In this evolving era where technology is designed to help and simplify day-to-day life, the hotel industry has also undergone a lot of transformation. With the rise of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and the increasing demand for seamless booking experiences, hoteliers have started to recognize the value of prioritizing direct bookings. Hence, this is where a powerful tool - Hotel Booking Engine exists and plays a crucial role in driving direct bookings, connecting with the guests directly, and ultimately enhancing guests' satisfaction. 

Ever wondered how hotels effortlessly manage bookings and keep everything in sync? The secret lies in two powerful tools – hotel booking engines and channel managers.  While the Property Management System (PMS) also plays a vital role in this choreography, my focus in this blog post will be exclusively on the dynamic duo of booking engines and channel managers as they team up to streamline the booking process, maximize room occupancy, and elevate overall guest satisfaction. 

In May 2023, the Malaysian Inland Revenue Board (IRB) officially declared its intention to implement the new electronic invoicing (e-invoice) system, starting with the initial phase targeting 4,000 businesses. The implementation is scheduled to start on 1st Aug 2024 for businesses achieving an annual sales threshold of RM100 million. 

~Updated on 19th February 2024~

In response to the recent announcement in Malaysia's Budget 2024 presented in Parliament, a significant development is on the horizon that may cast a substantial impact on the hotel industry. There is an increase in the Sales & Services Tax (SST) from the current 6% to 8% which will take effect from 1st March 2024. 

In many countries, including the Philippines, hotels often collect various taxes and fees from their guests. These taxes are typically imposed by the government and are meant to generate revenue for local or national purposes. The specific taxes and fees can vary, but one of the common taxes collected by Hotels in the Philippines is Value Added Tax (VAT). 

Below are the Frequestionly Asked Questions (FAQs) related to VAT: 

If you are tired of sifting through a mountain of emails every morning, this simple technique will help you stay organized and ensure that important messages don't go unnoticed. 

Many guests, especially the regulars, call the host to make a booking. This is good for the business. However, the host will end up answering tons of phone inquiries regardless of the time. Having the option to book online gives many advantages that are not only beneficial to you as the host, but to your customers as well.

After Airbnb went public listed, they are on a drive to increase their revenue. That is why the removal of guest service charges and moves to a 15% host commission model - up from 3% commission. Rising commission to the property is nothing new since most of the OTAs do so to the hotels over the years. Airbnb might follow the path to success set forth by other OTAs. The more hotel relies on OTAs, the harder for them to say "No" to the hike in commission. That's why many hotels focus on "direct booking" now to reduce their reliance on OTAs. On the other hand, the hike in commission is inevitable. After all, it's getting more costly for OTAs to distribute your Airbnb (or your room) because most of them are competing to sell to the same group of customers (fixed demand).

There are three ways to keep your Airbnb calendar in sync with the Booking.com calendar. In this article, we will talk about the pros and cons of each. The vacation rental industry has become more popular, and it's now even more competitive. If you are the property owner or operator that wanted to grow your Airbnb business, you need to consider getting your property listed on more than one platform other than the Airbnb app. By advertising the property through multiple channels, there is a high possibility to reach more audiences around the world. It gives more opportunities to generate more bookings.

You love how OTA’s brings your hotel in with more exposure, but you wish you don’t have to pay them a very high commission. Here are a few tips to implement that will help you increase direct bookings in your website without needing to share your revenue with others.

If you haven't read our article about Hotel PMS, I highly recommend you do so. From there, I believe you will be able to understand what PMS is all about and what are the essential features that Hotel PMS should have.