In simple terms, a hotel booking engine is an application on hotel websites and social media pages to capture and process direct online reservations.

An online booking engine is your key to commission-free direct bookings; a way to optimize your property’s sales strategy and maximize profit.

With most travelers today now booking their stays online, hotels have had to become reliant on online travel agents to deliver them reservations. Listing on them includes the benefits of reaching large, new, audiences and increasing bookings but each reservation requires a commission fee to be paid to the third-party. When this fee starts to creep up over 20%, it becomes incredibly frustrating for hotels, especially independent operators, as they see their profits melt away.

A hotel booking engine is a way for hotels to fight the OTA dominance, necessary though it may be.

This blog will give you a detailed rundown of booking engines in the hotel industry, including how they work, how your hotel can use them to advantage, and everything you need to know about providers, price, and features.