Checkfront review by Cairns Holiday Homes

Overall, it's a terrific system. Discovering how good it is takes time and frustration. Going from manual pricing to online quoting taught me that the human brain can do things so much more easily than an automated system which has its limits. It took me a while to figure out what I could do and could not do in the pricing possibilities that I could offer. Having said that, the Checkfront system is pretty damn impressive in what it can do but a slog to find out the limitations.

Pros

The invoicing and notification system is excellent. It allows for a sequence of events - the initial request and removal of item from inventory, the paying of a deposit and the sending out of a reminder for the balance. It has also allowed us to record bookings that come from another listing site. The notification system is good but , as with with all automatic sequences, you need to think carefully before setting a sequence in train because the same message notification might not be right for everyone. It takes a lot of thought to set up the generic sequence that will most often be used. However, it is very easy to make adjustments to the message before it goes out.

Cons

Checkfront may be used more for booking tours rather than holiday homes but it's flexibility allows for many different set-ups. Therein lies the problem with regard to the help pages. They are quite helpful with regard to what any particular feature is but most examples tend to be about booking tours rather than accommodation. I spent a lot of time working out what I could do and how I should do it, more or less by trial and error. In some ways that is a good thing because I learnt so much more about the system by the sheer repetition of trying so many ways to do something. However, it would have saved me a lot of time to have some real examples of how to set up and overcome particular problems. So far, I have only two irritations with the software. One is the mobile phone app which could be much improved but is not actually a bother because I really do not need to carry my office in my pocket. The other is the Inventory calendar. I wish I could highlight the row that I am working on because it is very easy to start making alterations to the wrong row. I also wish that I could highlight a period of time to add or remove a property from inventory. You can only do that one day at a time which is tedious and non-intuitive. There are other ways round this and perhaps there is a good programming reason for the limitation.

Best small-medium hotel booking system I've come across...

Bookings for different room types, transport and activities is made easy through using Checkfront. I dont have to worry about double bookings and I know exactly who's coming in and out of my resort, even when I'm not there. My staff find it easy to use and we are able to amend things quickly and easily. For the customer it's also very clear to book what they are looking for.

Pros

Ease of navigation and clear information layout especially on a laptop.

Cons

Sometimes find a few features a little tricky to get my head around on my own but that doesnt matter because the customer support is amazing and they always find a solution.

Review on behalf of Haliburton Forest

Overall we have been very satisfied. We have been able to relieve some of the stress from the office by having online reservations available and allowing for customers to book for themselves.

Pros

Ease of use. There are a few things that should be addressed, but overall ease of use has been fantastic.

Cons

Certain features need some work or need to become available for better functionality.

Overall Poor, but with Some Plus Points

Pros

Checkfront is fairly easy to use and offers you the possibility to set it up for a multitude of product types, such as transportation, restaurant reservations and experiences. The ability for customers to pay directly on an invoice with various payment methods is neat. For a small business, Checkfront does the job.

Cons

Reporting is poor and does not offer many customisation options. Not being able to assign a guide for an experience shows that this software lacks basic functionality. Employee scheduling in such an app is a must. It doesn't have to replace an employee scheduling software, but one should be able to directly assign an employee to an item on the schedule. The widgets on the dashboard didn't really provide relevant information for day-to-day operations. The daily summary list does not offer a great overview on the day's happenings and looks rather messy. Customer support was very average, more often than not. I never really felt that Checkfront took an interest in our business. We were planning on adding more than 10 users and were asked to pay a large sum, yearly and in advance. At this point, we decided it was time to move on.

My Experience with Checkfront

I operate a charter yacht in the USVI. Checkfront is my booking calendar if record. I use it to manage availability, and as a direct booking channel. I've stayed with Checkfront for the past two years because it meets most all my needs at a reasonable price point. The addition of tipping functionality is important to me. It will likely drive my purchasing decision in the future, as I shift towards a daysailing business from a term charter operation.

Pros

The software meets most of my expectations. I especially appreciate the flexibility I have when setting up inventory items. Perhaps more important is the quality of support you provide. Each time that I have had a need to reach out, my inquiry was handled by a knowledgeable and concerned person, who rapidly resolved my challenge and typically taught me something along the way. Thank you.

Cons

My biggest issue with the service is that my clients don't have the option to tip while they are checking out. As a service provider, tipping is critical, especially for the crew. If the client was presented with the option to add a tip, I know that my income would increase significantly, perhaps 10%+