Why might I need Online Booking?
Because increasing numbers of visitors already book hotel rooms online and they will be looking for this facility
when choosing smaller hotels, guest houses and bed & breakfasts. Many people simply do not have the time
or inclination to phone around establishments looking for available rooms, and the more they can do online, the better.
Offering an online availability and booking service will help your website stand out from the competition
Am I set up for Online Booking?
Only you can answer this question. However, we would recommend that if you have a website, it should at least include
online availability - the facility for visitors to see which rooms are available on a given date. Even if they then need to call you
to confirm the booking, you have already saved them time, and yet you still maintain control of the booking process. Full online
booking requires more administration and you must take care, for example, to ensure that rooms are not double-booked.
You may like to read our
article on the differences
between online availability and online booking.
How can I implement Online Booking?
We would always recommend implementing online booking on your own website, if this is possible. Signing up with an
online booking agency, whilst quick and easy in the short term, will cost you lots of money in commission in the long term.
Consider the figures. Most agencies will take a commission of 5-10% of the total booking value. So if over a year you receive
£10,000 worth of online bookings, you will pay £500 - £1,000 in commission. For this amount of money, you could develop
a state of the art website including online booking. Or you could purchase the Angelfish online availability and booking system
for just £95 and plug it into your existing website.
Why do I need Online Booking on my own Website?
Forget what the tourist boards tell you about signing up with them to get more online bookings.
The best investment you can make is in your own website. The reason for this is simple. When visitors are looking
online for a bed & breakfast in your town, most of them don't visit the tourist board website. They go to Google (which,
for a lot of people is the Internet and search for "bed & breakfasts in xxx". Provided that your website is well-designed
you should be able to work your way into the top few results for this search. Visitors will then click on the link to your website
and will expect to be able to view your availability and/or book online. Most people will not make a booking without visiting your
website (at least to look at pictures of the rooms) and a clean, attractive website with up to date features like online booking
will impress them far more than a listing with the tourist board or a 4-star rating.