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The majority of people plan and book their holidays online. In this article you will learn:
- How to be discoverable and bookable online
- Choosing an online booking system
- Things to consider when choosing a channel manager
- Top tips for being discoverable and bookable
You may already be using some of these tools, but the video will let you see what options are available to make it simpler for your accommodation business to be discoverable and bookable, reaching new markets and potential visitors.
How to be discoverable and bookable
For maximum impact online, your business needs to be discoverable and bookable.
It’s also important to tackle both together. There’s no point in allowing customers to book online if they don’t know you exist. It also doesn’t work to attract large numbers of customers online if they can’t book online.
What do we mean by discoverable?
Oxford English Dictionary defines discoverable as ‘(of online content) tending or designed to be easily found by users via a search engine, within an application, or on a website’.
It’s about how easy it is for a user to find your business online. Whether that’s when they’re searching generally, for example 'hostels in Edinburgh', or specifically for the name of your business.
What do we mean by bookable?
This is about whether a customer can book your accommodation online prior to your arrival – regardless of whether that’s a room to sleep in, a camping pitch or a self-catering cottage. There should be no need to contact the accommodation provider to confirm the booking – every aspect is done online.
Let’s look now at what technology you can put in place to be both discoverable and bookable. You may be using certain tools already, and some will give you access to certain features but not all. The stages covered are:
- Stage 1 – you have a business website
- Stage 2 – you have a business website with a web booking engine
- Stage 3 – you have a business website with a web booking engine, and a separate listing with an Online Travel Agent (OTA)
- Stage 4 – you have a website and a web booking engine with channel manager functionality, distributing your accommodation availability and pricing to OTAs and metasearch sites
Customers can:
- Read about your business
You can do this by having a website with content about your business. This does not equate to a social media page.
If you have a website, but not a booking system, please see stage 2.
Customers can:
- Read about your business
- Check availability of your accommodation on the dates they want
- Book your accommodation
- Pay for their stay
You can do this by using a web booking engine, which will display live availability and accept online bookings through your website.
Examples include Eviivo, Freetobook, Supercontrol, Beds24, MyUK.travel, Queensborough Group and SiteMinder. Some web booking engines are integrated with VisitScotland.com and this enables your business to display live availability and pricing as well as a ‘book now’ button on your VisitScotland.com listing and in live availability search results on the site. Find out more about web booking engines integrated with VisitScotland.com.
If you’re using a web booking engine on your own website, but aren’t yet discoverable on other websites (e.g. Booking.com), please see stage 3.
Customers can:
- Read about your business
- Check availability of your accommodation on the dates they want
- Book your accommodation
- Pay for their stay
- Do all the above on an OTA website
You can do this by working directly with an OTA. Examples include Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Airbnb and HomeAway.
If you’re not using a channel manager (explained in stage 4), you would need to update your availability and price on your own website and for each OTA site you have a listing on.
Where you want to be and why
The benefit of working with an OTA is that you will be discoverable and bookable on both OTA and metasearch sites.
A metasearch site is a comparison site that lets a customer compare prices for your accommodation across different websites – including OTA websites and your own website. Examples include Google Hotel Ads, Kayak, Trivago, TripAdvisor and Skyscanner.
Metasearch or comparison sites are updated in different ways. You may be able to use your own web booking engine to ensure that the price of booking directly on your own website is displayed alongside OTA prices. If you use an OTA, then metasearch or comparison sites will usually pull your availability and pricing information from the OTA directly.
As such your accommodation will gain greater exposure online and will have more chance of being found by potential customers.
See stage 4 if you’d like to make it easier to update availability on multiple booking platforms using a single channel manager tool.
Customers can:
- Read about your business
- Check availability of your service on the dates they want
- Book your service
- Pay for your service
- Find your business on travel sites
- Find your business on metasearch sites
And you can:
- More easily distribute your inventory and rates across multiple OTAs and metasearch sites
You can take advantage of channel management functionality by upgrading your account (if the option is available) with your web booking engine. This lets you update your accommodation availability and pricing on your website and OTA websites (and in turn metasearch sites) all at once, instead of updating information on multiple different platforms with different logins.
There can be costs associated with using channel managers – you may be charged a fee or commission by your web booking engine. However, if it makes your accommodation business more visible, saves you time and reduces the chances of double bookings, it could be worth that investment.
Choosing an online booking system
Scottish accommodation businesses should carry out investigative work to evaluate which online booking system best meets your requirements. We don’t endorse or recommend any system over another. This list represents only a small fraction of booking systems available – these booking systems do have Scottish clients or account managers working in Scotland.
Contact details
- Website: Beds24.com
- Key contact: Annette Morgenroth
- Email: [email protected]
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
- Small to medium sized hotels
- B&Bs
- Hostels
- Vacation rentals
- Property managers managing up to hundreds of properties
Functionality (10 key features)
- Online booking engine for commission-free direct bookings
- Channel manager
- Property management system
- Multi-property support
- Automated payment collection
- Messaging including automated messaging
- Dynamic pricing options
- Facebook app
- Wide range of standard and custom reports
- Integrations with premium apps and services
Bespoke booking options
- Flexible price and discount options including last-minute and long-term
- Discount and promo codes
- Optional refund protection for non-refundable bookings
- Self check-in option
- Request function for direct bookings
Pricing model(s)
- Monthly usage fee from €9.90 per month
- No contract, no minimum term, no set-up fees
- For details of pricing models and a fee calculator visit beds24.com/pricing
Guest payment options
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Bitcoin
Payment gateway compatibility
- Stripe
- Authorize.net
- Global Payments
- AsiaPay
- PesoPay
- SiamPay
- PayDollar
- BitPay
- Plus, options to create a custom connection
Channel management integrations
Certified API connections with:
- Agoda
- Airbnb (preferred partner)
- Atraveo
- Bedandbreakfast.eu
- Bedandbreakfast.nl
- Booking.com (premier partner)
- Bookeasy
- BookIt
- Decolar
- Despegar
- Goibibo
- Google Hotel Ads
- Guestlink
- Hotels.com
- Hostelworld.com
- Hostelling International
- Orbitz
- Ostrovok
- Rakuten
- Tablet Hotels
- Traveloka
- Travia
- Trip.com
- TripAdvisor
- TripAdvisor Rentals
- Vacation Stay
- VisitScotland
- Vrbo (preferred partner)
- Plus, iCal sync option with many other portals
Contact details
- Website: booksterhq.com
- Key contact: Kelly Odor
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 0131 510 6946
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
- Self-catering properties
- Apartments
- Full homes
- Cottages
- Castles
- Boats
- Caravans
- Motorhomes
- Campervans
Functionality (10 key features)
- Booking engine
- Booking calendar
- Marketing channels
- Automated payment collection
- Guest area
- Websites
- Book direct tools
- Email marketing
- Cleaning tools
- Owner management
Bespoke booking options
- Booking buffer (one to three days)
- Weekly bookings with mid-week arrivals
- Daily bookings
- Quotes
Pricing model(s)
- £20 plus VAT per month for solo, increasing based on number of properties
- Channel management fee – 0.83%
Guest payment options
- Payment card
- Apple Pay and Google Pay
Payment gateway compatibility
- Opayo
- Sagepay
- PayPal Pro
- WorldPay
Channel management integrations
- Booking.com
- Vrbo
- Airbnb
- TripAdvisor
- FlipKey
- HolidayLettings
- Niumba
- VisitScotland
Contact details
- Website: freeonlinebooking.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 0845 163 5163
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
Suitable for all accommodation types including:
- Self-catering
- B&Bs
- Homestays
- Farmstays
- Hotels
- Motels
- Campsites
- Holiday parks
- Backpackers
- Resorts
Functionality (10 key features)
- Free zero-commission online booking
- Full property management system
- In-built channel manager
- Very easy to use
- Flexible functionality to suit your business
- Advanced rate management
- Commission management
- Free 30-day trial
- Free setup
- Free training
Bespoke booking options
- Customisable booking sequence
- Additional products and services
- Flexible booking policies
- Multiple payment gateway options
- Multiple notification options
Pricing model(s)
- Online booking system completely free of charge with no commission or other fees on bookings
- Premium option is priced at set monthly/annual fee depending on property size, starting from £19 per month plus VAT
- No commission or other fees on bookings via third party websites
Guest payment options
- Multiple payment options
Payment gateway compatibility
- Supports multiple payment gateways
Channel management integrations
- Links with all the key online travel agents (OTAs)
- For full details go to freeonlinebooking.com/English/channel-manager.aspx
Contact details
- Website: freetobook.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 0141 270 2173
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
- B&Bs
- Guest houses
- Hotels
- Hostels
- Cottages/self-catering
- Campsites/glamping
- Apartments
Functionality (10 key features)
- Booking engine for your website
- Property management system/booking diary
- Channel manager
- Guest messaging system
- Payment gateway options
- Reputation and review management
- Special offer and promo codes
- Reporting and accounts suite
- Free VisitScotland connection
- Google hotels ads integration
Bespoke booking options
- Association or group booking engine, operates like a direct booking mini-online travel agent
- Digital registration for contactless check-in
Pricing model(s)
- All paid services are optional – only use the ones you need
- Internet booking engine – free direct bookings on your website
- Channel manager – pay-as-you-go £1 per channel booking (capped at £49 per month) and a set-up fee of £49 per channel connection
- Stripe payments – for all payments via your website or channel bookings, £89 per year connection
- Guest messaging – automated messages, templates, payment links, digital registration etc. for £49 per year
- iCal – availability feed for FlipKey, HolidayLettings and many more for £39 per year
- Google Hotel Ads – increase direct bookings with Google Hotel Ads, £49 set-up then 7% commission per booking
- Review Suite (coming soon) – get more great reviews on Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor
- Prices exclude VAT
Guest payment options
- Card payments via Stripe or your merchant provider (debit/credit card)
- Apple Pay and Google Pay
- PayPal
Payment gateway compatibility
- Stripe
- OPayo for all merchant providers
Channel management integrations
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Airbnb
- Agoda
- Hostelworld
- Pitchup.com
- Guestlink
- HRS
Contact details
- Website: queensboroughgroup.co.uk
- Key contact: Paul Strickland
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 01204 373 710
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
- B&B
- Self-catering
- Hotels
- Guest houses
- Whole house lets
- Campsites
- Apartments
- Cottages
- Lodges
- Boats
- Caravans
- Treehouses
- Glamping pods
- Tipis
Functionality (10 key features)
- Commission free software
- Channel manager
- Epos connectivity
- Automatic deposit and balance payments
- Gift voucher sales
- Special offers and promotions
- Quick-Switch (toggle between multiple properties)
- Comprehensive reporting system
- Fully responsive, user-friendly software
- No contracts
Bespoke booking options
- Online check-in
- Electronic guest registration
- Virtual payment terminals
- Fully refundable rates
- Cancellation vouchers (guest can rebook using a cancellation code that takes into account what has been paid already)
Pricing model(s)
- Q-Book Free – basic diary
- Q-Book Lite – includes card data storage and iCal connections, prices from £14
- Q-Book Premium – includes channel manager, gift vouchers and promotions, prices from £20
- All prices are based on the volume of rooms
Extra options:
- Epos connectivity – £100 plus VAT set-up fee; £25 plus VAT per month
- Website design and hosting – £150 plus VAT set-up fee; £10 – £25 plus VAT per month dependant on the choice of design
Guest payment options
- At Q-Book user’s discretion
Payment gateway compatibility
- Q-Pay Sage (connects via existing merchant)
- Q-Pay Stripe
- Q-Card Validation
Channel management integrations
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Hotels.com
- Google Hotel Ads
- Agoda
- Guestlink
- TripaAdvisor Pay Per Click
- Stay Bonanza
- Airbnb iCal
- HolidayLettings iCal
- FlipKey iCal
- Hotels & BB’s (hotels.uk.com) – free entry to the UK national reservation platform, commission free bookings
- Have your property showcased on Q-Book’s successful UK National Reservation Platform with zero commission to pay
Contact details
- Website: www.supercontrol.co.uk
- Key contact: Gary Irving
- Book a SuperControl Discovery Call with a Business Development Consultant
Suitability (accommodation types catered for)
- Self-catering property owners
- Self-catering agencies
- Holiday parks
- City apartments
- Scaled solutions for 1 to 1,000 properties
- Accommodation can be in multiple locations
Functionality (10 key features)
- Booking engine – convert ‘looker to booker’ with the ultimate call to action on your website
- Channel manager – attract bookings from multiple sources, all synced
- Upsell platform – make more money by upselling with ease
- Automated guest communication – deliver impeccable service from booking through to rebooking
- In-built verified reviews platform enhances your online reputation
- Review and refine with built-in reporting and analysis
- Optimise revenue and occupancy with dynamic pricing – average 17% increase in revenue
- Choose from a variety of specialist integrated applications
- Save time with automated admin tasks and workflow
- A community of like-minded property managers to connect with
Bespoke booking options
- Messaging can be embedded in your calendars
- Guest login provides personalised digital guestbook functionality
- Housekeeping communications, reports and housekeepers’ login
- Block dates, send notifications to guests between dates, occupancy-based pricing
Pricing model(s)
- Property Management System starts at £410 plus VAT per year for one – three properties. Calculate your price using SuperControl’s Software Pricing tool.
- One-time joining fee of £250 plus VAT
- Channel Manager – 1% service fee on stayed bookings through Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, TripAdvisor
- All other channels are free
- Direct bookings are free
Guest payment options
- Pay by credit or debit card
- The property manager configures which payment options to offer
Payment gateway compatibility
- HolidayRentPayment (no separate merchant required, no term contract)
- Opayo plus any merchant
- Trust Payments plus any merchant
- PayPal
Channel management integrations
Supercontrol is integrated with this list of channels and more:
- VisitScotland
- Embrace Scotland (ASSC)
- Booking.com
- Airbnb
- Vrbo
- Expedia
- TripAdvisor
- Cottages.com
- Premier Cottages
- FarmStay UK
- GroupAccommodation.com
- Independent Cottages
- Away with the Kids
- Simpleview (powers many DMOs)
- Holidu
- Hometogo
- Plum Guide
- Yonder
- Pitchup
Things to consider when choosing a channel manager
Some web booking engines offer access to lots of OTAs and metasearch sites with the potential to drive a large volume of customers to your website/increase bookings.
It’s best to do a bit of research to work out which OTAs are right for your business as they can increase the volume of bookings to your business but charge a commission to do so.
- Understand what functionality your business needs and what each system provides to make sure they match up.
- Check what OTA partnerships are in place – the three most common are Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb. For some accommodation businesses other smaller OTAs may be more suitable and more regularly used by your target audience.
- Check what training and support is available for set up and maintenance.
- Consider the price of using each web booking engine (and any additional costs for channel management functionality) as well as OTA commission levels before coming to a decision. Some systems will have a basic license, some may be commission-based, and some might have additional features that come with added costs.
Our top tips for being discoverable and bookable
-
Updated and available
Get your pricing and availability updated as far ahead as possible – the further people travel, the further in advance they book. Consider one year’s availability as a minimum
-
Call to action
Make your booking button (call to action) on your website as visible as possible at all stages of a customer’s journey through all pages on your site
-
Upselling opportunities
Build in upselling opportunities in your shopping cart. Can customers add on breakfast, a bottle of champagne, or any extras you offer before they complete the purchase? However, keep the primary booking experience as simple as possible
-
Customer journey
Go through the customer journey yourself on a regular basis to check for barriers or breakages. This helps you keep on top of your functionality and avoid bad experiences for potential customers
-
Analytics
Set up ecommerce analytics and goals. This allows you to see which target audience is driving the most revenue, allowing you to invest in areas which will give you the best return
-
Stay competitive
While direct booking is the most profitable overall, in order to stay competitive, you might need to be listed on other websites where your potential customers are searching. This is why sites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Booking.com can be so important. Look into what your competitors are doing on those sites
Check out our video on Online Travel Agents (OTAs) for more information on how to work with them, and our video on the visitor journey to see what other digital marketing channels you should be considering.