There are many online booking systems available for accommodation businesses.
Options include:
Making accommodation bookable
3 minute read • Last updated: 25 February 2025
An online booking system allows you to take bookings through your website, partners and across your free business listings. Check out our top tips for being online bookable, and find a list of potential systems to introduce to your accommodation business.
Online bookable means that there should be no need to contact the accommodation provider to confirm the booking. You're bookable if a customer can book your accommodation online before they arrive, be it a room, a bed, a camping pitch, or a self-catering cottage.
Top tips for being easily bookable
Be easy to find
Make sure your website is easy for potential customers to find. This means it can easily be found via a search engine, social media or through a partner. Ensure that your Google Business Profile is up-to-date and displays a direct booking link where possible.
Share your availability far in advance
Get your pricing and availability updated as far ahead as possible. The further people travel, the further in advance they book. Consider at least one year’s availability.
Have a clear booking button
Make sure your booking button is on every page of your website. It should be easy to spot a Book Now button.
Upsell opportunities
Build in upselling opportunities to your shopping cart. Before they complete their purchase, let your customers add on breakfast, a bottle of champagne, or any other extras you might offer.
Understand the user journey
Go through the booking journey yourself regularly and check for barriers or broken links. This helps you keep on top of your functionality and avoids bad experiences for potential customers.
Make use of analytics
Set up e-commerce analytics and goals. This allows you to see which target audience is driving the most revenue and which areas of investment give you the best return.
Stay competitive
Look into what your competitors are doing and if there are any opportunities to emulate them.
Consider a distribution partner
Direct booking is the most profitable form overall. But to stay competitive, you might also need to list your property on other booking websites. This is why sites such as Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb can be so important.
Questions to consider when choosing a booking system
An online booking system (or property management system) is a web-based system that allows you to accept bookings online.
Online booking systems also allow you to amend your offering by making updates to your room availability or prices.
There a several questions to consider when choosing an online booking system.
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