Summer is already here, and the vacation and travel services industry is again open for business! Hotel chains hit hard by the economic ravages of the recent pandemic are again available for business. Bored of being virtually on lockdown for almost two years, tourists are trying to recover lost vacation time. Many hotels are keenly aware of this and are rolling out new services to entice eager post-pandemic travelers. Thousands of excited travelers are scouring hotel booking websites to find the best room deals at their favorite hotels. After such a long period of inactivity, this travel is long overdue and well deserved!
Hotel chains are eager to make up for lost revenue and have begun large-scale marketing campaigns. Many hotels are pitching new packages and services to woo visitors to their hotels with enticing ads on our TV screens. Savvy hoteliers have also invested in hotel booking applications to cope with the anticipated volume of hotel transactions from visitors. These hotel booking applications can be mobile or web-based and help hotel managers seamlessly process booking-related transactions. Hotel booking apps provide users with detailed and convenient information on hotel services and promotional offers.
Hotels that invest in developing mobile booking apps with interactive hotel detail screens, friendly chatbots, and efficient automated features cope better with staff shortages. Hotel booking applications significantly automate booking services and administrative processes and reduce hotels' dependence on their staff. The sudden staff absenteeism at many hotels due to the stringent lockdown measures and employees who fell ill caught many hoteliers off guard. Many hotel managers were left frantic as they tried to cover the staff shortages and handle the scores of hotel cancellations.
Why Are Hotel Booking Apps So Popular?
Hotel booking apps are popular among hotel chains and hotel users for several reasons. These features and online services are appreciated by users and hotels so much that the demand for mobile booking apps has experienced a sharp increase in 2022!
Hotels can give
Responsive Customer ServiceThe success of hotel chains depends on the responsiveness of their customer services team. Hotel booking applications are an extension of their physical workforce and can provide detailed information readily to users. Users who require rapid and clear information to book their hotel stay appreciate these convenient mobile app features. This creates an enhanced customer service experience for users who benefit from the mobile app's dedicated 24/7 customer service features.
No Language BarrierHotel chains welcome a variety of visitors from all over the world map. These guests may speak a multitude of languages, and it is nearly impossible to secure enough multilingual employees, to fill this need. Mobile hotel booking apps with translation features provide many language options on their platforms. As a result, users can benefit from these features by selecting the language of their choice to receive detailed information on their stay. This facilitates a seamless hotel booking process for users, regardless of language.
Convenient Booking and Add-OnsA mobile hotel booking app that is accessible on Android, iOS, and the web, provides convenience for users. Hotel booking apps enhance the customer experience because users can access add-on hotel services and upgrades through one convenient app. Forward-thinking hotel chains invest in these mobile booking apps because they make the process of booking rooms at the hotel.
Hotel details screens make it easier to get details on room amenities and hotel entertainment and participate in loyalty promotion directions from hotel property maps. The convenience of having a mobile app that offers these features on a simple device screen will enhance users' experience.
- Other ConsiderationsCustomer Database: Hotel chains that utilize the services of booking applications benefit from its data-gathering features. These features facilitate accurate revenue report generation, collect detailed information on app users and assist hotel chains in curating special loyalty programs and promotions. Accurate details sourced from data on hotel mobile apps provide hotel chains with valuable customer insight. This data is used to create specially curated experiences and target specific groups of users with promotional offers through marketing emails, newsletters, or hotel details screens.
- Reduces Staff Hiring Costs: For hotels seeking to reduce hiring costs, building hotel booking applications to automate the process makes sense. Mobile hotel booking apps reduce the need for additional hotel employees, fill staffing gaps, and reduce overall time and costs associated with recruiting and training team members. Mobile hotel booking applications simplify and automate processes significantly by providing 24/7 virtual staff support. Hotel chains can therefore shift their focus to enhancing the customer booking experience by focusing on users of their mobile apps. Mobile booking apps also reduce the time and resources that would have otherwise been spent onboarding staff.
- Quality Customer Service: The automated interactive features of mobile hotel apps facilitate users' speedy room check-in process. The convenience of using the hotel booking app reduces unnecessary physical interactions with hotel staff and the potential for poor customer service.
Users can receive
24/7 Customer CareUsers of mobile booking apps generally prefer hotel chains with a dedicated customer concierge experience. Mobile apps that provide 24/7 customer services enhance the visitor experience, create positive interactions and build trust. Hotel applications also build customer loyalty to hotel chains that provide these mobile booking app features. Customer loyalty promotions may include automatic room upgrades or discounts.
Fast Access to InformationIn this fast-paced world, users of hotel booking apps require speedy and convenient access to details. This information assists them in making decisions on their hotel bookings. Ready information such as hotel services, packages, and promotional rates are time-sensitive, and users need quick access to that information. Additional details on room amenities, availability, and prices allow users to make more informed choices on which hotels to choose.
Online Record of TransactionsIf users have questions, concerns, or complaints about the hotel's services, mobile apps provide an accurate record of booking details. Hotel details screens provide payment information on transactions processed by the hotel so that users can provide proof of their reservations. Mobile apps store hotel details of payment gateway transactions, rooms booked by users, and other information relevant to their stay. This information is used to moderate disputes and create resolutions for users unhappy with the hotel services.
Price ComparisonOne of the most valued features of booking apps is the search and filter functions, allowing users to list and compare room rates. This app feature helps users search and filter hotel deals or the most suitable room accommodations. Searching for hotel rooms by price helps budget-conscious users select hotel services and packages they can afford. Because of this, the price comparison search tool can be regarded as one of the most helpful search and filter features on hotel booking apps.
Price ComparisonOne of the most valued features of booking apps is the search and filter functions, allowing users to list and compare room rates. This app feature helps users search and filter hotel deals or the most suitable room accommodations. Searching for hotel rooms by price helps budget-conscious users select hotel services and packages they can afford. Because of this, the price comparison search tool can be regarded as one of the most helpful search and filter features on hotel booking apps.
How Does a Hotel Booking App Work?
Hotel booking apps have a particular standard minimum variable product (MVP) features that users expect of these hotel booking applications.
Registration
This first step in the transaction takes place between users and the hotel booking application and establishes trust in the services being offered. In this step, users create a personal profile, which the hotel booking app uses to generate special targeted campaigns. These hotel campaigns may come in the form of promotions and house services based on preferences indicated by app users. The hotel booking app registration process creates a personalized experience for users. These users appreciate the automated function of hotel booking apps, which operates as virtual services concierge. Users can create a hotel booking sign-up profile that allows them convenient and ready access to detailed information on their hotel booking.
Hotel booking dashboard
The hotel booking app will then open to a booking details screen where users can insert detailed info about their hotel stay. Users provide hotel booking info such as the date of travel, number of hotel rooms needed, duration of their stay, and preferred hotel amenities. On the hotel booking details screen of most mobile apps, users are allowed to filter the age groups of the visitors, book transportation, and check maps for the proximity of nearby local attractions.
Users can also enter the date and duration of their stay, compare prices, view promotional services, read hotel reviews, and get additional detailed information on their booking. The hotel booking details screen helps users select the hotel and travel experience they are most comfortable with.
Additional MVP features
Payment GatewayUsers commit to booking their hotel stay by paying for their rooms via the payment gateway of the hotel booking app. The detailed information processed through hotel booking app payment gateways must be private and secure. This provides payment gateway users with the necessary security to process hotel booking transactions without fear of data breaches.
Payment gateways will require safety measures such as secure site certification and data encryption to enhance security for mobile app users. The payment process should also be convenient, seamless, and hassle-free for hotel booking app users. Mobile app errors and other payment gateway issues may annoy users trying to secure hotel bookings and should be minimized at all costs.
Refund Policy
Reputable hotels have standard booking cancellations and detailed information about their refund policy. The refund policy includes:
- Legal hotel details.
- Information on standard provisions in hotel rooms.
- Fair usage agreements for users.
If a default in these areas, users consult their hotel applications for the refund policy, which is used to provide a resolution. Detailed information on refund policies establish trust in the hotel booking app and encourages users to proceed confidently with their booking. Users are provided with the appropriate information on how to get redress if their hotel room or booking experience is unsatisfactory.
How Can I Create an Online Hotel Booking?
Prepare a checklist
Before you begin your search through hundreds of hotel rooms on booking application screens, consider the type of hotel experience you are looking for. Maybe you already have your checklist of preferred amenities and hotel details for the hotels you wish to visit. For some, it is the physical location, so users consult online maps in the hopes of finding hotels with nearby facilities and amenities such as tours, vehicle rentals, beaches, and restaurants.
For others, the most important factor is the size and décor of room accommodations, so they search hotel details screens eagerly to find their perfect accommodation. While browsing these hotel detail screens, consider the size of your traveling group, as bigger groups will require more rooms or a larger room size than a couple. The number, size, amenities, and on-property location of the rooms at your favorite hotels, can make or break a vacation experience.
Consider your accommodation needs
Visitors who require a quieter stay may book a room at a hotel section away from the pool or entertainment areas. These areas tend to be noisier, and this can make for an awful room experience if peace is what you prefer. When selecting rooms, special consideration needs to be made for elderly, pregnant or infirm persons, and persons with physical disabilities.
The room's proximity to first aid, restaurant, and staircase areas should be of consideration for persons with special medical conditions or disabilities. Hotel room amenities that cater to special needs individuals may include larger room sizes, wheelchair access, and sturdy handrails for support.
Additional booking process
Search and SortMobile booking app visitors can search through lists of suitable hotel rooms by selecting preferences on the hotel details screen. Searching the hotel details screen for the best hotel room amenities does not have to be hard. Use the hotel details screen to filter and search room information. Visitors can list, compare, and select hotels with preferred room accommodation amenities. Some visitors use the hotel details screen to search and sort the map locations of the nearest hotels in proximity to local community adventure tours. The app's geolocation capability can help users map out their desired adventure tours near these hotel resorts in advance.
Make a Room ReservationOnce you have searched through the hotel details screen and found a satisfactory room, you can reserve the room online. On the hotel details screen, you will enter the size, several rooms, preferred amenities, date of stay, and the number of visitors. An attempt to reserve the rooms on the app will immediately return a search result on the screen with the room availability status.
Pay for Hotel BookingPay for your room reservation using the secure payment gateway on the hotel details screen. A credit card or other international payment processor such as PayPal can be used on the payment gateway of most hotel details screens. Once the room reservation, booking, and payment are complete, you will receive an invoice or payment receipt via email and a printable reservation. Some hotels go the extra mile by including a checklist of hotel attractions, policies, dress code, and other concierge information. Many use the opportunity to introduce customer loyalty programs, including discounts on your next room reservation.
How Do You Create a Booking App?
Discovery phase
Before you build hotel applications and mobile booking apps, a proper research and marketing process is done. This research phase is known as the 'discovery phase' and is the first step of the hotel application development process. Hotels use the discovery phase to conduct thorough market research of competitors, existing mobile applications, products, and services for the travel sector.
This research would determine if your hotel application and mobile booking app could solve any existing gaps in the travel market. Based on the research, app developers would create a checklist of MVP features for the upcoming app design phase.
Design phase
During the mobile hotel application app development design phase, hotel app features are conceptualized based on the results of prior research. Mobile hotel applications may create design features, search, filter, and booking functions specific to a hotel chain. These mobile application features highlight relevant information about their services to users through hotel details screens.
Hotel details screens contain information such as the size, number of rooms, location map features, promotional campaigns, and room amenities. The mobile app design also depends on its unique value proposition, which is how its services and features will solve the unique issues of its end users.
Development phase of creating a booking app
Application DesignHotel app development consists of creating a list of minimum variable product (MVP) features. This list of application features is intended to suit the needs of the hotel chain. Each hotel application feature is also intended to provide its users with a unique value proposition. App development features, such as a basic hotel details screen, list of nearby amenities, facility maps, search filters list, and general information on hotel services, are fundamental features of most hotel booking applications.
The hotel application should also facilitate functions such as search, sort, and filter with the ability to list the results in any order. MVP mobile app features help users to compare prices, view room information, and list the nearest accommodation amenities based on location maps.
Development PhaseHotel chains can contract reputable no-code app development services from reputable companies using platforms such as AppMaster. This app platform can be used to build hotel applications with basic MVP features or more complex application development, complete with source code. The AppMaster platform allows users to customize their unique source code for their hotel applications.
Choose the Right Development ExpertsSelect a team of qualified software application experts to build hotel applications that meet your mobile app development needs. Many hoteliers choose the AppMaster platform for mobile app development of hotel booking applications and other software services. Moreover, this app development platform can write technical documentation for mobile hotel applications at a faster, better, and cheaper rate.
The AppMaster development platform is so advanced that it generates 22,000 lines of code on screen per second. This app development platform is excellent for creating web and mobile applications. It can be used to quickly and affordably build hotel applications and mobile booking apps.
Testing phase of creating a booking app
Testing PhaseThis phase is a soft launch of the hotel application to test the app development features and user experience. Users can test how well the mobile app lists hotel services, amenities, and room information on the hotel details screen. Issues such as bugs, incorrect maps, slow search results, glitching, error messages, or failure to list accurate search results on screen are identified during this process. User experience is also evaluated to determine the ease of on-screen navigation and social media accessibility and to test how well the application interfaces with larger platforms such as Google Maps.
LaunchThe new hotel application's rollout to new users makes their hotel booking experience more convenient. The exciting features of the new mobile hotel booking app will generate renewed interest in the list of offerings by the hotel chain. Hotel chains with their mobile application are viewed as more innovative and customer-focused by their visitors. Marketing and promotional campaigns can be used to publicize the launch of the mobile hotel booking application to the eager public.
Upgrade & MaintenanceAfter the mobile hotel application's development and launch, additional issues may need to be addressed. This may include search errors on the hotel details screen or bugs with the price comparison list tool on the mobile app.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Booking App?
Building hotel applications with user-friendly on-screen features can be costly. However, options are available if you prefer an app development process that is faster, cheaper, and less labor-intensive. No-code development teams at the AppMaster platform can provide hotels with development services to build hotel applications with no hassle.
If the application has simple MVP features with a basic hotel details screen, this will be much faster to build and launch than a more complex app screen. These application solutions have simple no-code templates that make it easy to automate hotel app processes without the need for a full-time development team.
There are options for hotels that prefer to have control over their own mobile application source codes. AppMaster can create low-code hotel booking applications just as quickly. However, these solutions have more customized and complex app features according to the specifications of the hotel chain.
Depending on the number of hours spent developing the app and its design features' complexity, the upfront costs will be initially more expensive. Costs range from building hotel applications with more complex features, starting at approximately $150 000 USD if you choose classic development. By choosing development without code, on the contrary, you will save a lot of money and time.
Conclusion
Although the initial outlay may be costly depending on the number of on and off-screen features, having a mobile app for hotels is worth it! It saves hotels valuable time, money, and energy in the long run. It also improves booking efficiency and increases customer loyalty, which equals increased profits for your hotel business. The peace of mind of knowing that you have a fully automated hotel booking process and 24/7 customer service support from AppMaster is priceless! There is no need to search all over the globe for mobile app development when the best no-code development experts are a phone call away. Book a consultation today!
