7 Easy Steps To Build A Hotel And Restaurant Booking App

Do you want to make things easier for people who want to book a hotel room or a table at a restaurant? With a mobile application for booking purposes, anyone would be able to reserve and arrange practically everything with just a few taps on the screen of their phone. Even a decade ago, no one could imagine that booking processes could become so convenient. Now, if you’re thinking about developing such an app, then this topic is a must-read for you.

Did you ever consider how long it takes from dreaming about a trip to experiencing it? Or, how much time does one need to choose a restaurant and enjoy a meal there? According to the researchers working with Google, two steps are more than enough. These steps, also called micro-moments, include planning and booking, and one doesn’t need anything more than mobile app development for restaurants and hotel booking. Indeed, with a booking application, you can convert your clients’ dreams into reality. Booking app development services are gaining momentum at a steady pace. Here you’ll learn how to create your own app using 7 simple steps.

The industry of tourism and hospitality is growing swiftly, propelled by healthy economic indicators in almost every country. The demand for corporate travel and restaurant booking for meetings is steadily on the rise. It’s also worth mentioning that the market consumer behavior gravitated towards mobile app development for restaurants and hotel booking. In the US alone, around 88% of the people prefer using an application to book hotel rooms or reserve tables at restaurants.

Booking a hotel room or a table at a restaurant through mobile applications made things easier, quicker, and more enjoyable for everyone. Additionally, applications designed by the best on-demand hotel and restaurant booking app development company are now more affordable and rewarding than ever. Researchers[1] claim that the worldwide market volume for online bookings will exceed $174 million in 2022.

Now, you always thought about hiring the services of an on-demand hotel and restaurant booking app development company. However, you never had any clue about what it can do. If that is the case, then you’ll find a few secrets concerning hotel and restaurant booking technology here.

About booking applications

Hotel or restaurant booking app platforms allow users to make reservations online. The popularity of these apps is rising due to the following facts.

• They are convenient because they save the user’s time.
• They are perfectly secure as the user’s privacy and financial info always remain under lock and key.
• They are incredibly cost-effective because they allow users to spot excellent deals and take advantage of loyalty programs.

Not only for hotels and restaurants

While most booking applications are for reserving hotel rooms or tables at restaurants, they can also help people book flights, taxis, holiday packages, cruises, etc. Sometimes, these applications can discover new travel destinations, places to explore nearby, insider secrets, reviews, stories, and more.

Not just a meta-search engine

Of course, travelers want to seek out the cheapest accommodation options offered by hotels and restaurants with incredible menus and ambiances. However, the applications used to gather information often lack a booking feature. This fault makes most apps nothing more than meta-search engines. That’s why you should aim to create something that has a booking feature apart from other specialties possessed by the most renowned mobile apps of today.

How to develop the app

Now you’ll find out how you can develop such an app. Regardless of the hotel booking mobile app development cost, there are two pathways for you to choose.

• You can delegate the entire app creation process to an app development agency for research and ideation, business analysis and UX, designing and prototyping, and developing and testing.
• Or, you can understand the fundamental concepts associated with the process and make informed decisions at every stage of the app creation.

The steps

• Essential features: First of all, you need to consider the essential features that your app should have. Since booking is its core purpose, the essential features will follow the user during his/her booking journey. Every user would want to search and evaluate all options, select something, and then make a booking. You should arrange the features to help them achieve their goal.

• Searching: A user is always ready to search for accommodations. If the inventory is large, then the search process would become cumbersome if not for specific initial parameters. These include,

• Destination
• Date
• Number of people
• Number of rooms (for hotels) or number of tables (for restaurants)

For last-minute bookings, the app should have a “Find hotels/restaurants near me” option that would utilize the GPS of the mobile device to pinpoint the best options.

• The results: Users see hotel and restaurant listings that match the initial parameters. The rating of the establishment and prices quoted will help them choose. Since they will have more than enough options at their disposal, they will need a filtration system that will help them separate the ones they need. Filtration systems allow a user to specify their preferences while sorting prioritizes the list instead of shortening it. Add an in-app map too, if possible.

 

• Booking: The payment gateway concludes the booking funnel. It leads the user through an easy and safe transaction through the app. Most apps give the user a chance to pay when then show up at the hotel lobby or restaurant counter. It’s the sign of a high-quality, client-centric application. After all, not everyone is comfortable with making online payments.

 

• Registration and login: This feature should be optional in the beginning, but once someone makes a booking, you can inform the individual about the extra benefits that come with completing the registration procedure. It would be easier for you to track a user’s activity and provide personalized information once the user chooses to complete the registration procedure.

 

• User profile: This particular feature is crucial to you if you want to see your users return for more. It stores and safeguards user information and booking history. You would be able to help them create wish-lists or choose languages, currencies, and more. It’s a place through which you would provide personalized offers.

 

• Cancellation: Generally, hotel and restaurant booking sites practice free cancellation policies that remain available until the last day. It attracts users, and so you must include it, even if it’s nothing more than a deal-breaker. Clients would be happy to know that they can change their mind if they want to. Then again, this feature complicates things for OTAs, hotel owners, and restaurants as most cancellations take place a day or two before the due date. Hence, the occupancy data inflates. Fortunately, some hoteliers have an anti-cancellation strategy.

Wrap Up

Now you know how to create a booking application through 7 steps. Of course, it would be better for you if you could include a few other features, even if it increases the hotel booking mobile app development cost. You should be able to gain more than you spend if users fall in love with your app. A few other features that you may add are a recommendation engine, room cost forecasting, dynamic pricing, instant messaging, social media links, vehicle renting, user stories, ratings and reviews, insider tips, online brochures, language and currency changing systems, etc.