Steps in online booking:

Still recording reservations on paper?
Record them in your computer instead. Then you can slice and dice your guest records to send out well-targeted mailings. BookingCenter has simple-to-use software for even the smallest B&B.

Get a website
The basic reason for having a web site is to give online visitors your phone number. If you don't mind publicising your email address, you can add that too. Put them on every page. Then get listed in local travel directories. That's the first step.

Post room availability
If you've inhouse software like BookingCenter, add a "Check availability" button to your site to show visitors what rooms you've still available. Helps them, they can pick rooms you've still available. Helps you, cuts down on fruitless phone conversations when you're full and frantically busy. Set BookingCenter to go online every few hours to update your availability display automatically.

Take bookings on your site
Have BookingCenter add to your site a form that can take bookings for you, and they'll email or fax you the details. Ask people for credit card information, and now you're getting firm online bookings. Credit card information has to be retained on a server, you go online to copy it down. Or set up a merchant account, and payment can be taken for you. When BookingCenter takes online bookings for you, the details can be downloaded into your reservation records automatically. So you can take bookings using BookingCenter by phone and online without fear of double booking.

Have other sites send you bookings
Want to have other sites send you visitors? In your copy of BookingCenter, set them up as an "agent" and give them a special link to your site. BookingCenter will keep track of bookings their visitors make, and you can pay them commission.

Get bookings from travel networks
You can do this with entire networks of travel sites. They can link to you, and send you visitors. BookingCenter can distribute your information to these networks--the WorldRes network, for example. BookingCenter has to charge you their 15% commission, but you can adjust your pricing on this network.

Appear on the GDS
At present, the GDS is as far as any lodging can go with online booking! Major chains use the GDS to take bookings from 600,000 travel agents worldwide. You pay even more for bookings here, but again you can adjust your pricing.

With BookingCenter, we can help you every step of the way.

Shaun Johnston Design, Ltd.
723 Springtown Road, Tillson, NY 12486
(845) 658-8270