As we are centered in the age of guest convenience and almost everything is online, an average traveler would love to have a single platform from where he can not only view his destination hotel rooms but also book them and pay for them simultaneously. This is a growing opportunity for hoteliers as they can now offer their guests with just what they need. Through integration of a sales engine or hotel booking engines on the hotelier's website instant sales can be generated besides the concurrent enhancement of customer experience.
Understanding a sales engine with reference to Hotel marketing
An online sales engine or an online booking engine for hotels is an integrated hotel marketing activity that aims to obtain maximum number of customers through direct sales. It is a blend of other strategies including email marketing and content marketing.
How can a booking engine for hotels generate direct sales?
A potential guest will somehow prefer having the primary details of the hotel rooms on a single hotel room booking system. The customer can check room rates, availability and other information through the booking engine and make a direct booking online.
In order to make this interface productive, the hotelier can customize his booking engine templates so that it can match the theme of his/her own website. This also offers customer a sense of confidence and a positive experience while making a booking. Integration of hotel room booking system with the hotelier's website can therefore develop maximum opportunities for direct sales.
Other factors essential for an effective online hotel booking reservation system
There are multiple ways to sell online. One of the popular trends is social media platform marketing. This gives your hotel an exposure to a large number of viewers and therefore it brightens the chances of conversion. Hotels can sell through their brand pages on social media where the online hotel booking engine can be featured.
Electronic invoice payments, payment through phone, promotional discounts and offers can also turn out to be sharp strategies for the hotelier's social media pages. Multi-lingual and multi-currency payment options with a responsive design and easily customizable packages are sure to hook the attention of the customer.
ResAvenues' Direct Connect – A Hotel Reservation System
ResAvenue is a plug-and-play booking engine that gets integrated with the hotelier's website and facilitates the accepting of bookings and real time payments. ResAvenue's Direct Connect is a responsive booking engine or room reservation system that connects the customer directly to the hotel's room inventory and booking information for instant hotel booking.
Key functions of ResAvenue Direct Connect
- Packages booking engine
Hoteliers can now combine tours, adventure trips, value added services with accommodation and design attractive packages through ResAvenues packages booking engine. This serves value to the customer and also makes the hotelier multifarious in its offers.
- Stay Enrichment Booking engine
Through Stay Enrichment booking engine, the hotelier can upsell add-on services, over and above the usual room bookings. From the same platform on the hotel's website, customers can also book conference rooms or banquet halls, catering services, swimming pool, gymnasium, spa services.
- Social Media Booking Engine
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media pages are integrated with the hotel's booking engine from where the customers can make direct bookings. The hotelier can now promote and sell his hotel rooms and also get customers engagement on social media platforms.
- PayInvite
Sending invoices to customers through email SMS and IVR is a better way to invoice and receive quick payments. The sent invoice includes rooms information and description of other services.
- PhonePay
The customer is assisted with making payments through the phone. Hoteliers can receive money instantly on the phone through a secure IVR (Interactive Voice Response System). This involves no maintenance costs.
- Offers & Promotions
Stimulation of sales through attractive offers and promotional discounts is done through Direct Connect.
- Discount Codes
Hoteliers can offer out discount codes with validity dates, discounts for specific plans and discounts on entire reservation amount.
For end-to-end hotel management software / hotel room reservation system, ResAvenue offers a customer centric solution that sets the ball rolling for hoteliers.
Martin Wynn
