Bed and Breakfast Software

Buyers guide

Recent forecasts show the travel industry shows no signs of slowing down: U.S. consumer spending on travel is projected to grow by about $1 billion every year through 2022.

As a manager of a bed and breakfast (B&B), you have an opportunity to seize a portion of these bookings with a unique and personal experience, and software is necessary to compete in today's digital landscape. However, navigating the hundreds of options available for lodging providers can be overwhelming.

Hotel management and property management solutions offer a lot of value, but it's important to find vendors that can provide a specific set of functionality designed for the challenges of operating a B&B. This guide is designed to help you understand the features, benefits and other considerations of bed and breakfast software before you start evaluating.

In this guide, we'll cover:

What Is Bed and Breakfast Software?
Common Features of Bed and Breakfast Software
Benefits of Bed and Breakfast Software
Key Considerations
Recent Events You Should Know About

What Is Bed and Breakfast Software?

B&B software has, as you may expect, many of the same features as a traditional hotel management system, and with the same goal of running an efficient, clean, profitable lodging business that can reach hundreds of thousands potential guests across the globe.

Managing reservations, scheduling cleanings, completing transactions, curating how your property is marketed online and other functions are core features of B&B software. Full hotel management systems usually include more features, like maintenance management work order systems or advanced analytics.

Smaller companies may not need these features, but you can choose to add more functionality as you grow. Modern hospitality management vendors capabilities are designed to help companies scale with additional modules for more sophisticated management.

Common Features of Bed and Breakfast Software

B&B software shares many of the same features as hotel management systems to accept reservations, handle front desk activities, manage housekeeping and track information about guests. Vendors can offer a customized system with a combination of the following features:

Benefits of Bed and Breakfast Software

Bed and breakfast software provides many of the same time and cost-saving benefits as a standard hotel management system, including:

• Increased organization and automation. Many smaller hospitality companies use old spreadsheets or paper calendars to manage their reservations and finances. Even if your volume of guests is low, software gives you time to leverage your unique characteristics by removing busy work and automating daily tasks.
• Data-driven personalization. As your guests check-in, you can collect details about their trip, interests and demographic information to store in the system that you can use to personalize marketing materials. Create a memorable experience by using this data to improve their experience during the stay as well.
• Greater marketing reach. In a world where online travel agencies (OTAs) regularly grab the top results when travelers are searching online, independent hoteliers and lodging providers must market their property online to ensure people can find them. Bed and breakfast systems usually include a connection to the Global Distribution System (GDS), allowing you to manage information about your property on multiple channels.

Key Considerations

When evaluating bed and breakfast software vendors, it's important to understand a couple of key factors that can make a significant impact on the system's long-term value and affordability:

Mobility capabilities to remotely manage property. Software vendors for nearly every industry are introducing native mobile apps or web-based versions of their systems for smartphones and tablets, and hospitality is no different. If you tend to be away from the property or have multiple properties to manage in different areas, you can use your mobile device to keep track of important changes in real-time, no matter where you are.

Deployment options for varying levels of control. Cloud-based software changed the way companies buy and use technology, but it's not preferred for all businesses. When reviewing products, inquire about how the vendor services cloud-based systems and decide whether you need to keep your data on-premises. For most hospitality companies, a cloud-based system is a common choice for flexibility and lower upfront cost.

Recent Events You Should Know About

The travel industry must adapt to the ever-changing trends of travelers worldwide to remain competitive and attract the most lucrative types of guests. Here are some recent trends to keep in mind:

Millennial travelers likely to choose bed and breakfast over a hotel. Millennials have been the demographic to attract for many years, and a recent travel survey confirms that this group is especially important for B&Bs: Millennials are about 21 percent more likely to rent a private house instead of a traditional hotel.

Airbnb partnership helps B&Bs list properties easily. Late last year, Airbnb partnered with the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals and reservation system vendor ThinkReservations to make it simpler for B&Bs share roomson the platform, giving these companies greater reach into the market.

Experiential and solo travel expected to increase. The purpose of travel is changing. Many still seek an upscale hotel and expensive cuisine, but many more are looking for a memorable experience (sometimes all by themselves). Bed and breakfasts are particularly positioned to offer a unique experience, whether it's your historic property or natural and cultural features nearby.