteliers, and property managers can make use of a few things to increase the booking rate for their accommodations. You can do this with attractive promotions, email campaigns and social media marketing to name a few of the many digital marketing strategies you can utilize.
The most common way to get online bookings is to create quality listings using the most popular vacation rental booking engines like
Airbnb and
VRBO. These platforms are also called Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
If you decide to sign up and create rental listings with the popular OTAs then there are things to consider making guests pay attention and help close on bookings. One of them is to add eye-catching photos! Another one is to give listings full and inviting descriptions with intriguing titles.
It is important to make sure that the listings are optimized to boost their rankings on search engines and within the algorithms of the OTA platform. Also, be sure to give assurance to guests by having the best reviews from previous guests on both your website and OTA listings.
Top Platforms for Booking Software Programs
There are many top platforms when it comes to vacation rental booking engine platforms or OTAs. Some of the best ones attract the greatest number of guests, and they include Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway, VRBO, Agoda and TripAdvisor.
Niche platforms must also be considered if you want to increase online accommodations and sales because they can be filled with potential guests who share a common experience.
BringFido, for example, is catered to the travelling pet owner and features pet-friendly vacation rental homes.
Airbnb is a top platform, having matched more than 260 million guests with vacation rental accommodations. But niche platforms like
BringFido are more tailored platforms that have relatively less competition.
More Reasons to Invest in a Booking Engine for your Own Website
A vacation rental
booking engine is also an application that can be found on your own website, which is used for hotels and vacation rental homes like yours.
An article on
SiteMinder.com explains the different reasons why a vacation rental booking engine is important to hotel guests. It is also related to the importance of guests being able to book accommodations for vacation rental homes for hosts, cohosts, and property managers. One reason is allowing a guest to check the availability and prices of hotel rooms and vacation rental homes without having to make a phone call or sending an email. Another reason is giving a guest a more secure way to book directly online, instantly!
With a booking engine, guest details like credit card numbers are safely stored in one place. Most booking engines and channel managers will also allow you to connect third-party payment processing form companies like PayPal and Stripe.
Another reason is allowing your guest to access current promotions and booking perks. A guest only needs to visit your website to find out about any promotional offer you may be having. If you have a guest email list, then you could also send occasional promotional offers via an email automation software.
Lastly, a booking engine will make your vacation rental business more professional. Guests today expect to have the option to book online and might not trust a business that does not provide the option.
Benefits of a Booking Engine Software for Hosts and Managers
A
booking engine software program in general offers the following benefits:
- Increases conversions
- Saves time with an easy setup
- Eliminates manual entry
- Provides better decision-making with available data
- Creates advantage over competitors
A
vacation rental booking engine
improves the efficiency of a business. The integration of a software program with (PMS) and channel manager allows for instant update of availability when a guest books a room or any accommodation. And the update happens not only in the system but across all channels and platforms. A booking engine also simplifies administrative processes because it eliminates the need for answering email inquiries and taking reservations over the phone.
This is a huge time saver!
Your time can then be spent with other guest interaction activities. A vacation rental booking engine also allows you to collect valuable data. The data is then used to give the guests a more personalized experience on their future visits.
Lastly, a booking engine directly enhances the guest experience at the property or accommodation itself. It is because the
booking system allows guests to book their preferred accommodation on their desktops, laptops, tablets, or mobile phones.
