Best Reservation Software

Are you looking for reservation software or an online booking system? GoodFirms prepares a list of the best reservation software that can be employed for any kind of business. The intuitive framework of the online reservation software helps to adopt the needs of markets, and customers, of any verticle and any size. These user-friendly tools offer a range of features such as online reservations, advanced scheduling, booking management, calendar management, mobile access, payment processing, reporting & analytics, reservation channels, service & support. The research team at GoodFirms curated details related to these features and assessed each of the software for service-seekers. With the help of client reviews, you can select the best out of this reservation system software (Free & Paid):

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List of the Best Reservation System Software (Free & Paid) with Reviews

  • Campground Master

    Reservation Software for RV Parks and Campgrounds
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    Campground Master can simplify the task of reservation management for any campground or RV resort, or any kind of hospitality or rental business. If you're still using a wall chart and paper forms, we can help you make the transition to a computerized system as quick and easy as possible. ... read more about Campground Master

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Premier

    Managing your campground has never been easier with this premium all-in-one solution.
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    PCM is a complete system that provides you with unlimited users, unlimited sites, unlimited reservations, unlimited free upgrades……in other words, no limits! No limits on the number of reservations or customers. No limits on the size or length of storage. ... read more about Premier

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • freetobook

    Your Online Booking System.
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    Online booking engine designed for small independent accommodation providers like B&B's, guest houses, cottages, and hotels. In the past, this level of software has only been available at a high cost which has put off many properties. We are very proud to able to offer the very best booking software at no charge which opens the possibility of online booking for thousands of small businesses. By re ... read more about freetobook

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Solidres

    Complete Hotel and Tour booking solution
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    Solidres provides a simple yet powerful solution for those who are looking for a solid and ready to use solution for both independent restaurant and hotel restaurant. As a Joomla extension, you can manage your restaurant directly from your website anywhere and on any devices without having to install any software into your computer like other traditional restaurant software. ... read more about Solidres

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • bookatonce

    Hotel Management Online.
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    bookatonce supports you in your daily work: Make reservations, administrate guest data or create invoices easier and more convenient. And if you want, bookatonce can support you with much more. You’ll save time - time you can spend taking good care of your guests. ... read more about bookatonce

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Upbooking

    Free Booking Engine Free Reservation System No Fees, No Commission.
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    UpBooking is a free booking engine reservation software with Zero Fees and Zero Commissions, that can be easily and fully integrated in any accommodation website. It enables your website visitors to access your availability and rates in real-time and finalize their booking with a secure credit card transaction in just a few clicks. ... read more about Upbooking

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • TourCMS

    AffordableTours & Activities Booking, Enquiry & Customer Relationship Management.
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    More than 400 specialist tour and activity operators, trading in 63 countries, 22 languages and with tours in 114 countries, depend on TourCMS for their reservations, e-commerce, and back-office systems. Through the TourCMS Marketplace, connected agents, affiliates and marketing organizations offer additional distribution. ... read more about TourCMS

    Entry Level Price
    $49 Per Month
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • roomMaster Anywhere

    Leading technology provider for the hospitality industry
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    roomMaster (Cloud or On-Prem) by InnQuest, Cloud or On-Prem is used by 5,500+ properties in over 100 countries, including chain, independent, business, boutique and resort hotels. Our solution includes hotel PMS, EMV Credit Card Payment Processing, more than 125 Reports plus Advanced Reporting, Daily Flash Reporting and Accounting Exports, Booking Engine, Channel Manager, POS, Activity Scheduling, ... read more about roomMaster Anywhere

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Booking Tool

    Limousine and Shuttle Reservation Software
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    The Booking Tool is a premiere online limo software for companies of all sizes. Our unique customizable software is user-friendly and comes with no hidden fees or contracts. Booking Tool's proprietary reservation system is a perfect fit for limousine or shuttle operators who need a powerful, yet a simple and intuitive option for both the provider and website visitors. ... read more about Booking Tool

    Entry Level Price
    $59 Per Month
    Free Trial
    7 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Reservation Engine

    Car rental software & fleet management.
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    Manage your website, reservations, fleet, points of business and upgrade your workflow with our car rental software. Online Booking Software that allows you to accept online bookings from multiple platforms, streamline your tasks, accept flexible online payments from the gateways of your choice, issue electronic invoices, set up multiple points of business, view your insights and reports, and much ... read more about Reservation Engine

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Hosty

    Airbnb property management software focusing on Airbnb property managers and Airbnb entrepreneurs
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    Hosty is innovative Airbnb property management software for Airbnb Entrepreneurs and Airbnb Property Management Companies. Our software helps you manage multiple Airbnb accounts using property management tools like Airbnb Single Inbox, Airbnb Multi-calendar, Airbnb Automation, Multi-channel Integration and much more. ... read more about Hosty

    Entry Level Price
    $7 Per Month
    Free Trial
    More than 30 days
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • Good Sam

    Online Reservation Software Designed for Campgrounds
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    Responding to hundreds of emails and phone call reservation requests each camping season is painful. We have a free property management & online booking system that will help you automate the reservation experience and save hundreds of hours per year. And yes, it really is 100% free for campgrounds. ... read more about Good Sam

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • FlexBooker

    Easily Accept Online Bookings From Your Website
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    FlexBooker brings a beautifully simple approach to accepting bookings for appointments, classes, meeting rooms, and anything else time based, right from your company or organization's website.It takes just a couple of minutes to be up and running with our "widget" on your site, enabling your customers to book from any computer, tablet, or mobile phone. FlexBooker also gives you the benefits of adv ... read more about FlexBooker

    Entry Level Price
    $49 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Tiqy Pro

    Online Reservation System for Tour and Activity Operators
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    Tiqy Pro is an online booking system that is easy to use, modern and customisable. It is built for tour and activity operators who want to accept reservations in their office, through their agencies, from their website, or from their social media accounts! ... read more about Tiqy Pro

    Entry Level Price
    $29.99 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Genkan

    PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR VACATION RESERVATIONS & BOOKINGS
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    GENKAN is a new approach to holiday rental property management with online bookings for Real Estate agents and property owners in the business of short term Holiday Rentals Property Management. GENKAN incorporates functionality in one software solution only previously available by licensing multiple softwares with the hassle to integrate your system. ... read more about Genkan

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    25% in Reservation Software
  • System Bookings

    Online Booking Systems DELIVERED TO YOUR EXACT REQUIREMENTS
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    System Bookings provide complete appointment booking solutions and not an “Off the shelf” product that is limited in functionality. They put a large emphasis on the pre-developement stage to ensure that the solution being provided is the exact fit for your company and every potential scenario has been covered. It encourage workshops prior to development to ensure the whole solution has been ma ... read more about System Bookings

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • nabooki

    Online booking solutions for service providers, marketplaces and enterprise.
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    Nabooki’s online booking & marketplace technology helps local service providers get discovered while providing consumers with the convenience to book online 24/7. Automated bookings & reminders help business owners get paid faster and win back time. We develop booking technology to create better customer experiences, generate more bookings and give you greater control. ... read more about nabooki

    Entry Level Price
    $35 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • ThinkReservations

    Simple, professional, and easy to use
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    Our property management system is designed to simplify your business operations. Our features and functionality will allow your business to increase revenue and save time.The ThinkReservations team is made up of employees who have extensive hospitality and technical experience. We are proud to be working together to better serve your business. ... read more about ThinkReservations

    Entry Level Price
    $10.00 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    20% in Reservation Software
  • Beds24.com

    Channel Manager, Property Management and Booking Engine
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    Beds24.com was founded 2006 by a software engineer who saw a need for a powerful yet economic online booking system for hotel and lodging websites.Customers worldwide use Beds24.com booking system and channel manager to increase their online revenue. The cloud based system is accessible anywhere anytime from a computer or mobile device.Beds24.com is suitable for any type of accommodation such as B ... read more about Beds24.com

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • Bookalet

    simple booking management for holiday lets
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    Bookalet is an online booking system for individual holiday home owners and holiday lettings agencies.It provides a simple means of enabling sophisticated booking forms on a property owner’s website, of taking bookings and managing those bookings.It provides an availability calendar, rate card and booking form and is highly configurable to allow for different rental pricing models, discounts and ... read more about Bookalet

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    30% in Reservation Software
  • iHotel

    State of art hotel management software
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    iHotelligence was founded in 2012. Since it’s creation we have developed a ground-breaking global Property Management System. Our product is unique in that it is based on the Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud distribution model but can be hosted on premise or in the “cloud”.iHotelligence products were designed by hoteliers for hoteliers. Most of the employees at iHotelligence come from a h ... read more about iHotel

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • PHP Jabbers

    Add a handy room scheduling software to your site and manage bookings online
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    Our PHP-based room reservation system enables both external and internal clients (employees) to reserve meeting rooms in advance. Admins on their part are able to manage and monitor hall bookings from an intuitive back-end system. They can add and showcase multiple rooms, process online and offline payments, offer additional services and equipment, and more... ... read more about PHP Jabbers

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • Bookwhen

    The Online Booking System that keeps things simple.
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    Simple booking for classes, courses, workshops and events. bookwhen allows you to create simple customised public booking pages where you can manage bookings and payments.Whether you’re moving from spreadsheets and phone calls, or from a different booking system, setting up with Bookwhen is straightforward. Our support team are on hand to help and advise on the best setup for your business. ... read more about Bookwhen

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    80% in Reservation Software
  • Guest Tracker

    Easy & Affordable Campground Software
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    Our campground reservation system uses the functional and well-designed unit chart to assist guests with reservations. Guests can book cabins, RV lots, marina slips, or campsites, selecting for full or partial hookups. In addition, guests can book over the phone, on their home computer, or on a mobile device—whatever is most convenient. The easy-to-use setup allows you to create seasonal rates, ... read more about Guest Tracker

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Tashi

    More Bookings, More Stars, Happier Guests
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    All in one solution for hotel and tour operators. Tashi grows your revenue, drives direct bookings and upsells to your guests. Tashi helps you earn more stars by delivering unforgettable guest experiences. Flexible and fast to launch, get a powerful multi-vendor accommodation and tours marketplace that is personalized to you. Everything you need to launch - and grow. ... read more about Tashi

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    15% in Reservation Software
  • HiJiffy

    One stop solution for Hotels
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    Increase your direct bookings and your customer satisfaction with our AI-powered Chat Booking Assistant and a one-stop platform for all your communication channels. Enable guests to book wherever they are. HiJiffy’s conversational booking assistant is available 24/7 across your communication channels to provide lightning-fast answers to guests' queries. ... read more about HiJiffy

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    70% in Reservation Software
  • OTRAMS

    Travel Technology that works for your Business
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    OTRAMS is the worlds leading Travel Management System for travel agents, agencies, travel portals, consolidators, destination management companies & hotel resellers. OTRAMS offers a bouquet of customizable features that are personalized to meet your business requirements. Our team of dedicated professionals & portfolio of global clientele in more than 36+ countries worldwide substantiate our abili ... read more about OTRAMS

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • ActivityRez

    ENTERPRISE GRADE BOOKING SOFTWARE FOR THE TOUR & ACTIVITY INDUSTRY
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    With ActivityRez you can manage all of your sales channels in one place. Connect with resellers. Process direct bookings, in person and on your website. Track sales from affiliates and manage payouts. Imagine how much time you’ll save. ... read more about ActivityRez

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    33% in Reservation Software
  • Easy InnKeeping

    Hotel Reservation Management Software
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    Easy InnKeeping is a cloud-based hotel reservation software and hotel property management system developed by GraceSoft. Easy InnKeeping hotel reservation system is an easy to use software application that provides you to manage all your reservations from one place and the guests are also able to book online for the preferred date & time with secure payment. ... read more about Easy InnKeeping

    Entry Level Price
    $69 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    20% in Reservation Software

Buyer’s Guide

Introduction to the buyer’s guide for reservation software:

Reservation booking is the lifeline of service-based businesses such as the hotel industry, car rentals, hospitals, theatre, travel and tourism, elearning, and others. In such businesses, booking and related activities constitute a significant fraction of daily workflow. Outdated booking processes can immensely hamper productivity. Organizations that cling to traditional methods of booking reservations such as excel sheets or manual register booking not only drain their energy, time, and money but also deprive their customers of a hassle-free booking experience. In the digitally ubiquitous world, providing the facility to book online is vital for customer-centric businesses. 

Profitable businesses have a structured process, systematic approach, and sophisticated reservation booking technology to assist them. A well-organized reservation management system ensures a steady flow of bookings across all assets. Online reservation software works as a diligent front desk for your business.  However, selecting the best reservation software with peculiar traits specific to your business is paramount for establishing a profitable booking business. This buyer's guide for reservation software analyzes all critical aspects of the reservation management system to provide buyers with the essential information required to make a sound investment decision. 

What is the Reservation Software?

Reservation software is a set of application tools that assist businesses to book online reservations, manage them, and receive online payment. The reservation system keeps a complete record of all bookings, including metadata associated with it. It helps businesses in searching for bookings, providing immediate booking assistance or information to the customers regarding their reservations. It comes with features such as a Booking platform, booking management module, notifications reminders, calendar management, rate management, payment processing, customer management, online reservations, reporting and analysis, and scheduling. 

What are the essential components of a reservation management system? 

1. Calendar: A reservation software must have an inbuilt calendar that enables both users and the customers to check date wise availability of reservation 'assets.' The calendar must provide a one glance view of booked or vacant days. (preferably in different colors for eBay visualization).

2. Payment Integration: A reservation software must either provide the facility to pay online itself or through integration with popular payment channels. The software must allow customers to pay with multiple payment methods (credit cards, debit cards, wallets, etc.) in multiple currencies. 

3. Email Integration: Emails at various levels of the customer's journey adds to the authenticity of your business. Reservation software should integrate with popular email services to send automated emails for booking confirmation, payment confirmation, booking date reminders, feedback, etc. Reservation booking software must also have auto-populated templates that can be used to fill booking details. 

4. Channel Integration: Reservation software must have capabilities to integrate on all potential online channels that fetch bookings. Your customers may find you on social platforms, online platforms, your website, etc. Channel integrations allow your customers to start booking right from the channel where they are logged in with central synchronizing to avoid double booking. 

5. Reporting: Streamlined tracking is essential for the improvement of the booking business. Reservation software must provide reports such as sales, conversions, customer profiles, asset requirements, etc. 

6. Review management: Most of the industries that provide online booking facilities are review sensitive businesses. Customer reviews immensely influence future customer inflow. Review management is critical to ensure that upcoming customers receive a favorable view of your business.  

How does a reservation management system work?

  • A reservation software integrates with your business’s website and other digital platforms where you want your customers to connect for online booking. 
  • When the customer reaches any of the digital channels, they find the ‘book now’ button. By clicking the button, the reservation software lands them on the booking page. 
  • Customers can visualize all available assets, prices, timings, and other crucial information on the online booking page, and based on it, can make a booking decision.  
  • The reservation software is a self-service facility that allows customers to fill in their reservation details by themselves. You can customize the booking page according to your business-specific needs. 
  • Most of the details on the booking page just require selecting from the predefined values. Customers need to select their specifics from a set of options. However, based on your business's working conditions, you can also allow customers to put requirements that are not in the predefined list. 
  • Customers select all the values. As soon as they click on the confirm booking button, the reservation is accepted and updated in real-time on all other digital platforms where you accept bookings.
  • You can also set a mandatory information section. If the customer does not fill in any mandatory information, the application will prompt the customer to fill it before confirming the reservation. 
  • For bookings where prepayment is required, the confirm button will redirect the customer to the payment page. Reservation platforms come with payment integration with popular payment apps such as Paypal, Stripe, etc. Once the payment is made, the booking gets confirmed.
  • Reservation software sends a series of automated emails at various stages of the customer's reservation journey, including booking confirmation emails, reminder emails for the upcoming bookings, feedback-seeking mails, etc.  

Why do you need reservation management software?

​​​​​​If you want to maximize your business time

Your physical booking window cannot stay open 24/7. Nor your customers will always endure the hassle of coming to you in person for booking their seats, rooms, etc. A reservation software makes your business available to your clients 24/7 for 365 days. This flexibility helps in achieving enhanced customer satisfaction. 

If you want to manage multiple bookings simultaneously.

Handling simultaneous bookings from numerous customers can cause staff exhaustion. Physically responding to every client's query regarding the vacant seats, available properties for booking, etc. is practically unrealistic. Reservation software can show hundreds of logged in customers' real-time status of available 'assets' for booking and provide complete information regarding the price, availability, timings, and amenities on a single screen. 

If you want to reduce canceled bookings scenarios

Your staff cannot efficiently track every step of the booking process manually. Reservation software does it for your business. All booking steps are recorded accurately, and the system has automated means of sending reminders for booking. It prevents no shows and cancellations. 

If you want real-time insights about your business

Comparing month-wise, week-wise, and day-wise bookings, cancellations, no shows, and Key performance indicators manually will never give you the complete visual picture of your business's performance. Reservation software enables you to easily track key performance metrics such as the number of online inquiries, converted bookings, success percentage, booked to capacity ratio, revenue reports, etc. 

If you want to beat your competitors 

You are competing with thousands of competitors, websites, tools, and strategies. In such a highly competitive market, you need distinct capabilities to stay ahead of your peers. Reservation software puts the scale in your favor by providing you an efficient system for booking reservations for clients. 

What are the different types of reservation management software?

Desktop-based/On-Premise

These types of reservation software are licensed and can be installed within the IT infrastructure of your business. On-Premise reservation systems are easily customizable. Businesses who want to store their booking data on their own servers can opt for on-premise reservation software.

Web-based

Third-party reservation system providers offer online reservation software. No installation is required for this completely independent application. Web-based reservation software can be accessed from anywhere with internet connectivity. 

Cloud-based

The cloud-based reservation software is popular with businesses owing to its massive data storage capabilities and high-speed technology. The cloud-based reservation software hosted through a third-party cloud service provider is a SaaS (Software as a Service) based solution. 

Open Source

The open-source reservation software allows users to customize software codes and modify default settings to enhance the core working functionalities. External plugins can be added to open source reservation systems to increase its utility. Businesses requiring customized reservation solutions can opt for an open source reservation system. 

What are the benefits of reservation management software?

​​​​​​

  • Provide the convenience of booking to your customers: Deploy a reservation system to let your clients book your assets from anywhere and anytime. 
  • Keeps your reservation data safe for cyber breaches: With an encrypted booking system and cybersecurity features, keep your booking and payment data secure for getting compromised. 
  • Easy processing of bookings: Booking any asset with a reservation system software is super easy. It increases the website conversion ratio.
  • Eases your Workload: Manual data entry, mundane tasks, human errors, etc. can increase the workload unnecessarily. Your precious time is destroyed in redundant tasks, and you get less time to work on important elements for the bottom line. Employee satisfaction increases as their workload is reduced significantly.
  • Better client experience: Clients that directly book with you can be rewarded with attractive discounts, promo codes, deals, loyalty benefits, etc. It creates a better client relationship and experience. 
  • Prevent chaos: Multiple bookings, calls, bills, forms, invoices, inventory, etc. can cause chaos on a busy day. In peak booking seasons, this can cause a real mess for your business. The reservation system won't allow you to book more than capacity. It will reduce your work so that you can focus on customers. 
  • Upselling opportunities: On your reservation page, you can list your other products and cross-sale for your business tie-ups also. 
  • Highlight reviews: Reservation software prompts your regular clients to submit testimonials, reviews, and feedback that can be highlighted on the booking page.
  • Security: Reservation software with PCI DSS compliant structure keeps your data safe and booking engine stable. 
  • Controlled Occupancy: With a reservation manager, you can forecast no shows, cancellations, overstays, understays, walkins, etc. to keep occupancy of your property under control. 
  • Increase Productivity: Reservation software increases productivity by eliminating redundant tasks. Your team need not take constant calls or answer frequent emails from customers asking for small details about their bookings. All information they require is already in the reservation software’s vault. 
  • Eliminates error in booking: Booking errors can cause extreme inconvenience to your customers and revenue loss for your business. Manual methods often cause errors in dates, price, double booking the same property, etc. Reservation software eliminates errors and keeps precision in the booking.

How is the reservation management software utilized in various industries?

Tours and Travels Industry: Online tour bookings saw a growth of 8.9% in 2019.In the Tours and travel industry, reservation software allows businesses to set up a complete online booking system for tourists. Tourists can book online and reserve their bus, train, or air seats from tours and travel agencies. Tours and Travel platforms that want to remain at the forefront of the industry can invest in a reservation software that;

  • Creates a booking engine integrated with their website
  • Controls booking from all sources centrally
  • Stores all information securely for compliance and retrieval needs
  • Provides accurate reporting and insights of their ongoing business

Hotels: Today, more inquiries come from online channels rather than offline ones. Businesspersons, tourists, frequent travelers, etc. prefer to book and secure a room before directly coming to the hotel premises. In a recent survey, 88% of respondents said they prefer online channels to book hotels. Hotels need to live up to the modern demands and expectations of the visitors for consistent income and growth. Hotels can deploy hotel booking software that:

  • Increases their operational efficiency by automating the room booking process 
  • Provides real-time visibility of available rooms across all properties
  • Allows visitors to self-serve tasks such as booking, payment, stay extension, room extension, room upgrades, room service orders, cancellations, etc. 
  • Allows hoteliers to set and change pricings automatically based on demand and availability

Rental Service Business:

Rental service businesses such as Car rentals, motorcycle rentals, RV rentals, Taxi rentals, Home Rentals, etc. can use reservation software to rent their services. In the Car Rental industry, 70% of the total revenue will be generated through online sales by 2025. Rental service businesses can deploy reservation software that:

  • Allows them to check vehicle availability, commission rate, etc. with a few clicks
  • Creates a centralized database of all rental properties which is retrievable in a click
  • Allows customers to select from the list of available rental assets and provides them essential information such as pricing per hour/day, seating capacity, type of asset, required advance amount, documents that need to be submitted, and more.
  • Sends automated confirmation emails, hours exceeded notifications, fuel left alerts, etc. 

Restaurants: Reservation software for restaurants allows restaurant owners to build relationships with their customers, connect with guests easily, fill up seats fast, recognize loyalty, and record customer's preferences and dining history for better service in the future. Restaurant owners can deploy a reservation management system that:

  • Lets them set accurate timing for each table booking
  • Allows them to manage their staff schedule and shift plan
  • Comes with POS integration for payment 
  • Has features such as waitlist management, guest analytics, feedback system, mobile application

Event Industry: The event industry can use reservation software for creating automated ticketing systems, managing bookings, and providing reservation convenience to its customers. Event managers can deploy a reservation system that:

  • Allows them to create seat plans for events, add different reservation and ticket types with different pricings, etc.
  • Provides promotional features such as coupon codes for discounts, social media marketing features, sponsorship management, and more
  • Creates a timeline to manage event and guests easily
  • Has features for invoice management, calendar integration, online payment, integration, and more

Aviation: The aviation industry can use reservation software for establishing a robust and scalable flight booking system that integrates with the global distribution system and third party flight APIs.  Airlines, Travel agencies, and flight ticket agents can deploy a reservation system that : 

  • Allows them to provide online booking of flight tickets to their customers
  • Integrates with other channels/ third-party service providers to provide hotel booking, car booking, etc. for a complete travel experience
  • Has advanced merchandising tools, inventory tracking, and ticketing system
  • Has a versatile system for customer grievance management along with every booking, reporting system, and standard compliance management. 

E-learning industry: Currently, the elearning industry is experiencing an increased demand for catering to millions of aspirants who enroll themselves in various types of online courses offered by elearning course providers. Elearning course providers can deploy online reservation software that:

  • Allows course aspirants to browse courses, book seats for online courses, and pay online. 
  • Has inbuilt marketing tools for reaching more course aspirants
  • Allows them to visualize all vacant seat data and oversee all details from a centralized dashboard
  • Has features for webinar booking, special session bookings, email notifications, etc. 

Individual Practitioners: Busy professionals such as Lawyers, Doctors, Therapists, Instructors, etc. have to meet numerous clients in a day. Without pre-appointment and reserved timings for each session, managing a workday is an impossible task. Individual practitioners can deploy an efficient reservation booking system that:

  • Obtains relevant onboarding information of the clients
  • Books automatic reservations for clients based on empty slots
  • Enables clients to pay online for pre-booking
  • Sends automated emails/notifications for feedback

Other businesses: Gyms, Salons, Clubs, Conference hall providers, parking lot providers, campground service providers, amusement parks, waterparks, and other small businesses can deploy reservation booking software that:

  • Facilitate them to manage their space, seats, camps, etc.
  • Allows visitors to book and pay online for confirmed reservations
  • Allows group bookings, multi-session bookings, and more
  • Integrates efficiently with their business website and other interaction points

What are the most sought after features of reservation software?

The features of reservation management software differ from industry to industry. However, some common features apply to all reservation booking systems, such as: 

  • Booking: Reservation software lets customers book online with an automated booking system and intuitive interface. 
  • Automated communications: Online reservation software sends pre-populated emails at various stages of the booking process.
  • Asset Display: Reservation platform displays your live inventory and assets available for booking to customers.
  • Multiple-Channel bookings: This feature allows your customers to initiate booking from various channels where they find you, i.e., website, social media, online booking platforms, etc. 
  • Advanced Analytics and KPIs: Reservation software reports your business’s performance and key performance indicators to help you understand your current business position and decide on future strategy. 
  • Branding features: Most online reservation software allows users to put their customized logos, headers, design formats on the booking page for an enhanced customer experience.
  • Real-time visibility: Reservation software provides real-time status of bookings, available assets, occupancy rates, conversions, etc.Every new booking is simultaneously updated on all integrated channels. 
  • Multiple payment options: Reservation systems broaden payment options by allowing customers to choose their preferred payment mode. Not only payment alternatives, reservation management systems provide facilities to pay in multiple currencies. 
  • Multiple Languages: Booking in multiple languages helps businesses attract more customers worldwide. 
  • Administrative Panels: Users can customize settings, define roles and permissions, and set automation rules using this feature. 

Other Features:

  • Simple to install with installation guide or vendor support 
  • Extensions with pluggable components
  • Mobile application and mobile-responsive user interface

What are the types of essential compliance requirements for reservation software?

1. Recaptcha validation

Online reservation system must have Recaptcha validation at all booking points to prevent automated program spams, malicious bot content, and unwanted server loads. 

2. GDPR compliance

Ensure your online reservation management software is GDPR compliant to protect your customer's personal data such as name address, phone number, web data such as IP address, location, cookie data, category data such as orientation, opinions, and views, biometric data, etc. 

3. ADA compliance

American Disabilities act of 1990 was updated in 2010 to include website accessibility and online booking compliance to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Your booking website that fails ADA compliance can be sued under the ADA compliance act 2010.

4. PCI DSS for payment

PCI DSS (Payment card Industry Data Security Standards) compliance ensures that cardholder data is safe. Online Reservation software that integrates with payment systems to allow customers online payment facilities must ensure that the third party payment method is PCI DSS compliant for secure payment transactions. 

What types of integrations should you check in the reservation system? 

  • Payment Integrations: Payment integrations with popular channels such as Paypal, CC Avenue, PayU, Stripe, Sagepay, etc. helps your business to provide more payment gateways to your customers.  
  • Website builders for events: Reservation software that can integrate with website builders such as WordPress, Drupal, Woocommerce, Joomla, etc. can help your business build landing pages for reservation. 
  • Calendar integrations: Integrations with calendars such as Google, iOS, Microsoft let your business synchronize booking between multiple sites. 
  • Ecommerce Integrations: Ecommerce integrations with websites such as Shopify, Big-commerce, Magento, etc. helps your business to reach potential customers from these ecommerce giants directly. 
  • Coupon Code website: Coupon code websites such as Groupon allow your business to provide coupons for discounts and run loyalty programs. 
  • Accounting Systems: Accounting Integrations such as Quickbooks allows you to manage your reservation business accounting books directly from within the application. 
  • Others: You should also look for other important integrations such as social media platforms, video conferencing apps, email integrations, form builders, CRM software, etc.  before investing in the software. 

How to choose the best reservation system for your business?

Consider the following factors about the reservation software you are planning to purchase:

  • Does it provide all critical features as required for an effective booking system?
  • Can it work with low bandwidth internet connectivity?
  • Does it help reduce no shows by automated notifications, emails, SMS, etc.?
  • Is the system scalable to accommodate more reservation assets?
  • Does it come for free, or in the freemium or paid version?
  • Are any hidden costs, installation charges, and training charges? 
  • Is the online reservation system compatible with all devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones? 
  • Whether the reservation platform provides customer data protection, safe payment mode, and encryption to prevent any security breach while the booking is processed?
  • Is the reservation system user-friendly, sophisticated, and easy to use?
  • Does the reservation management software vendor provide 24/7 customer support?
  • Does the reservation software vendor provide a live demo or free trial of its functionalities?

What is the average cost of buying reservation management software?

The cost of the best online reservation management system depends on a large number of factors such as:

  • The industry in which it is used
  • Features it offers
  • Type of software framework and installation: Cloud-based, Web-based, on-premise software, or open-source.
  • Quality of the software, user interface, and customer experience
  • The type of automation functionalities it offers
  • The number of bookings, reservations it can manage simultaneously 
  • Devices it can work upon simultaneously
  • Types of integrations it provides
  • Privacy and the data encryption it provides 

These variations influence and decide the pricing estimations of the reservation software. 

Reservation management software such as  Skedda will cost $5 per month for its Pro plan. It also has a free plan with limited features.  The standard plan of Reservio will cost you $20 per month, with a limitation of 500 monthly bookings. You can upgrade to its pro plan for $40 a month for unlimited monthly bookings. The pro plan of Checkfront will cost you $84 per month, whereas its enterprise edition comes at $169 per month. 

If you are looking for free reservation software, then KWhotel (hotel reservation system), Sagenda (appointment booking system), Upbooking (Multiple industries), and Zaui (Tourism industry reservation system) offer free versions with limited feature plans. If you need free and open source reservation software, then go for QloApps. For other online reservation management software such as Planyo, ResNexus, Reservation Engine, bookatonce, Roverpass, and many others, you need to contact the reservation software vendor for detailed pricing information. Get the updated list of reservation software solutions from the GoodFirms reservation software page. 

Why refer to GoodFirms’ list of Reservation Software?

GoodFirms is one of the preeminent Information Technology market research companies that provide distinguished buying assistance to B2B IT software products and service seekers. GoodFirms relies on versatile research methods, diligent analysis, and meticulous exploration of IT products and services to arm service seekers and buyers with exceptional insights of several hundred IT services and software products.  

GoodFirms provides a comprehensive listing of more than 60K software companies, products, and services, and 30K extensive reviews from verified users, and 1000 plus research surveys on current technologies and trends. GoodFirms analysis helps buyers understand the prime usage, important features, brand reliability, merits, demerits, pricing, and many more aspects of the listed IT products and services. 

The readers of this buyer's guide for reservation software are advised to navigate the list of thoroughly researched best reservation software solutions that provide immense features and best services to manage bookings.  You can also read reservation software reviews here. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Best Reservation Management Software?

The best reservation software provides quality tools, unimpeded uptime, and cost-efficient services. The best reservation system software provides the most relevant functionalities pertinent to the business via quality tools that never fail to deliver. Uptime is critical for reservation-based businesses. In case of poor connectivity to servers and technical glitches, your customers won't wait for your systems to get back on track. The best reservation software providers guarantee up to 99.99% of uptime. Another trait of the best reservation management software is its ability to provide industry-grade services at affordable prices. Cost-efficient services are crucial for a profitable bottom-line. GoodFirms has listed the best reservation software tools such as Skedda, Zaui, QloApps, Planyo, SuperSaas, PeekPro, and more.

Who Can Use the Reservation Software?

  • Hotels, Restaurants, Banquet, Resorts, and Lodges
  • Campground Owners
  • Tourism companies, Travel Operators
  • Parking Lots
  • Sports complexes
  • Conference Rooms, Seminar Halls
  • Service Professionals such as Lawyers, Doctors, Therapists
  • Wedding hall owners
  • Venue Businesses
  • Theatres, Music Concerts 
  • Car rental businesses, SnowMobile rentals, Bike Rentals, Bus and van operators
  • Vacation Property Owners
  • E-learning Course providers
  • Event Businesses
  • Aviation industry
  • Gyms, Salons
  • Amusement parks

Why is it Important to Use a Reservation Management System?

Hobbled by challenges that nag the booking dominant businesses, new age managers and owners know the importance of providing the convenience of online reservation bookings to their customers. 

  • While bookings can be made via personal visits, calls, emails, messages, live chat, etc., these processes are time-consuming and prone to human errors. Also, these may not be available 24/7. However, bookings made via online reservation software are very brisk, error-free, and can be done anytime.
  • Changing the schedule or cancellation is also swift, without hassle, and updated in real-time to avoid any inconvenience to customers.
  • The reversal of payments is also automated, so it doesn’t take away your staff’s work time.
  • Reservation software provides a bulk of upselling and cross-selling opportunities by giving relevant recommendations. AI-enabled reservation software has the ability to provide the most relevant proposition to the customers based on their recent searches or past booking data. It increases the chances of booking as customers get the most pertinent suggestions for bookings.

What Can a Reservation Software Offer?

Reservation software offers plenty of booking options to customers with a robust 24/7 one-page booking experience and mechanism. An easy-to-use reservation booking system also provides customers multiple payment options. It also gives various packages, deals, discounts, offers, and loyalty programs for customers who book online reservations Clients can also get real-time updates for your booking assets and available resources. It also unleashes integrations with meeting room reservation software, event management software, venue booking software, etc.

What Are the Most Tracked Key Performance Indicators in Reservation Based Businesses?

  • Occupancy Rate: The rate of booked assets/resources/space versus total assets/resources/spaces available for booking. For example, in a hotel, if there are 25 rooms available for online booking and 15 are booked, then the occupancy rate is 60%. (This can be calculated easily by hotel reservation software).
  • Total Available Assets: Number of assets available for booking. In the above example, the total available asset units are 25.
  • ADRs:Average daily rate is the revenue generated per booking unit. Suppose each room generates $50 revenue per day on average. Then ADR is $50. It is calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of booked assets.
  • ALOB: Average length of booking is the number of days for which an asset is generally booked. 

Other indicators such as commission rates, spending patterns, fill patterns, cancellation rates, peak times, etc., also need to be tracked for making better decisions for the future. An automated reservation system can track all KPIs accurately and in real-time.

What Are the Security Features of Reservation Management Software?

Security concerns are real when booking online. The best online reservation software brims with the latest security measures to provide clients and their users with the safest online booking platform with features such as: 

  • GDPR, ADA, PCI DSS compliance
  • Encrypted panels connected with the POS software so that you don’t have to worry about the customer's billing details getting leaked. 
  • Two-factor authentication for login
  • Built-in Tokenization
  • Valid SSL certificate
  • Vulnerability detection module
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