Taking direct bookings is the most powerful way to increase your revenue.


Taking direct bookings is the most powerful way to increase your revenue.

Get access to the world’s #1 hotel booking engine from Little Hotelier, and take direct bookings through your own website, social media or use your booking engine as a direct booking webpage and get online quickly.

See why Little Hotelier customers get 63x more ROI from our direct booking tools

Use your hotel booking engine the way you want.

If you’ve already got a website you’re happy with, no worries. Our booking engine can be connected to your existing website in minutes.

Need a website? No drama. Use our booking engine as a direct booking webpage to get online and take direct reservations in moments.

Let guests book directly through your social media by easily connecting your social pages to your booking engine. It’ll sync to your front desk and avoid any double bookings.

Try free for 30 days

Get more revenue with offers, discounts, extras and packages.

It’s the little things that count. Give guests the experience you want and make it easy for them to book add-ons like breakfast or bike rentals directly through your website. Use promo codes and create discounts to reward loyal customers — or to drive extra bookings when you need them.

Harness the billboard effect with our all-in-one solution

The billboard effect is making sure your small property is on as many relevant booking channels as possible, so that more potential guests see and ‘hear’ about it.

It’s important because 65% of travellers who view your property on an OTA will search for your website afterwards — to validate that your offer is consistent and ensure they’re getting the best price – so make sure you can capture those direct bookings.

Customise your hotel booking engine for your business

Give guests the full experience every step of the way, by customising the look and feel of your direct booking engine to the style of your hotel.

And you can set a number of rate plans per room for maximum flexibility and revenue. After all, you don’t offer the same rate every day; and the same room can have more than one rate, depending on the day.

Host guests from all over the world.

Little Hotelier’s booking engine lets you take bookings in over 20 languages and 75 currencies, making life simpler for you and your guests.

Try free for 30 days

Less from us.
More from our happy customers.

“Since using Little Hotelier, there has been an increase of about 30% in bookings”

Raintree Boutique Villa & Gallery
Indonesia

5/5

“My experience with Little Hotelier has been fantastic due to the ability to manage all the different channels, all in the one place. The Front desk, booking engine, and Channel management features saves time and money. It has made my business more professional. Thank you!”
 

Forgandenny House B&B Mudgee,
Australia

5/5

Every hour a small property chooses Little Hotelier

140+

Countries

Trusted globally,
supported locally

450+

Channels

Access the best
booking channels

96%

Satisfaction

Positive chat
support feedback

3 Hours

Save 3 hours
a day on admin

10 Years

Experience as an
industry leader

Hotel booking engine FAQs

What is a hotel booking engine?

A hotel booking engine is an online system that allows hotels to take direct bookings. Booking engines work as an automated reservation calendar, where rates and availability are displayed to potential guests. They also have the ability to make a reservation and securely pay for it online. Hotel booking engines can be added on websites and even social media pages to capture and process direct bookings. They’re essential in driving reservations that don’t rely on commission-based third-party channels like online travel agencies (OTAs such as Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb).

Why do hotels need a booking engine?

Hotels need a booking engine because it allows them to increase the amount of direct bookings they take while minimising effort. Instead of accepting direct reservations via email, phone calls, or walk-in, hotels can take direct bookings from their own website (or the direct booking calendar itself if they don’t have a website yet). It can also be a part of their email marketing strategy, sending customised emails to prospective guests with a link to the booking engine so they can make a direct booking. Hotel booking engines can streamline operations by reducing manual tasks, allowing staff to focus on more crucial aspects of the business like improving guest experience. Booking engines are important for hotels especially because today, travel reservations are predominantly being made online. With a direct booking engine, accommodations will be able to make more money for their business. See pricing options for your property.

How does a hotel booking engine work?

Guests interact with your booking engine through a ‘Book now’ button or similar call-to-action on your website or social media sites. Then, they’re prompted to choose their check-in and check-out dates, and the number of guests staying. Based on these choices, your booking engine will display available rooms and rates. Guests can view room details, including photos and amenities, then choose the best room and rate for their budget and tastes. Before confirming the booking, guests can review their reservation details, including the total cost, any applicable taxes and fees, and cancellation policies. To complete their booking, guests must enter their personal information, including their name, email address, phone number, and payment details. Some booking engines also provide the option to create an account to store guest preferences and booking history. Once all necessary information is provided, guests can confirm their booking, and get a booking confirmation by email. Look at how your own booking engine could like with sample data.

What is the best booking engine for small accommodation providers?

Little Hotelier is the best booking engine for small properties. It’s specifically designed for owners, operators, and managers of bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, and other types of small accommodation. Little Hotelier’s booking engine is easy to use and navigate on various devices, and it’s part of an all-in-one technology solution. It includes secure payment processing capabilities, front office system software, and online distribution channel manager, making it easier for you to drive more direct bookings, and manage your hotel from a single platform. Little Hotelier reviews also show high ratings among users, where a customer reported a 50% increase in direct bookings and a 40% growth in profit.

What’s the difference between a channel manager and a booking engine for hotels?

The difference between a channel manager and a direct booking is that a channel manager helps manage and oversee your connected booking channels, while your booking engine acts as one of the channels being managed. When it comes to updating rates and managing bookings in your channel manager, your booking engine sits alongside other channels like Booking.com or Airbnb. In other words, a booking engine can serve as your most profitable source of bookings compared to third-party OTAs that require commissions and a channel manager is where you manage all booking channels in one platform. Watch a quick video on how it all works together.

Should hotel booking engine software be on metasearch like Google Hotels?

Hotel booking engine software should be on metasearch sites because they are innovating fast and gaining ground on OTAs, winning over more travellers. With big metasearch players like Google Hotels and TripAdvisor acting as both a place to advertise your property and accept bookings, it’s a real opportunity for your accommodation business. Small properties connected to Google Hotel Ads generally get 16% more direct bookings. It usually works wherever users are making travel-related decisions online. Google surfaces your hotel ads to help them compare pricing and booking options, displaying your hotel information like availability and rates on Google Maps, Search, and Assistant. Learn more about hotel metasearch.

Can anyone try Little Hotelier’s booking engine for free?

Yes, we invite you to explore our booking engine for free, with access to the entire all-in-one platform for 30 days. We’re here to make your life as simple as possible, so there are no lock-in contracts and you can cancel anytime you choose. Once your free trial is over, you can either continue to use your Little Hotelier plan (and we’ll start charging you through the payment method you selected), or you can simply reach out to us to cancel your subscription. Get started now, at no cost to you.

How can properties add a booking engine to their website?

Adding a booking engine to your website can happen in a number of ways. If you are using Little Hotelier as an all-in-one solution, you will have a website builder and direct booking engine included, which will provide seamless integration. If you are using your own website or a website created by popular methods such as Wix, WordPress, or Squarespace, you’ll need to add a button and link to your booking engine manually. Little Hotelier has guides for this if you need help: Little Hotelier Website Integration Guide and Connecting Your Booking Engine to Popular Website Builders.

How do I set up Little Hotelier’s booking engine?

Setting up Little Hotelier’s booking engine begins with your free trial. Depending on the plan you choose, you will either enter an online sign-up process and or be connected with a professional onboarding specialist. The online sign-up process is quick and easy, since you’ll be assisted by a ‘wizard’ that takes you through step-by-step instructions. After completing the initial stages, the most helpful aspect will be the SmartGuide (an interactive checklist), so make sure to look out for it. This can help you better understand what to do next and make the most of the online system. To make the process even smoother, ensure you have prepared photos of your property and rooms, a list of your room types, and other important information about your property such as contact details, among others.

Is support available during the booking engine setup?

Support is available to you 24/7 during and after your booking engine setup. Depending on your Little Hotelier pricing plan, you’ll have access to email and online chat, or dedicated phone support on top of that. Little Hotelier also has a learning centre, which can answer many questions about the features and how they work such as setting up package deals on your booking engine, managing payment methods for direct bookings, and more.

What is a direct booking web page?

A direct booking web page is another term you can use to refer to your booking engine, or the software that enables you to take direct bookings online. You can customise your booking engine to have as much information on it as you want—from detailed room information, photos, and feature lists to property information, terms and conditions, and other policies. To get online quickly, simply use your booking engine as a direct booking web page and start taking those valuable direct reservations. Your Little Hotelier web page will be shown on search engines like Google and Bing, making it visible to guests looking for accommodations online. Plus, you can customise your web address (e.g. /hotel-name), and add the unique booking engine link to your Google Business profile so it gets listed on Google Maps. Try Little Hotelier free for 30 days.