Description: A comprehensive tool for managing availability, rates, and online bookings of time-based resources such as rooms, vehicles, or services.
What is it for? (Practical Examples)
Use it to transform your website into a 24/7 operational booking system.
- Hotel Management: Allows customers to select dates, view rates for different room types, and book directly online.
- Vehicle or Equipment Rental: Configure the number of items available and the hourly or daily rental cost.
- Sales Optimization: Automatically apply discounts for long stays or surcharges for minimum stay requirements not met, maximizing profit.
Main Features
1. Resource and Inventory Management
The system integrates directly with the "Rooms" (or Accommodations) and "Vehicle Rental" (or Resources) sections to manage inventory.
- Inventory: Define the total number of units available (e.g., number of rooms or vehicles).
- Room Configuration: Set specific rules for each type of accommodation:
- Minimum and maximum stay.
- Percentage surcharges if the minimum stay is not met.
- Percentage discounts for extended bookings (beyond a certain number of days).
- Variants: Create variants of the same room (e.g., sea view, with balcony) specifying title, cost per night, maximum number of adults, and dedicated photo gallery.
- Child Costs: Define specific age brackets for children and the related cost per night, with the option to specify if a crib can be requested.
- Master Planner: A dedicated section in the control panel providing a complete overview of availability and bookings in a calendar format.
2. Flexible Rates and Conditions
Allows defining different pricing policies applicable to the same resource (e.g., standard rate, non-refundable, special offer).
- Application Conditions: Each rate can be bound by precise rules:
- Minimum and maximum number of nights.
- Minimum and maximum number of guests (adults).
- Validity dates (e.g., only during high season).
- Guaranteed minimum total price for the booking.
- Rate Options: Associate specific services or benefits with each rate (e.g., breakfast included, free cancellation).
3. Public Booking System (Frontend)
The publicly exposed booking module follows a guided three-step process:
1. Date and Guest Selection: The user chooses check-in and check-out dates and specifies the number of adults and children.
2. Results Display: The system shows only resources available for the requested period and guest count.
- Automatic Combinations: If no single resource can accommodate all guests, the system automatically proposes combined packages of available rooms (e.g., "Package: 2 x Double Room") to meet the request, ensuring availability of all individual units.
- Details: For each resource, displays starting price and details (maximum capacity, included services).
3. Confirmation and Payment: The user selects the desired rate and proceeds to fill out the contact form or payment (if required).
How to Configure
Configuration is divided into three main areas accessible from the Booking Engine menu:
| Configuration Area | Description | Key Options |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Forms | Creation and customization of the form displayed on the site. Defines which extra fields to request (e.g., number of adults/children) and whether immediate payment is required. | Inclusion of custom contact forms, availability settings. |
| Rates | Definition of different pricing policies and associated services. | Application conditions (nights, guests, dates), included options (e.g., free Wi-Fi). |
| Master Planner | Visualization tool to monitor booking status and future availability. | - |
| Resource Configuration | Accessible by editing individual Room or Vehicle entries (via additional tabs in the form). | Number of units, stay rules, extra costs (children/variants), iCal synchronization. |
Automatic Integrations
Calendar Synchronization (iCal)
For each resource (room or vehicle), there is a synchronization section:
- Export (Outgoing Link): Generates a unique iCal link to export confirmed bookings to external calendars (e.g., Google Calendar, Airbnb, Booking.com).
- Import (Incoming Link): Allows entering one or more external iCal links (comma-separated). The system automatically imports events from these calendars and records them as bookings, blocking resource availability during those periods.
Note: Synchronization of imported calendars occurs automatically via scheduled operations.
Email Automations
The system sends automatic communications both to the customer and operator:
- Booking Summary: Sent immediately after booking confirmation.
- Booking Reminder: Sent before arrival date (managed through scheduled automatic operations).
Cart and Payment Integration
If the booking form requires payment (full or deposit), the system integrates with cart and checkout:
- The booking is treated as a purchasable product with automatic calculation of total price based on selected period and rate.
- After payment completion, the booking is automatically recorded with status "Confirmed."
Key Differences
The Booking Engine is designed for managing limited inventories (e.g., 10 rooms, 5 vehicles) and handling start/end dates (stays/rentals). If you need to manage single hourly appointments or services without inventory constraints (e.g., consultations), a generic appointment management module may be more suitable.
