All my travel memories begin from searching something on Booking.com. I can still remember my first booking experience, 5 years ago. I was a bit sceptical at first but was quickly pleasantly surprised.
From creating an account, finding an apartment to finalizing the transaction and payment was amazing. Everything was super intuitive. Since that day, I have used the website 25 times and even though some things had changed, I still enjoy using it.
But what if you want to create something similar to this but even better? How do you go about it? If those are the questions you keep asking yourself, this article is for you!
What is Booking.com?
Booking.com was founded in 1996 in Amsterdam as a small Dutch startup. Geert-Jan Bruinsma notice a gap in online hotel reservations and decided to create a travel metasearch engine.
Booking.com’s mission is to ‘make it easier for everyone to experience the world’. It is available in 43 languages and offers more than 28 million accommodation listings. Apart from hotel booking, booking.com also offers a wide variety of flight tickets, car rentals and taxi services.
How does an online booking system work?
An online booking system provides platforms for users to search for and reserve accommodation services. The system uses a database to store information. An online bookings system allows for configuring, managing and reviewing reservations and accommodation availability. Users can input search criteria such as location and date to find available options that match their needs. The system is typically integrated with payment gateways, inventory management systems and customer relationship management (CRM) software to facilitate payment processing and customer data management.
How is the reservation market doing?
The revenue of Booking Holdings from 2007 to 2019 shows that they experience steady growth. In 2019 they generated $15.07 billion in revenue and if you compare it to 2007 it is nearly a $14 million difference. The ability to make hotel reservations and other travel-related services online has made travel planning much simpler and faster.
What are the core features of booking platforms?
Generally speaking, we can divide those features into two categories: those dedicated to customers who want to rent accommodation and the ones for the owners of those apartments / hotels.
Customer features
When you first visit booking.com, you will see features like:
- sign in / sign up - you can register / log in via e-mail or 3rd party accounts Facebook, Google or Apple.
- personal information / dashboard - user profiles display basic information like profile picture, name, age and county. Your personal dashboard stores information about your latest reservations, payment information and reviews
- search bar - the core functionality of the website, which allows you to search by the name of the hotel or by city. You can add to your searches the number of people you want to book for or the number of rooms. Additionally, you can filter the results by price, ratings, meals etc.
- geolocation - the map displays the location of the accommodation and can measure the distance between different places like train stations and landmarks.
- booking form
- a core functionality of websites that allows users to make online reservations. It is an interactive form that collects data from the user, such as date of stay, room type preferences or the number of quests and then transfers information to the booking system. With a booking form, customers can conveniently and quickly make a reservation without the need to contact staff or fill out lengthy form fields.
- ratings and reviews - after each reservation you can answer some questions about your stay. Booking.com gives you the ability to rate staff, facilities, cleanliness, comfort etc. You can add photos and other comments to your review.
- mobile application - booking.com’s mobile application allows you to rent an apartment, get directions and plan your trip including popular tourist attractions.
Hoteliers features
- property management - you can register your property with a few simple clicks. Owners can add details like the number of rooms, beds, parking, meals available etc.
- booking management dashboard - if your property gets rented you will be informed via e-mail. Bookings can be confirmed or cancelled from the renter dashboard.
How to make money on a booking site?
There are three main business models used to generate revenue in travel agencies: advertising business model, merchant business model and agency business model. You can choose a dominant one, but also make use of others like Booking.com.
Advertising business model - TripAdvisor
In the case of TripAdvisor, the revenue is based on cost-per-click advertisements that are displayed on the website. Advert owners pay TripAdvisor a fee when a user clicks on the link, which redirects him/her to the advertiser’s website.
Merchant business model - Expedia
In this model, the travel website is a merchant and the bookings are made on the website itself. Those types of travel agencies buy a large number of hotels or hotel rooms to resell them from their website or application.
Agency business model - Booking.com
Booking.com is an example of an agency business model. In this model, the travel website is a connector between travellers and service providers and charges a commission for every transaction. Booking.com charges from 10% to 30% of each transaction made.
Booking.com bases 74% of its revenue on the agency business model, but also incorporates the merchant business model and advertising business model with 19% and 6.6% of revenue respectively.
What you should know before starting building a booking system?
When you are thinking about a new booking system you should first start with some investigation of the competition. You need to know what people want and what the market is lacking. Maybe travellers need more hotel rooms that allow pets? Or have special requirements when it comes to hypoallergenic beds?
Know your competitors
The current travel market has lots of solutions similar to Booking.com so you need to find a good niche to target. Booking.com currently competes with giants like TripAdvisor, AirBnB, HomeAway or Trivago.
You need to know your customers in order to succeed. This will help you find a group of people with similar needs. With knowledge like that, you can build the right marketing strategy and beat the competition. Maybe the target clients look for hotels with hot tubs? They can use HotelJacuzzi Or want to explore a particular region - they can go to Visit Australia or Life Elevated?
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” - Winston’s Churchill
Validate your idea
Having a startup may seem risky, but you should always have faith in your product. It will surely help to validate your idea before starting out and create a business plan. Some startups decide to outsource the development of their solution. An experienced team of engineers can definitely help you figure out the details. By contacting our Selleo team, you will gain answers to burning questions and get the estimation of the development time.
Offer discounts
When starting out, you will definitely face the problem of not having enough reviews and ratings. Most users like to use websites that have some credibility. Personally, I think a good idea is to offer premium access for the first few weeks or months with extra functionalities. You can also offer discounts and lower your prices. This will give you an opportunity to attract users and gain their trusts and loyalty.
How much does it cost to create a website like Booking.com?
This is a question that does not have a straightforward answer. The price depends on many factors like tools used, design, functionalities. The more complicated the website, the more hours will your developers spend creating it.
In addition to the complexity of the website, there are other factors that can affect the price of development. These include the experience level and location of the developers, as well as the size and scope of the project (e.g. booking software)
Why do startups fail?
Statistics show that startups fail within just 20 months. I am not saying this to scare you, but rather raise awareness about some of the most common issues.
An obvious reason for failure is the lack of innovation in your product. As I mentioned above, the market is full of booking solutions, so you have to come up with something one-of-the-kind. The second problem is a lack of money. This can also be fixed by preparing a business plan and a rough estimation of time and resources needed to build the final product.
Another issue that causes failure is poor marketing and having a user-unfriendly product. Your website should be easy to use and all marketing strategies should align with your business mission.
Ultimately, they key to building successful online booking systems is to provide a seamless and user-friendly experience that meets the need of both customers and businesses. By conducting thorough research, keeping up with industry trends and prioritizing customer satisfaction, you can develop a system that drives revenue and establishes a strong reputation in the travel industry.
Is it worth creating an online booking system?
Creating your own booking website can bring many benefits to a company, including:
- Enabling customers to make easy and convenient bookings online, which can contribute to increased sales;
- automating the booking process can streamline the work of staff, reducing the time and costs associated with manual data entry;
- 24/7 availability of the system allowing customers to make bookings at a convenient time, with the company's services;
- the reservation system allows for collecting customer data, which can help create more effective marketing strategies and better tailor offers to customers' needs. This can, in turn, lead to increased company profits.
In short, an online booking website is a good solution for everyone in the hospitality industry. A booking website system or a mobile app is a must-have for most companies and small-business owners and the benefits are promising.
If you're considering creating a booking website, think of the benefits you can get. Having a booking website can streamline the booking process for customers, making it easier and more convenient for them to reserve your services or products. This can result in increased sales and customer satisfaction.
Should I create my own booking system or outsource it to a software development company?
Whether you will create an online booking website on your own or outsource it to a software development company depends on a variety of factors, including your budget, time constraints, technical experience and specific requirements.
Creating your own booking website can be a challenging task that requires a significant investment of time, money, and resources. You will need to have a team of skilled developers and designers who can build and maintain the system, as well as an understanding of the technical requirement and industry standards for reservation systems. Additionally, you will need to consider the ongoing costs of hosting, maintenance and upgrades
Outsourcing the development of your online booking system to a software development company can be a more efficient and cost-effective option, especially if you do not have the necessary technical expertise in-house. A reputable software development company will provide you with a team of experienced developers and designers who can create a custom reservation system tailored to your specifications. They can also provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure the system remains up-to-date and functioning properly.
It may be beneficial to consult with a software development company to get an idea of the costs and feasibility of building your own website versus outsourcing. Ultimately, the decision will depend on your unique situation and priorities.
How to create a booking website for the travel industry in 4 steps?
Step 1: UX/UI
An interesting, yet easy and intuitive UX/UI is crucial in a good booking page. In this step, you should know your expectations. When talking to a development company they will definitely ask you to provide detailed information about your idea. Then you will create a mockup based on it.
Step 2: Back-end coding
A back-end developer will talk to you about the general architecture of the website. You should tell him about the features and fields necessary for making a reservation. The developers will create models/graphs of how everything should work. After your feedback and approvement, the coding will start. Although, the back-end is the part of the website that is not visible to the end-user it is crucial. Server validations, routes between pages, fields and security concerns. At Selleo, we are working based on Scrum - that way you will be regularly informed about the progress.
Step 3: Front-end coding
While the back-end is in progress (or even is done) and the design is ready, the front-end team will move the design into the code. Developers work closely with the graphic design team in order to deliver the best product possible. The code will be tested in the newest and most used browsers to ensure there are no bugs and problems with your product.
Step 4: Release time
When an application is done it will be pushed to some hosting (ie. AWS, Heroku) and your clients can start using it. Of course, the work does not end here - there is a lot of places what can be improved.
You should always strive to improve your website to keep up with the trends and answer your customers’ needs.
Conclusions
Creating your own “booking” page can be a daunting process but even with the amount of competition present on the market, new startups are constantly appearing.
There are three models of how you can earn money through travel websites: advertising, merchant, and agency. Of course, you can combine them in the same Booking.com is doing it.
Online booking systems should primarily feature a friendly and easy-to-use interface, a clear reservation system, easy filtering of options, as well as a high level of security for personal data and online payments. Additionally, it is important that the reservation system is scalable, meaning that it can be adapted to changing business needs and requirements.
Choosing one of the models will help with the development estimation and also give the development team some spectrum knowledge of your proposal and how to help you.
The Selleo team can create a fully working, great travel website for you from scratch. Our fully-fledged team of engineers can handle the front-end, back-end, UX/UI, QA, etc while giving you time to focus on other business processes.
Feel free to contact us and book a call!
