A hotel booking app is a virtual platform used to book hotels and manage bookings in the commonplace. It enables customers to reserve hotel rooms safely with just a few clicks. Hotel booking software works effectively when linked with other solutions, such as a booking engine. This integration occurring in real-time ensures that the availability of hotels is always up to the minute and that the quickest reservations are accepted uninterrupted. Furthermore, the hotelier can get access to insightful information to make informed decisions.
A hotel booking system helps the hoteliers to receive more bookings via the most money-spinning platforms. Presently, some of the best apps for hotel bookinginclude Expedia, Skscanner, and Hotels.com. The hotels also maintain their own website and social media pages to gain leads or connect with meta-search engines such as TripAdvisor and Google Hotel Finder.
10 Best Apps for Hotel Booking
Booking.com
Booking.com tops the list of best hotel booking appsacross the globe. Presently, it covers different listings, such as resorts, hotels, apartments, homes, and more. Other websites are incomparable to this platform when it comes to the volume of listings it serves. The website is accessible globally in over 40 languages. They have an all-time customer support helpline. Once you book accommodation listed somewhere else at a lower cost, Booking.com refunds the difference a day before your check-in. It offers a customised and filtered search.
Pros
There are more listings in comparison to other sites.
Hosts an amazing rewards program
Guarantees a low price.
Personalised search functionality
Cons
The listings can be overwhelming
The promise of a reduced price is meaningless if you don't browse around frequently
Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a segment of the Expedia Group of companies. It doesn’t host numerous listings similar to Booking.com, but still, there are significant choices to make. It has more than 300,000 properties around the globe. It offers a broad space for a selection of properties because there are endless options, including independent and chain hotels. You can search for any hotel category, whether luxury or condo. It is one of the top hotel booking appsin terms of multi-level rewards. You can earn a free night's stay after 10 bookings. Once a person books 30 nights, they get free upgrades and early check-ins/late check-outs.
Pros
An extensive database of hotels
Easy-to-use reward program
Shows rating of hotels so a suitable one can be found
The app is easy to navigate
Cons
If a user wishes to unlock the feature of a free night stay, they should be a regular user of the app
There are not many listings on the app
Expedia
When it comes to the best hotel booking apps, Expedia is a well-known brand. It has been in operation since 1996. The company hosts more than 3 million lodging flights, and amenities for over 500 airlines can be booked from the website. It undoubtedly offers the best deal for flights, hotels, vacations, tours, etc. Expedia is the common platform for you if you are looking for an all-in-one interface. You can combine your hotel and flight search together and save a lot of money on your journey. Search for a particular hotel or flight, observe the prices, and then search for a package.
Pros
It includes a simple process for booking flights, accommodation, or rental vehicles.
One of the world's oldest websites for booking hotels
Offers different payment plans to help ease out the expenses.
Cons
It is challenging to book multiple accommodations in a single package
Similar to third-party platforms, it is reliable to check airlines, hotels, etc, to compare costs
Hotwire
Being counted among the best apps for hotel booking, it offers secret deals. It comprises high-value properties because it sells the unsold rooms. You can view all previous ratings and reviews posted by users and make your own decisions accordingly. Moreover, it offers a tremendous map view because it is used to hone in on the location of a hotel without having an exact idea of the locality. You can choose different filter options for cheaper hotels that fit your budget.
Pros
Provides impressive offers on high-end accommodation
Hotels don't reveal if they sell off unsold rooms so that you can enjoy discounted rates.
Cons
It doesn’t serve users with a reward scheme, even if the user is a regular
At times, it is cheap to make a direct booking at the hotel
There is a chance that you will be disappointed with your stay.
HotelsCombined
HotelsCombined, an aggregator, searches several hotel booking websites to offer you the most outstanding hotel prices. It claims to seek numerous hotel booking sites, featuring a few of the top hotel booking appssuch as Hilton and Agoda. The app takes you to the original hotel booking website, where you finish the booking process. You can compare the prices of different platforms effectively. The hotel ensures that it provides the best-priced hotels to its customers. It ensures people have an enjoyable booking experience by sorting special deals for users.
Pros
Being a metasearch engine, HotelsCombined simultaneously searches hundreds of internet booking engines and travel companies
Prices can be viewed with included or excluded taxes
Easy to navigate, and reviews and costs can be compared
Cons
It misses a lot of properties and rooms that are listed by other sites
It creates a lot of clutter because there are a lot of ads
Agoda
Agoda started in Singapore, grew strong gradually among the best apps for hotel bookingin Asia, and is now a reputed business. It is a household name and is the biggest travel agency in certain countries. It is a digital platform that offers great value to the users globally. It has a network of 4 million hotels, accommodation, flights, and other activities. There are tons of options to choose from, and there is no limit to that. The best point is that a user's identity remains hidden until the booking is complete. Ratings can be viewed, as well as nearby localities, but only the hotel, actually, once you finish the reservation successfully.
Pros
Customised in properties of Asia
Users can earn rewards or points with loyalty schemes, where one such standard program is the mileage program
Secret deals can be unleashed
Cons
Insider deals are not a reliable option in every case
Some hotels can show incorrect prices
Priceline
Priceline is a great choice and stands out in the market with regard to the Price Guarantee Policy. Users can access the site's efundable and pre-paid Express offers when they become an app member. Even if you did not make an Express booking, you will still be refunded once you see a superior price in a time of 24 hours of booking. It allows you to search for rental vehicles, airlines, hotels, and cruises. It is a comprehensive platform for a person who knows the exact travel dates.
Pros
The price match guarantee is impressive
Incredible final-minute hotel rates
Easy-to-use hotel app
Cons
Trips cannot be refunded and transferred, which lowers their flexibility
Some website deals are not available on the app
Momondo
When a user searches for accommodation or hotel rooms on the best apps for hotel booking,they get a list of deals and offers but not other significant information. A thorough price comparison can be performed once a user comes to Momondo’s hotel finder. Momondo gives an extensive list of options that rank higher than the standard booking websites. The app scans for hundreds of prices in a few seconds. It uses algorithms to rank hotels and properties and sorts the booking choices accordingly.
Pros
Searches sites that are uncommon as compared to other well-off brands
Various filter options
It provides many pricing comparisons
Cons
Booking can be made via a third-party platform, so a user must understand cancellation policies before making a final booking
It cannot evaluate complex flights
HotelTonight
It is one of the best apps for hotel bookingif you are an avid traveller who is okay with making last-minute reservations. It helps you find mind-boggling discounts even if you are booking the same day of travel or peak vacation. The discounts can range from 30 to 50%. The listings are based on luxury facilities and cost range. The hotels are labelled differently, including DEAL, BASIC, SOLID, LUXE, etc. For instance, Luxe refers to high-end accommodation, and Hip refers to trendy hotels. It shows properties available according to a specific demographic. It is custom-tailored for hotel bookings only, and nothing else can be booked here.
Pros
Excellent rates are achieved with same-day booking
One of the limited sites that offers upgraded discounts
Booking is simple and straightforward to manage
Cons
Works well in big cities, majorly in the USA
In comparison to other sites, it doesn't possess a spacious database
Hopper
Regarding the best apps for hotel booking worldwide, Hopper is a one-stop solution for hotel reservations. The company is self-made, serves as a trending flight search engine portal, and has gradually moved to hotel services. Hopper uses unique software to estimate hotels' prices. If a user is skeptical, it claims to be 95% accurate. They are great in terms of updating you on recent deals and offers that can be considered when planning a booking in the future. It has a special Price freeze element where you can lock the price of the hotel room for two months. To hold onto the deal, you are requested to make a deposit.
Pros
A user can track offers and comply with price trends
The price freeze option is a cherry on the cake for the users who prefer advance booking
Forecasts rates with 95% correctness.
Cons
The search is only limited to hotels or flights
Poor customer support, primarily related to cancelled bookings
Though it shows accuracy, there is a possibility the predicted costs might not drop
Hotel Industry Statistics
Hotel statistics include different aspects such as revenue figures, cancellation rates, guest statistics, etc. All this data is valuable for hoteliers to analyse performance, estimate, or make strategies for future prospects and profitability of the business. The travel sector is projected to go under effective recovery in 2024, which is excellent news for hotel operators, as some promising data has already been reported.
Occupancy in hotels will increase by 2.5% internationally this year.
Average Daily Rate (ADR) of hotels is forecasted to rise by 4.9% in upcoming months.
Online sales of the hotel segment will produce a handsome revenue of 80% in the subsequent 3 years.
Demand for rooms is set to touch a high mark and will continue throughout the ensuing years.
The hotel industry in the US holds a worth beyond $106 billion.
The number of users in the hotel industry will exceed 160 million by 2027.
More than 90,000 hotels are there in the U.S.
The average rate of occupancy in the U.S. is below 65%.
The accommodation sector of the U.S. hires nearly 1.6 million individuals.
Types of Hotel Booking Apps
Marketplace Hotel App
Marketplace means the virtual space common ground for all hotel service providers and helps them display or list properties with appropriate information, including location, cost, and facilities. The admin controls such profiles.
Hotel Chain Application
A hotel chain app comprises all the hotels inside a single business. The app will allow access to different locations of the chain of hotels so the users can choose their favourite place and reserve it.
Last-minute Hotel booking Apps
This is suitable for customers who instantly need to look for a hotel room and book it at the end minute. Therefore, a user can book a room in just a few clicks in case of emergency travel or instant travel plans.
Advance Hotel Booking App
This app is the perfect fit for users who wish to book a hotel in advance, a few months before their travel. Expedia is one such example that supports advance reservation of rooms.
Hybrid Hotel Booking App
This app is a combination of two types of hotel applications, i.e., last-minute and advanced hotel booking apps. So it helps a user to make a booking in a matter of a few minutes.
Features of Hotel Booking Software
A hotel booking system provides a range of functionalities, enabling users to streamline their activities and modernize their operations as well.
Functional features:
Allows users to look for and find relevant options for booking
Every account should be limited to one user only
Select a time and date to view the rooms that are available at that specific moment
Cancel bookings
Modify rooms
The designated contact details should receive a booking confirmation
Estimate and display concerned charges along with utilities
Non-functional features:
Employ encryption to prevent booking by bots
Simple to use and accessible
Keep a record of activities and responses of users
Different payment methods should be enabled
Customers should be assisted in filling in required details when invalid input occurs
Key Benefits of a free hotel booking app
Hotel apps are a commendable marketing tool used to promote a brand and propel the sales. Push notifications help create a series of messages throughout the customer journey. Before a user books, they can be alerted to special offers and discounts to incentivize booking. Post their stay with you, and use the app to remain in engagement with them as a part of any loyalty scheme.
Gone are those days when physical or printed itineraries were provided. With the mobile app, guests can now look for anything on the best apps for hotel bookingout there, be it booking, cancelling, or upgrading a room. The app acts as a self-service tool that refrains the staff from being under undue pressure. For any issues, the users can check the status directly on the app, which cuts down the time of waiting at the front desk.
The internet is powerful as it allows the hotels to reach a wide customer base that otherwise would have been difficult to achieve. However, new challenges, such as language barriers, arise when opening new markets fortop hotel booking apps. However, using a mobile app offers guests a better multilingual service. A preferred language can be chosen in which they want to access the app to overcome the communication issues between service providers and guests.
Different features are integrated into the app, which can be leveraged, such as mobile check-in or digital concierge. However, there are smart features in the hotel booking appsas well. Within a hotel booking app, you may upsell more costly rooms by unlocking features like the ability to create hotel room tours using augmented reality. You can also utilise the app to share a code and unleash the room for entry without a key.
Conclusion
The hospitality industry is not booming with the top hotel booking apps,providing tons of benefits for guests and service providers, from enhanced customisation to lowered prices and effective revenue generation. By implementing advanced technologies, hotels can create scalable offerings that fulfil increasing user demands and promote business growth. However, getting started with a hotel booking app is not a bed of roses for any business as it requires a thorough analysis of business processes, user preferences, safety regulations, and integration problems. The dominance of mobile apps in the market gives hoteliers an exceptional opportunity to serve clients in every phase of their journey. The business can be expanded and retain more users who don’t prefer wasting time making reservations in the same traditional ways.
