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

  • Rentivo

    For managers, tourism organisations and marketplaces.
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    The ultimate vacation rental platform, focusing on scale, flexibility & bookings through tailored websites, payments & marketing. Unparalleled support from an industry knowledgeable team. Fully templated and easily modifiable sites (+CSS changes) or use widgets on your own WordPress or other CMS sites linked to payments, inquiries, and bookings. Free iCAL's Bespoke platform management for larger c ... read more about Rentivo

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

    Easy and Fast Bookings with Time-Proven Software.
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    iStateSoft Property Manager is a time-proven, easy to use and install vacation rental management software. It's for caring property rental managers who make the online reservation process simple and clear for their property owners and booking guests. It takes care of inquiries, payments, reservations, photos and other property rentals information. Due to its intuitively understandable and user-fri ... read more about iStateSoft

    Entry Level Price
    $399 One-time
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Vacation RentPro

    Manage contacts & expenses, generate reports, View bookings remotely.
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    Everything you need to efficiently book, manage and advertise your vacation rental properties. See the product website for complete details, a slide show, and a free evaluation download. Vacation RentPro provides all the tools to efficiently book, manage and advertise vacation rental properties… Save money and own your software. That’s right. No recurring usage fees, and NO % of your Revenue! ... read more about Vacation RentPro

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    20% in Reservation Software
  • Booking Ninjas

    All-In-One PMS Built On Salesforce To Manage Your Properties In One Interface
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    Booking Ninjas's cloud-based property management system helps with all your rental needs. Key Features Include Client Relationship Management (CRM) Fully-Synced Reservation System Website Integration Customization. The Booking Ninjas Salesforce-based system will handle virtually all your property needs in the most efficient way possible. Our tech ecosystem focuses on pressing business needs and ge ... read more about Booking Ninjas

    Entry Level Price
    $90 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Holigest PMS

    management software for B & Bs, Holiday Homes and Apartments.
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    Management software for B&B, Holiday Homes, and Apartments. Designed to help you every day in the management of your accommodations. Holigest is a management software developed by Computer Communication to facilitate the entire working process of accommodation facilities. It was born and was designed on the basis of indications dictated by experts in the sector. It has a powerful schedule to quick ... read more about Holigest PMS

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

    Work Less & Make More From Your Properties.
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    Prop PMS is the leading Software as a Service(SaaS) provider dedicated to the short-term rental industry. We've worked closely with industry professionals to create the Prop PMS series of products to meet our customer's needs and bring their business to the next level. Prop PMS platform simultaneously streamlines your business and helps you boost occupancy across your entire short-stay rental port ... read more about Prop PMS

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

    The ultimate solution for short term rental owners.
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    Futurestay is an all-in-one automation system that connects vacation rental supply to channels like HomeAway, VRBO, Airbnb, and Booking.com. Futurestay Smart Connections are built to solve today's challenges of instant bookings and OTA distribution by seamlessly automating all the pieces of a booking process. Futurestay works with your existing technology or replaces it altogether, to automate you ... read more about Futurestay

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    30% in Reservation Software
  • Sync Rentals

    The autopilot for your Vacation Rental
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    Vacation rental and property management solution to list your properties, book rentals, and more. Connect Booking with Airbnb in real-time, Synchronize your Availability, Reservations, and Rates in seconds, Receive reservations from tour operators, travel agency networks, and airline websites. Instantly synchronize each reservation and all its changes as soon as they occur. All channel calendars w ... read more about Sync Rentals

    Entry Level Price
    $4.86 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    20% in Reservation Software
  • Airhost

    THE AUTOMATED PMS EVERY PROPERTY RENTAL BUSINESS NEEDS.
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    It’s everything you need to succeed in vacation home rental business! Our tools and reports help you manage everything from reservations and inquiries to cleaning schedules and finances. Designed and developed in Japan, Airhost provides the hospitality industry with high quality and reliable service. AirHost PMS provides all functions for day-to-day work automation and efficient operation. Our s ... read more about Airhost

    Entry Level Price
    $56.51 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    30% in Reservation Software
  • Aaxsys Technology

    Every reservation and invoice is a source of statistical information for direction for your business
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    Vacation rental and corporate rental property management system that enables you to market and manage bookings of your furnished and unfurnished accommodations. Aaxsys is internet-based and requires no extra installation so you can use it anywhere, anytime, and from any computer with a web browser. There is nothing to crash, no devices to buy, and you can designate as many users as you need, in mu ... read more about Aaxsys Technology

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

    Global Vacation Distribution.
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    As the leading provider of full-service vacation rental distribution, VacayHome Connect fuses next-generation technology with decades of industry expertise to drive bookings and maximize rental revenue. Our preferred partnership status with the best vacation rental listing sites allows property managers to not only choose their own distribution channels but also reach millions of qualified travele ... read more about VacayHome Connect

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

    All-in-one Rental Software.
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    YnnovBooking is the #1 all-in-one rental software. Just doing login you and your team have a lot of features to manage, in a simple way, all business operations. Everything else is done automatically by our automation processes to avoid mistakes and save you time. The most advanced short-term rental software in the market. Thanks to a great set of tools, YnnovBooking® provides you the easiest and ... read more about YnnovBooking

    Entry Level Price
    $34.86 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • VivaRESA

    Your property across all channels with one click.
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    Vivaresa is an online property management software, which includes the creation of a website, advertising through different online channels, management of the property, and reservations. Sync Reservations with your unique Calendar for all distribution channels, so your visitors can easily search for vacancies. Track all Reservation history, payment details, and more. Booking management & tracking ... read more about VivaRESA

    Entry Level Price
    $59.94 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    33% in Reservation Software
  • Reservation Software

    Evolve your operations with flexible rental technology that points guests in the right direction.
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    The Reservation Software team delivers flexible, high-performance reservation processing solutions specifically designed to serve the unique needs of the reservation business. Our solution streamlines the lifecycle process that includes the underwriting, rate, quote, submission, and issue process. A flexible property and business management platform that is dedicated to vacation rentals, urban STR ... read more about Reservation Software

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

    It makes running your vacation rental business a pleasure.
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    An automated online property management software for vacation rentals. Enables guests to browse, make reservations, and more. At ivacationonline.com, we offer rental unit owners a fully functioning reservation system available for those who manage their own units. If you have one vacation rental unit or ten, you can take advantage of our easy-to-use system. Simply specify rate schedules, policies, ... read more about ivacationonline

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

    The Most Powerful Vacation Rental Software.
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    Web-based solution that provides vacation rental management through automated tasks, marketing, rental script, and more. BistroStays is a bundled vacation rental software that enables you to get started with your own online Accommodation Booking website or app. The software can easily be customized for other business verticals such as Home Rental, Apartment Rental, etc. You can contact us for cust ... read more about BistroStays

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    35% in Reservation Software
  • Klik

    Take full control of your rental business.
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    Klik.Villas is a web-based vacation rental system, channel manager, website builder, and payment gateway designed for property professionals to focus on quality and service to their clients while maximizing their revenue seamlessly. Implement an easy-to-use, responsive and color-coded system and dashboard which gives you fast access to all your booking profile and guests details. Get more bookings ... read more about Klik

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

    Hotel booking engine.
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    Real-time, customized online hotel booking engine platform. Consumers book hotel rooms and other hotel services that increase hotel revenues. Boost direct revenue with dynamic pricing and unique merchandising capabilities on our powerful booking engine. Our flexible reservations platform is ideal for independent hotels, brands, management companies, and casino/gaming properties looking to drive mo ... read more about Pegasus Booking Engine

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

    Manage your holiday apartments, cottages, rooms and cabins on your mobile device.
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    The HoHoManager is an administration and rental app for the rental and management of your holiday apartment, your holiday home, your guest room. You keep track of your bookings. Daily work such as the creation of booking confirmation, a cancellation confirmation or change confirmation are supported. Communication with guests is facilitated and data for registration forms are kept. The HoHoManager ... read more about HoHoManager

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    80% in Reservation Software
  • Here 2 Stay

    Property Management Software, Made Easy.
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    Seamless integration for bookings, pricing, calendar availability with hundreds of booking channels including (but not limited to) Airbnb, Booking.com, Stayz, Homeaway, Wotif, Agoda, Rent a home, and many more. Here 2 Stay will ensure all your Trust Accounting problems are over. Our fully integrated Trust Accounting solution takes the hassle out of this often cumbersome requirement. We have partne ... read more about Here 2 Stay

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

    Manage Your Bookings In One Place Sync Calendars, Automate Tasks, Messages, Invoices and Airbnb.
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    Sync all your properties in a single calendar. Import bookings from Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway, and other platforms using iCal links. Gustaf will sync all reservations across all platforms. Use Gustaf to add native reservations or block dates. Need to generate invoices for your guests or a book-keeper? Gustaf will automatically generate a pre-invoice for every reservation. Just enter required d ... read more about GUSTAF

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • Estar Booking

    Programs for managing online reservations.
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    Programs for managing online reservations, booking management, your cloud software to manage holiday homes, and tourist accommodation facilities. Estar group is an Italian company that develops online software for holiday management. The main family of online programs for booking management of holiday structures is called Estar Booking. The common framework is a scalable set of modules, which can ... read more about Estar Booking

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

    Create travel offers and keep in touch with your guests..
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    Dormito.re is B2B for small and middle accommodation owners, family hotels, and tourist agencies which helps them to simplify their daily tasks, to fill empty capacities, to start knowing their guests better, and to present their digital content to their guests directly. It offers three fixed monthly subscription plans (Starter, Business, and Enterprise), starting from 22/month with a 0% booking ... read more about Dormito.re

    Entry Level Price
    $9.69 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Reservation Software
  • Direct

    Next-Gen Enterprise Software.
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    Direct is the forward-thinking, do-everything software platform for lodging management companies of all sizes worldwide. Our next-gen software platform adds tremendous value bringing every feature necessary to run a business under one roof by consolidating or replacing the functionalities altogether, enabling companies to save time + money, and increase margins. Next-gen property management system ... read more about Direct

    Entry Level Price
    $15 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    25% in Reservation Software
  • CabinKey

    Manage your resort, lodge, campground, houseboats, cabins from anywhere.
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    CabinKey, a carefully crafted and powerful service for your vacation property. Easy to use, flexible, and improving every day. Access the dashboard from anywhere. You're data is always available, on a desktop, tablet, or your phone. Designed from the ground up to prevent double bookings at every turn. Security is top priority, your data is always encrypted. Passwords are securely hashed and never ... read more about CabinKey

    Entry Level Price
    $99 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    30% in Reservation Software
  • Bookipro

    Software for renting tourist accommodation, the ultimate PMS.
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    Bookipro has been created with more than 50 property managers to build the best solution for you. You can use Bopokipro to rent apartments, villas, rural houses, campsites, bungalows, resorts, buildings, small hotels, mobile homes, igloos, or even boats or car parks. Our 360 software covers all your needs like PMS, booking engine, channel manager or RMS, CMS, and much more. At Bookipro we understa ... read more about Bookipro

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    35% in Reservation Software
  • Booker Tools

    Made for Professionals.
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    Overbookings, manual closing calendars for every active sales channel, modifying prices separately, as well as modifying restrictions separately for every booking channel will not be occurring anymore when using Booker Tools. The greatest advantage of using the Booker Tools platform is that it was developed by Direct Booker, a world-renowned company for Vacation Rental Management. Direct Booker de ... read more about Booker Tools

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    15 Days
    Category Focus
    40% in Reservation Software
  • Starfleet

    Booking and Reservation System Software for Hotels, Motels, Resorts & Backpackers.
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    Reservation software for the Australian market. Includes tour booking system, conference manager, POS, front/back office modules. The Starfleet PMS System has been designed specifically for Australasian accommodation properties including Motels, Hotels, Resorts, and Backpackers. Starfleet provides links to a number of Channel Managers and websites. These provide the ability to place your availabil ... read more about Starfleet

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

    simplifies hosting in just one tap. Run your vacation rental business anywhere, anytime.
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    Runbnb simplifies hosting in just one tap. Run your vacation rental business anywhere, anytime. Manage any reservation and be ready for any guest requests from the simple to the not-so-simple with total ease. Focus on what really matters. See a detailed workflow where you can track tasks and time, see who’s in charge of what, and so much more. You can leverage on maximizing earnings as you provi ... read more about Runbnb

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    50% 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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