Mobile App Development

How To Build a Hotel Booking App in 2022? - Benefits, Features, and Cost

How To Build a Hotel Booking App in 2022? - Benefits, Features, and Cost

The travel industry has evolved since the turn of the century and there has been a dramatic shift in travellers' expectations for customer service. As smartphones become increasingly common, people find it much more convenient searching for hotels and vacation rentals on them.

Travel agencies, aggregators, and hotel websites must cater to omnichannel shoppers today who switch between desktop, mobile, and web apps. Developing a hotel booking app is therefore a good way to provide enhanced customer support, conveniently book flights and hotels, and more.

Learn how to create a hotel booking app, what features to include, and how much it costs.

Online Hotel Booking App

Many people wish to take a break from the repetitive nature of life and mundane work. Choosing a place to stay is usually the most time-consuming part of such a plan. And, having an app to help with the process makes everything much more convenient.

The travel and hospitality industry has been growing at a rapid pace in the last few years with more and more people looking for ways to break away from the boring monotony of everyday life. Hotel booking apps have gained a lot of popularity by reducing the tediousness of finding and booking a place to stay.

Benefits of building a Hotel Booking App

Benefits of building a Hotel Booking App

Hotel booking apps play a huge role in influencing the decision-making process of a major percentage of travellers. Some of the benefits these apps provide include:

Enhanced customer experience

Check-in apps simplify registrations and reduce long queues at reception, improving the guest experience and increasing employee productivity.

Cost-effectiveness

Your staff can save money and time with a mobile hotel reservation app.

Build brand recognition

With an app, hotel businesses can connect with customers directly building brand loyalty.

Enhance user engagement

With a branded mobile app, you can reach out to your audience and win them over. Features such as in-app messages, chatbots, push notifications, etc can be used for this purpose.

Effective marketing strategy

Mobile apps can be used to gather valuable insights into how people respond to the services provided by a business. Customer visits, bookings, satisfaction level with the services offered, etc can be used to analyse and improve the services.

How To Develop a Hotel Booking Mobile Application

How To Develop a Hotel Booking Mobile Application

You have two options when developing hotel booking mobile apps.

1.You can assign the entire process of development, such as research and analysis, design, development, quality check, deployment, etc to a hotel booking mobile app development company such as Neetable.

2.Understand the process thoroughly and build it yourself.

How To Develop a Hotel Booking Mobile App?

  1. Identify the primary concept of the app by conducting market research, user research, and analysing the competitor apps in your niche.
  2. App development must include a unique value proposition, and selecting distribution channels, and platform(s).
  3. With technical specifications and prototyping, you'll be able to test and validate your ideas and define your MVP's scope of work and budget.
  4. UI and UX design aiming to achieve intuitive and seamless user flows as well as appealing visuals.
  5. The development of your mobile application will include integrations with booking engines, payment gateways, hotel management systems, customer relationship management systems, and other software. The smooth operation of your hospitality business will result in increased sales.
  6. Continuous testing to ensure the app is functioning smoothly.
  7. Build a marketing strategy to widen your market reach.
  8. Publish your app on the app store for your users to utilize your services.

Business Models Involved in Hotel Booking Mobile App

Hotel booking apps typically operate on three types of business models.

Merchant Model

Using this type of business model, the app owner buys a certain number of hotel rooms wholesale at a discounted rate from the hotel. E.g., Expedia.

Advertising Model

You can earn money from your hotel booking app through the advertising model. Redirecting users to hotel websites is how app owners make money. E.g., Tripadvisor.

Aggregator Model

One of the main reasons for this app's popularity is that it's very easy to use. Users browsing through hotel booking apps for a comfortable place to stay are presented with a wide selection of hotels offering flexible prices. Once the user has found something to his liking, he can make the booking directly on the app. E.g., booking.com.

Dedicated Model

Popular hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton, Grand Hyatt, and Marriott have apps specifically designed to integrate all of their brands and resorts into one app. Having a personal app for your hotels you can ensure that your guests feel welcomed by being able to add any special requests through the app.

Features To Be Included in A Hotel Reservation App

Features To Be Included in A Hotel Reservation App

Search, Filter, and Sort

When your users want to look for a suitable accommodation for their purpose, sorting through a long list of options can be a cumbersome process. A search criterion based on different parameters can make this easier.

  • Destination city or hotel name
  • Check-in date
  • Number of travellers
  • Number and type of accommodation required, etc.

With a GPS integration enabled on your app, users can be allowed to search for hotels near them to make it even more convenient.

The Filter option allows the user to focus on options catering to their preferences such as budget, ratings and reviews, proximity, etc.

Sorting further allows the user to prioritize based on set preferences.

Review the accommodation

With features such as a photo gallery, ratings and feedbacks from past travellers, etc, you can make the process of picking out a destination easier for a user.

Multiple payment options

The payment gateway is the end of the funnel. Ensure that you provide an easy and safe transactional experience for your users. There are some hotels that allow payment at the time of check-in, which may be the preferred mode of payment for customers. But if a user wants to pay in advance, provide several payment options.

Registration and login

When a booking is completed or the user returns, registration offers extra benefits, as it enables tracking of user activity and providing personalized information. You may register on the website, through your social media account, or by email.

User profile

A user can create a wish-list, choose the language, currency, and more, as well as keep track of their booking history. This feature can be used to enable personalized offers and discounts based on the data in the profile.

Cancellation service

Most hotel booking sites practice a free cancellation policy extending up to the day of check-in. This assures the customers that they are free to change their mind.

Nice To Have Features on A Hotel Booking App

Virtual Tour

The hotel can be experienced first-hand through photographs, videos, and a virtual tour using 360-degree images.

Currency and Language Converter

Customer location should be taken into consideration when designing a personalized app.

Analytics Dashboard

By analyzing the data from the dashboard, admin can enhance his decision-making. For e.g., during low booking seasons, bookings can be offered at a discounted rate.

Push Notifications

Through push notifications, customers are notified about all new features added to the app, including discounts and offers.

Taxi Booking

Third-party integrations, such as Ola, Uber, etc., make it quite easy for users to book a mode of travel.

Hotel Comparison

Using the app, users can browse a long list of hotels and select a hotel based on price and comfort.

Restaurant Booking

A third-party integration also allows users to reserve a table at their desired restaurant in advance.

Trip Organizer

In addition to booking hotels, your app should provide a trip organizer to help users plan their entire trip.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Hotel Booking App?

The cost of mobile app development for a hotel business is comprised of various factors such as:

  • The business model
  • MVP features
  • Project complexity
  • Platform of choice
  • Development approach (native or cross-platform)
  • Technology stack
  • Team size
  • Cost of deployment and support
  • In-house development or outsourcing to a hotel booking app development company

You must also consider the number of resources you need, which may vary depending on the type of application, number of features, and how complex the project is.

cost to hire developer in different countries

The development cost also depends on the country where services are offered. Have a look at the hourly rates of developers based on their location.

Conclusion

Travel & hospitality is embracing online, mobile, and all-in-one approaches as the norm. Technology is reshaping the market in a big way. You can either be a part of the future or a thing of the past. Ensure that your decision is well-considered and smart. Let's discuss your project. Connect with us

FAQs

How does a hotel booking app work?

Step 1. A user searches for and books a hotel room for his stay.

Step 2. The availability of the room is then updated across the system.

Step 3. The user then receives a confirmation mail with other required details on successful booking.

Step 4. Review requests and also promo codes can be sent to the user to encourage him to use the service again.

How much does it cost to create an online booking system?

A hotel booking mobile app development cost can start from $25,000 depending on the platform developed on and also the scale and complexity of the project.

How to create a hotel booking app?

If you have decided to build a hotel booking app, you can either develop it yourself with the help of your in-house team or you could outsource it to a leading hotel booking app development company like Neetable.

How much will it cost to hire developer in different countries?

As mentioned above developers cost details, average hourly rate:

  • USA between $150 to $200,
  • UK between $50 to $100,
  • Ukraine between $25 to $50
  • India between $25 to $40.

It depends on developer experience it may change.

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