In the digital age, the travel industry has been turned upside down. With the ever-increasing booking platforms and private booking engines, the majority of travelers expect to be able to book a hotel online. Consequently, the hospitality software industry is thriving, with thousands of vendors across the globe offering a variety of different products and services to the hospitality industry.
There are currently thousands of booking engines to choose from. Most providers require a long-term contract and a minimum payment for 12 months of service. There is usually a setup fee involved, and many charges extra for any add-ons you may want your booking engine to include.
If you are in the market for a free solution, the choice is limited. What follows is a summarized list of the most popular options currently on the market:
1. Freetobook
They have been in business for years. Based in Glasgow, they offer a free booking engine solution for hotels, hostels, BnBs, and cottages. Freetobook charges for collecting and storing your payment details, so it’s very useful if you just want to display your availability online and arrange to be paid later. They also charge for mobile bookings and offer additional paid features such as iCal integration and Google Hotel Ads.
2. Qlo
Qlo is an Indian-based open source provider. They offer a free and open source booking engine for. The software is based on PrestaShop and it’s written in PHP. Installing it however will require some technical skills, so it may not be suitable for the less tech-savvy.
3. Bedvine
Bedvine is a U.K.-based hospitality software vendor. They offer a free cloud-based booking engine with the ability to receive payments online. They charge for more customization of the booking pages and priority support. The solution is suitable for small hotels, villas, BnBs and apartments.
4. Sagenda
A small and free booking engine offered as a responsive WordPress add-on. Sagenda is suitable for all accommodation providers and also businesses offering appointments (hairdressers, doctors, etc.). It includes a bookings dashboard and can generate personalized emails for your guests.
5. Skedda
A booking and appointments engine offered for free for up to 10 items (rooms, slots, etc.). Additional paid features Skedda offers are the ability to receive payments online, backups, and various software integrations.
Do you have any experience with any the above-mentioned vendors? Let us know in the comments section down below.
