The Future of Hotel Booking Engines has Arrived
Xotels introduces the latest innovative technology in hotel reservation systems. Our new hotel booking engine uses responsive design, and adjusts automatically to any screen format or size.
The Internet booking engine is based on the retail shopping cart principle, and is entirely geared to drive conversion and drive direct sales.
So what sets our new Internet Booking Engine (IBE) apart? It includes responsive design, a shopping cart style booking process, persuasive messaging, and the brand new Call-to-Continue™ feature, among other exclusive functions. It is fully optimized for single property independents, multi-property groups, and large hotel brands by allowing cross-selling features and suggestive selling prompts.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
Xotels knows that guests will view your site and booking engine in a variety of contexts, using a variety of devices. With the responsive IBE, there is no longer a need to maintain a separate mobile booking engine—a single, responsive IBE is all that you need.
The IBE automatically adjusts to:
- Desktop computers
- Tablets
- Mobile phones
- Screen-size
Pursuasive Messaging
Hotels now have the option to add persuasive text under room types and/or packages. Depending upon the type of messaging selected, it will give the guest a sense of urgency to confirm a booking, or assure the guest that the selection they have made is a popular choice among travelers.
Types of Messaging:
- Number of rooms (or packages) purchased in the last x-number of days
- Number of rooms (or packages) available for the dates selected
SHOPPING CART FUNCTIONALITY
With the shopping cart guests can:
- Book multiple dates of stay, multiple rooms and even several properties in one transaction.
- Use the comparison view to compare properties within the same multi-property group.
- View add-ons on the main screen and in the cart view.
CALL TO CONTINUE
Once a guest has searched and added reservation information to his cart, he has the option to call to continue by simply touching a number on his mobile device. This feature sends the reservation information to the hotel’s call center with a unique Cart ID that allows the reservation agent to pick up where the guest left off and complete the booking.
- Book multiple dates of stay, multiple rooms and even several properties in one transaction.
- Use the comparison view to compare properties within the same multi-property group.
- View add-ons on the main screen and in the cart view.
Conversion Impact:
- Abandonment Recovery
- Friction-less Checkout
- Reduce Payment Barrier
- Increase Mobile Conversion
ENRICHED DISCOUNT CODE FIELDS
To facilitate promotions and up-selling, the new booking engine offers a Discount Code field on the shopping cart and checkout screens. These screens also highlight any discounts the guest has already received during the booking process.
SAVE FOR LATER
Allow guests to save their cart for later by entering an e-mail address. A link to their cart is e-mailed to them so they can complete the booking process at a later time.
Key Functions:
- Abandonment Recovery
- Capture guest e-mails for future marketing opportunities
- Increase Conversion
- Greater flexibility and ease of booking for the guest
ENHANCED ADD-ON FEATURES
Add-ons are not new to hotel reservation systems, but the new IBE allows items to be added in the cart view—even if the itinerary is multi-room and multi-property. Guests have the option of viewing their itinerary costs in an easy to read and understand Summary or Detail format.
THE FUTURE OF ONLINE HOTEL RESERVATION SYSTEMS HAS ARRIVED …
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About the Author:
As CEO and Founder of XOTELS, Patrick Landman has made it his mission to turn hotels and resorts into local market leaders. XOTELS´ diverse expertise and deep-knowledge across revenue management consulting, hotel management, and hotel consulting, enables us to drive results for independent boutique hotels, luxury resorts, and innovative lodging concepts. Below you will find opinion articles written by Patrick Landman.
