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

  • Inn Style

    The booking system for smart accommodation businesses
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    Switch to Inn Style in 2020 to save valuable time and money. By managing all your reservations in one place, you can concentrate on being the host and not the secretary.One useful place to make and manage all your bookings, so you can be the host and not the secretary. ... read more about Inn Style

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

    Reservation Management Software
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    Whether it’s our online booking software or marketing and design services, we want to provide the right resources and tools to make you the best innkeeper you can be. Yes, we want your revenue to skyrocket, help you become more time-efficient, and let certain operations basically run themselves so you can focus on other aspects of your business; but, we also want to be invested in your property ... read more about rezStream Cloud PMS

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

    Online booking engine for your tour or activity business
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    Development of Rezgo began in 2005 based on the needs of a tour operator who wanted to be able to manage his tours and take online bookings. Shortly after the initial development of Rezgo, we decided that the service could be used by a lot of businesses around the World. Rezgo became a web application and was launched into Beta in 2006. ... read more about Rezgo

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

    Powerful Channel Manager & PMS Features
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    Booking Automation was launched in 2011 as an in-house software to help us manage our fleet of short term rental homes. As the list of properties we operated grew exponentially, it became apparent that we needed to build a robust system that would automate our operations end-to-end. As short term rental operators first, we experienced every pain of running our business manually, which inspired Boo ... read more about Booking Automation

    Entry Level Price
    $11.95 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • CourtReserve

    Court Reservation Software
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    CourtReserve is a powerful tool to help you connect with your players, grow your memberships, fill your courts, and empower your staff and teaching pros. Our intuitive mobile app gives you the power to manage your entire club in the palm of your hand.We are a customer-first team that will never make you feel like you're going at this alone. We are with you every step of the way! ... read more about CourtReserve

    Entry Level Price
    $25 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • HotelRunner

    Booking Engine
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    Your booking experience can be in any language.HotelRunner supports 24 built-in languages (up to 84), 159 currencies, and local tax rates. Guests can see prices in their local currency with real-time conversion rates. This way, you can market in as many countries as you want.HotelRunner’s powerful booking engine allows you to sell more services from your website. ... read more about HotelRunner

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    80% in Reservation Software
  • RateTiger

    Hotel Channel Manager & Online Distribution
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    RateTiger offers hotel technology solutions like channel manager, internet booking engine (IBE), CRS, BI reports, rate shopper, GDS & Metasearch shopping as well as ARI distribution and reservation delivery capabilities - all on one platform. Enjoy commission-free bookings by integrating and customizing it with your hotel’s website RateTiger’s hotel management system. Sync your inventory to dr ... read more about RateTiger

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

    The Top Online Booking Software
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    Top Booking Software For Tour and Activity Companies. Accept online bookings 24/7 with the easiest to use booking system. Adventure companies across the world use our system for events, tours, classes, camps, rentals, adventure's and much more. Signup for free.Agenda helps reduce your admin time by 10+ hours per week so you can focus on running amazing tours. ... read more about AGENDA

    Entry Level Price
    $0 One-time
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Tablein

    Table Booking System For Small Restaurants
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    Join restaurants in over 47 countries, who manage their bookings with Tablein. Easy to use, simple to setup. No comissions. Sign up for a free 14 day trial.Stop wasting your time on daily tasks such as email replies, social media chats or phone calls. Allow guests to book a table online 24/7 and Tablein will take care of the rest! ... read more about Tablein

    Entry Level Price
    $99 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Blue Sky Booking

    Blue Sky Booking Airline Reservation System
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    Building on our solid foundation, Blue Sky Booking is focused on embracing the newest technologies. Working with new and existing clients, we provide the features and insight you need to compete; it’s what we do best.Changing reservation systems is an undertaking, so make it easy by collaborating with us. We know your potential and we have the solutions. ... read more about Blue Sky Booking

    Entry Level Price
    $999 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • SevenRooms

    Restaurant Reservation System
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    SevenRooms was founded on understanding the human side of customer interactions. Find out how by providing a hassle-free, open-API solution, we help global hospitality brands create meaningful guest relationships. Every guest should feel like a regular as they enjoy life's moments. We help operators boost revenue and nurture guest relationships through access to key customer insights. ... read more about SevenRooms

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

    Hotel Reservation Software
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    BookingCenter is a property management system provider for independently owned hotels, motels, B&B’s and resorts across the globe. As one of the pioneers in the hospitality property management industry, we have been designing PMS software for the independent property owner for over 20 years. After years of research and experience in the hospitality industry, two individual companies on opposite ... read more about BookingCenter

    Entry Level Price
    $50 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • OnRes

    Automated Reservation & Booking Engine
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    Make online reservations simple and streamlined for your guests and simplify booking management for your front-desk staff. OnRes central reservation & online booking system is the engine that drives revenue for your business, bringing a consistent brand experience to guests while capturing customer details within the reservation software and updating inventory in real time. ... read more about OnRes

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

    Booking software for attractions
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    Ifen Yang founded the InfoTree corporation in 1995. Our company has grown over these years to combine technological expertise with travel industry experience. Our first software products help individual and group tour operators better manage their profitability and productivity. As competition in the travel industry increases and as technology changes, our software products manage the ever-changi ... read more about Attraction Suite

    Entry Level Price
    $399 Per Year
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • CultBooking

    Online Hotel Booking Engine
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    CultBooking is a hotel booking engine, or booking button, for hotels, motels, hostels, B&Bs, lodges & guest houses, apartments, villas, or other property and accommodation providers.Guests can quickly and seamlessly book rooms directly from your website, social media platforms, or ad campaigns, resulting in loyal guests and a maximized online revenue. ... read more about CultBooking

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    More than 30 days
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Pono Rez

    Online Booking Reservation Software
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    PonoRez is an online booking reservation software that will help your activity business grow. Designed for tour companies and activity providers, it is a cloud-based tour and travel management solution that helps streamline and automate processes of booking and billing. ... read more about Pono Rez

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

    Travel Booking Software - Leading Online Travel Reservation System
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    BookIt is the premier provider of advanced technology, central product database and booking processing services for the tourism industry.BookIt is able to handle rates, displaying specials, assigning discount codes, payment and settlement terms, cancellation policies, multiple currency payments, partial payments, on request and real time bookings. The BookIt system also handles add-ons (like pick ... read more about Bookit

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • BrightCalendar

    Trusted Online Booking Sofware for Tour & Charter Opertors
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    BrightCalendar is the user-friendly booking software that makes it easier than ever to serve customers and build your presence in the hospitality and travel industry. Using BrightCalendar, you can: Simplify your life and increase your profits with Bright Calendar, the most affordable and straight forward online booking system on the planet! Our system is designed for any business looking to keep u ... read more about BrightCalendar

    Entry Level Price
    $99 Per Year
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Myeres Online

    Online Reservations for Hotels
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    We strive to provide the highest quality of products with reasonable pricing that will fit your budget. Myeres's goal is to set up a long-term partnership with email and phone support. All online reservations come with foreign language databases with room name , room description, packages in the language. ... read more about Myeres Online

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Bookwize

    Hotel Booking Engine, Channel Manager, Business Intelligence
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    Bookwize is a truly efficient booking system with a revenue-driven mind-set combining an easy to use booking engine, a full featured channel manager as well as a set of tools and reports allowing the hotelier to better understand his online business and make wise decisions in order to increase his hotel’s direct reservations and overall revenue. ... read more about Bookwize

    Entry Level Price
    $49 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    70% in Reservation Software
  • Novus Conceptus

    Your Own Online Booking Engine
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    Novus Conceptus Ltd. is a Software Company and a global PMS provider of Hotels, Motels, Guest Houses, B&Bs, Lodges & Inns and Campgrounds worldwide.Novus Conceptus Hotel Software was founded in 2013. During this period we have operated our own Hotel in Parga, the gem of Epirus in Greece. It has since been expanded to cover global needs such as language various tax systems etc. ... read more about Novus Conceptus

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • GuestServe

    Simplified Reservation Software
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    Since 2002, the GuestServe system has been a leading provider of online reservations for businesses of all sizes.Our web-based reservation system is the chosen platform of several prestige companies like Embassy Suites, Marriott, The Keg, Skylon Tower, Niagara Fun Tours and Mission Hill Estate Winery Tours, as well as many boutique restaurants, B & Bs and hotels. ... read more about GuestServe

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • My Reservation System

    Cloud-based reservation software, for existing websites
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    Online reservation software with multi-room booking calendar, time slot, or reservation system form. excellent for booking hotels, houses, meetings, and other .Ideal software for booking hotels, apartments, houses, villas, meetings, tours, and other types of accommodation or eventsThe front-end of the software is flexible, responsive and compatible with major web platforms.The back-end of the soft ... read more about My Reservation System

    Entry Level Price
    $5 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • BestRez

    Online Reservation Booking
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    BestRez is a full featured internet-based reservation management system with online booking and front desk for small to mid-sized hotels, motels, lodges, bed and breakfast (B&B), vacation rentals and property management. Online booking is handled throughaweb search interface. You can use eitherafull search of all of your properties/units, or link directly to an availability calendar foraspecific u ... read more about BestRez

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • BookingFor

    Booking engine for creating booking portals
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    BookingFor is an easy and intuitive system for managing online bookings and creating tourism portals designed for DMOs, Tour Operators, Promotion Consortia, Travel Agencies and Business Networks.Ipertrade is a company specialised in the development and implementation of integrated solutions for cloud-based business and technology in both the tourism industry and other sectors. The company has work ... read more about BookingFor

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Hotels HOL

    Hotels Online products hotel and other accommodation reservation system
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    HOL channel manager enables synchronisation between your Internet Booking Engine, your PMS and those all-important 3rd party channels. HOL-RES is an easy to use and fully featured web-based Internet reservation system. Our Internet Booking Engine (IBE) is used internationally by hotels, guest houses, bed & breakfasts and various other categories of accommodation provider. ... read more about Hotels HOL

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Rezsystems

    Reservation and Management System
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    RezSystems was founded by Jim Anderson, an IT entrepreneur with a love of the outdoors. While managing several high-end RV Resorts with workampers and support staff, Jim saw firsthand the benefits and limitations of the existing campground software. Jim has combined his twenty years of IT experience and his property management skills to bring you a next generation application software that is easy ... read more about Rezsystems

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • eReserv

    Online Booking Management Software
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    eReserv caters a wide audience. It fits to seasonal rentals, cottages, Bed & Breakfast, Campsites, Hotels. eReserv is suitable for all people or companies with respect to leasing, such as: construction equipment rental, car rental, short-term rentals, etc ... eReserv will allow you to manage and automate the entire process of your reservations to make you spend as little time as possible in front ... read more about eReserv

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% in Reservation Software
  • Windsurfer

    Hotel Reservation System
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    SHR is a leading provider of meaningful technology that helps hotels execute their best revenue generation strategies.To simplify the complex world of hoteliers with innovation and superior service.Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Europe and Asia-Pacific, SHR, Sceptre Hospitality Resources, is a leading provider of meaningful technology that helps hotels execute their best revenue ... read more about Windsurfer

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    100% 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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