Summer is on its way and more and more people are going online to book their Summer holiday. We have come across a large number of holiday property owners who are still not taking bookings online.

Many property owners are opposed to taking bookings online for reasons such as; they would rather talk to their guests, they feel they get enough bookings without it or they simply just don’t have the facility to do so. We have put together a short list of advantages of giving users the ability to book their stay online:

• Firstly and most importantly, it is an additional avenue to take bookings. Yes some people may prefer to call you up and book over the phone, but by having an online booking system you aren’t preventing these people from doing that. There is a market of people who may not consider booking a stay at your property if they can’t do it there and then by simply clicking a ‘Book Today’ button.
   
• Your business is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By giving users the ability to book their stay through your website you are not limiting them to office hours. If a customer wants to book their holiday at 11pm on a Wednesday night they no longer need to wait until the next morning when it is an acceptable time to call.
   
• You're not tied to a phone. If somebody tries to get hold of you over the phone and it's engaged or unavailable, what's to say that they won't move on to their second choice?  By providing online booking functionality you can relax knowing that your business doesn’t shut down the second you’re unavailable to speak on the phone. You can be notified by text message or email of the booking instantly, making you aware of the dates and the customers details.
   
• Minimize your workload. You don't need to wait around in case somebody wants to book a stay at your property, your booking system could manage your availability for you whilst you go out for they day!
   
• You don’t lose the personal touch. If anything online bookings actually further connect you with customers. They’ve explored your site to find out who you are and explore your property. You have all their contact details, there’s nothing stopping you from calling them up and talking them through the check-in process, asking them if they want a hamper on arrival etc.

We are often asked by property owners 'Should I take bookings online?' and the way we look at it is that by taking bookings online you will never get any less bookings and will almost always increase your booking volume. If you're interested in having a SCRUMPY website, then please do not hesitate to contact us and we'll be more than happy to help get you set up!