Lodgify
Bed and Breakfast Software
Compare All Bed and Breakfast Software
ThinkReservations
ThinkReservations
ThinkReservations provides a fast, professional and comprehensive property management system (PMS) for independent lodging businesses. With a blend of business management solutions, integrated payment processing, US-based cus...Read more
Little Hotelier
Little Hotelier
Trusted by more small, independent properties around the world than any other provider, Little Hotelier is the hotel platform that lets you easily attract more guests, take direct bookings online, understand how your business is p...Read more
Innkeeper's Advantage
Innkeeper's Advantage
Innkeeper’s Advantage is an integrated cloud-based reservation and hospitality property management solution designed for bed and breakfasts, boutique inns and more. Key features include front office management, marketing managemen...Read more
Software pricing tips
Read our Bed and Breakfast Software Buyers GuideSubscription models
- Per employee/per month: This model allows you to pay a monthly fee for each of your employees.
- Per user/per month: Users pay a monthly fee for users—normally administrative users—rather than all employees.
Perpetual license
- This involves paying an upfront sum for the license to own the software and use it indefinitely.
- This is the more traditional model and is most common with on-premise applications and with larger businesses.
Rated best value for money
SiteMinder
SiteMinder
The hotel commerce platform with everything you need to succeed as a modern accommodation business. Sell, market, manage and grow your hotel – from one place. Our platform includes; a channel manager, online booking engine, hotel...Read more
ConvertDirect Booking Engine
ConvertDirect Booking Engine
STAAH ConvertDirect Booking Engine is a cloud-based booking solution for hotels, bed and breakfasts, motels, campgrounds and resorts of all sizes. It offers conversion tracking, a mobile-responsive interface and a rate-tracking to...Read more
ReservationKey
ReservationKey
ReservationKey is a cloud-based reservation management solution designed for hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts and other vacation rental businesses. Key features include a mobile-friendly user interface, calendar management, built-...Read more
Base7booking
Base7booking
Base7booking is a cloud-based property management program designed for the hospitality industry. The solution is accessible from any mobile device. The program is suitable for running a single property or multiple locations simult...Read more
Popular Bed and Breakfast Software Comparisons
Buyers Guide
Last Updated: May 17, 2022Recent 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
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.
An example of an online booking engine, provided by innRoad
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:
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Reservation management and front desk |
Provides a color-coded calendar view to manage and edit bookings and check guests in and out. |
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Online booking engine (OBE) |
Allows guests to book reservations at your property directly from your website. |
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Housekeeping management |
Manages any housekeeping staff, assigns tasks and tracks the status of each room or unit. |
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Collects contact, payment and preferences about guests for use in marketing strategies. |
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Allows B&Bs to complete transactions for bookings, food and drinks, room service, retail or other incidentals. |
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Manages any maintenance staff, assigns work orders and tracks completed work. |
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Website management |
Allows users to customize their website and OBE with brand logos and colors, as well as specific landing pages. |
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Reporting |
Generates reports regarding revenue, booking or customer data to reveal trends or problems. |
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.