Steps to Develop a Hotel Booking App: Types, Features, and Cost Estimations 2024 [Updated]

Last updated on December 28th, 2023

We’re all familiar with these brands and should not undervalue the success of the major companies in the field of e-travel like Airbnb, Booking.com, etc. These companies have significantly contributed to the industry’s rapid growth through the use of innovative strategies for business and the latest technology.

It is unlikely that the coronavirus will stop this growth. Statista predicts that the tourism and travel industry will be expected to earn $716.80 billion in revenue by 2022. The largest market segment is hotels and is expected to earn $348 billion by 2022.

Another important point to be noted is the fact that mobile apps are essential to the rapid evolution of the internet which is happening to offer an easy and hassle-free service to anyone and anyone.

The above-mentioned figures and the fast digital revolution happening across all industries make obvious why the creation of an app that allows hotel bookings is crucial to take advantage of the many opportunities available in the tourism and travel sector.

Many experts in the hospitality industry are keen to create an app that allows hotel reservations on demand. Furthermore, numerous startups are also joining the race.

This blog is designed for you if you’re looking to make use of a highly efficient application to get into the industry of hotel booking. It will aid you in understanding the process and the various aspects of hotel booking app development. It will also teach you about the main characteristics and the various kinds of hotel app development.

The Advantages of a Hotel Booking App

Benefits for hoteliers:

• Being able to consistently find guests is among the primary advantages of booking applications for hotels. Hotels that are smaller and only operate during the busiest times of the year could still draw guests all through the year.
• Automated cost estimations for accommodation and room service are made through an app for booking hotels which significantly reduces the risk of making mistakes.
• To ensure a great customer experience booking application allows hotel managers to discover new markets as well as draw clients, connect with customers, and advertise the brand of their hotel. This makes check-in and checkout procedures simpler for guests, making the guests likely to remain at your hotel and also recommend it to other guests.

Benefits for users:

• Hotel booking applications can search for all hotels in the area under one roof.
• Users can easily select the right hotel based on factors such as location, price facilities, and time of check-in and out.
• Hotel booking apps users can assess hotels by analyzing hotel information as well as photos of rooms.
• Hotel reservation apps might be able to choose from a range of payment options to select from, such as cash, debit and credit card cash transfers, in-app payments or online banking, and even cash payments at check-in.

Types of Hotel Booking Apps

Being aware of the kind of hotel booking app you will need for anyone who wants to create an app to book hotels. You should have a clear concept of what you will offer customers as well as what features in the hotel booking app you want to incorporate within your application.

Some of the most basic types of hotel booking apps include:

Hotel Consolidator App

The main purpose of these apps is to collect details about hotels and make them available to the users. Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Hotels.com, etc. are just only a few examples.

1. Mobile Apps for Hotel Chains

A particular hotel chain or hotel is the primary focus of this particular type of booking application that is designed to only allow reservations for rooms within the hotel chain. Hilton Honors and Marriott Gold are two examples.

2. Apps for Last-Minute Hotel Booking

This kind of application is great for you if one of your clients wants to book a last-minute hotel booking. Customers who make last-minute plans for travel will be able to access an option to book a hotel with these kinds of applications for booking hotels.

3. Apps for Hotel Booking in Advance

You can book rooms using this kind of hotel booking application all the way to a year’s advance. A lot of hotel booking applications, such as Priceline and Expedia follow this standard hotel booking model.

4. Hybrid Hotel Booking App

The app type allows customers to book ahead and also on very short notice via their mobile applications for hotels. This is why the style can be described as a hybrid that combines the advantages of both types of customers.

Hotel Booking App Development Process

Before beginning the development of the hotel booking app it is essential to follow a list of steps to follow when developing the hotel booking app MVP, or the minimum viable product. It is impossible to skip any important element of the plan if you adhere to the steps listed below, starting with market research and then gathering feedback from customers and changing the app in line with the feedback.

• Examine the market for travel on the internet
• Create your competitor list
• Finish the app distribution area
• Define your unique value proposition
• Make a list of the features that should be included in MVP
• Delegate the task to an experienced and reputable app development company such as iTechnolabs
• Keep up-to-date with the app the development process based on objectives and expectations
• Be involved throughout the development process from beginning to end
• Regularly meet in conjunction with development teams in order to make sure that your team is implementing the correct company vision.
• Develop the marketing plan
• Send your app’s message to your public
• Gather feedback from your customers, review the idea, increase the size, and then create new functions.

The outline above of the actions to take will help you follow an exact route. The MVP developed using these steps can be used in the next stage to improve and expand the features.

There are two options for the development of hotel booking apps: templates-based, ready-to-use software as well as customized software.

To make it easy to launch the app to book hotels it is a straightforward procedure to use software that is ready to use could be useful. But, one of the problems that comes with ready-to-use software is the possibility that your competition is employing the exact same templates therefore you won’t have the unique advantage that using a custom-designed design gives you.

In addition, you often pay for features you do not require for your business. On the opposite, you are spending cash on features that you need to grow your business. A customized hotel booking app can help you with all these problems since you will receive an app designed according to the specific requirements of your business.

Steps to Develop a Hotel Booking App

Let’s now go over the whole development process involved in creating an app for hotel reservations that is custom in greater detail.

1. Project details for the Gathering

The first step is to collect and organize the project’s details. Collect the technical requirements to create a development plan with specific specifications. The wireframe is created by UI/UX for each screen.

2. UI/UX design

Based on wireframes, the design team UI/UX creates the screen prototype which is based on specifications and the development goals.

3. Development process

At this point, the prototype screen has been created into a functional application according to guidelines. At iTechnolabs, each stage of development is broken down into sprints that comprise testing, coding, and deployment.

4. Quality assurance

It is now time to test your product. The responsibility is that of the QA engineer. Bug reports are created on the test results and then returned to the development team in order to solve the problems.

5. Release of the product

The final products are available after fixing bugs and putting on the final polish. The app is ready to launch on the market. After launch, the team collects feedback and improves the app on the basis of the feedback.

6. App support

Updating and maintenance is a process that is regular for continuous improvement in the end product.

The steps mentioned above seem simple, but they take a lot of time and effort. It is essential that all committed resources work together to create a successful customized hotel booking application.

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Must-Have Features of a Hotel Booking App

The foundation of a hotel app’s creation process is the feature. The best features of the booking app allow it to be easy to use and ensure an image of trustworthiness for the brand.

This is why we have compiled an overview of features that will make your app more popular with visitors.

1. Search options

Users can obtain exact information about the hotel’s amenities and facilities through the search feature. Your app’s primary functions revolve around the search feature and its capabilities. This feature is utilized by all hotel app users. Make sure that the process of searching is designed to be as swift, easy, straightforward, and as user-friendly as possible.

Based on Statista according to Statista, searching is the primary reason why people make use of mobile apps for travel.

2. Hotel information

The traveler should have a closer view of the hotel as well as its rooms prior to making a reservation. A description, a few images review as well as social media sites, and more. These should all be part of the application. Hotels, hotel suites and hallways, and other areas could be shown in dynamic visualizations and immersive films using 360-degree photos.

3. Filters

Users can filter the results according to their personal needs. Users can enter an appropriate price level or the desired rating range. It is possible to display all deals using this sorting method, however, the order they are displayed can be altered. Customers might, for example, prefer to look at hotels with the most favorable reviews or rooms with the lowest prices first.

4. Customer Service (Chatbot)

If you activate a chatbot within your application and ensure your customers that you’re always available to help them. Chatbots are a great way to help customers. Chatbot lets users contact customer support in the event that they encounter any issues. Customer support can resolve the problem and provide the user with an amazing user experience.

5. Notifications, push alerts

The traveler demands a speedy response from the app for booking particularly when using last-minute booking options. The app you develop for hotel booking must include a real-time alert system for visitors and hotels. Alongside confirmation of reservations and notifications, the app could also inform users of check-in/out times, rate changes, interruptions, and so on. It may also promote special offers or deals in the restaurant of the hotel and inform guests about scheduled activities and upcoming events when they’re there.

6. Automatic recognition of language and conversion of currencies

Mobile devices have speeded up and made it easier to pay those seeking a wide range of payment options. Check that your hotel reservation application is linked to a reliable payment processor. Paying in real-time is feasible, and private user cards such as credit and debit information are secured. When the information for payment is entered only once and stored within the app, a face ID or touch ID will ensure that subsequent bookings are quick and secure. Customers should also not have any issues utilizing their reward points, coupons, bonus, and promotions.

7. A estimate of accommodation and travel expenses

We are unable to provide a guarantee on the costs of lodging and travel as they are constantly changing. In the creation of an algorithm that is able to take into account seasonal variations, demand, and growth, discounts and offers, and deals on airline tickets are no more a hassle because of the wealth of historical information. Your application could make use of an algorithm that uses predictive analytics to aid customers in finding flights at a lower cost and hotel rooms.

8. Receipt for payment

The client will require confirmation of the reservation after they have made it. Customer can track their booking information by getting an automatically generated receipt sent to them by email or mobile phone.

9. Reservations for taxis and cars

Users don’t need to use a separate app for booking taxis due to this feature being available within your application. When using the app for hotel booking, the user can make a request for a taxi by giving the drop-off and pick-up places. Requests will only be approved in the event that a driver is on hand at the nearest pick-up place, and the customer will receive a confirmation.

10. Cancellation policy

Customers are covered by cancellation charges during bookings. They can cancel their reservations in case there is an emergency. It is possible that people will not appreciate the hotel booking application without cancellation guidelines since they may think it’s limiting. Your cancellation policy must be flexible. Also, you should include an option to refund if cancellations occur.

11. Reliable in-app payments

Your hotel booking application development should incorporate an automated system for identifying languages when you have a global customer base. It allows you to provide your customers with a personalized experience. If a user is logged into your application from Spain then a pop-up notification that reads “This app is currently in English. Would you like to change to Spanish or Spanish?” ought to be displayed on the app’s screen.

In addition to the automatic detection of languages and currency exchange, this is an important feature. It can reduce the amount of stress traveler face when they travel to a foreign country.

Cost Estimates for Developing a Hotel Booking App

The cost of hotel app development is contingent on many factors, such as:

• Booking app type
• The number of features required
• The project’s complexity
• Operating system. This could comprise iOS as well Android as well as both
• The process of developing the mobile application (native or cross-platform)
• Essential technologies (languages libraries, frameworks, languages, AI, VR, etc. ).
• Team structure
• The costs for deployment and support.

The quantity of staff you require, which can depend on the application design, its features, and the complexity of the project, should be taken into consideration when calculating the total cost of developing a hotel booking app.

It’s extremely difficult to estimate the exact price of developing an application. But, it can be generally believed that the price can range from $20k up to $40k. It also depends on the amount of man-hours needed to develop the application. Below are estimates of hourly rates that developers are asked to pay in the areas mentioned:-

Based on the basic hotel booking features mentioned above, creating the MVP is expected to take three to four months of work and costs a minimum of $20,000. Based on the type of technology chosen for the development of the mobile hotel app It could cost just a bit less or more.

If you are planning to create a fully-featured hotel booking system with sophisticated features, keep in mind that it’s likely to cost at minimum US $25,000 and can take anywhere between seven and nine months to build.

How to Monetize a Hotel Booking App?

Let’s get to the main point – how can you make profits by selling the app? There’s a lot of time spent thinking about, planning, and developing the application. It is logical to make money off it. Let’s look into the strategy of monetization.

• Service Fees – When you make a reservation through the application, a cost can be imposed on the transaction. The majority of travel websites charge fees for services such as Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Booking.com, and many others.
• Marketplace – You can collect fees for hotels that would like to be listed within your mobile app.
• Marketing – The most widely employed method. Hotels may pay to promote your site in order that they will be able to achieve a spot in the top rankings in results for searches.
• Subscription – If you offer subscriptions, you are able to offer additional options, discounts, and discounts to your customers.

Develop a Robust hotel booking App with experts!

The most current standards in the tourism and hospitality industries are, without doubt, the ones from using the Internet as well as mobile phones. Additionally, a variety of technological advancements are transforming the industry. It is essential to trust the development of your hotel booking app with a seasoned team.

iTechnolabs excels in creating applications for booking hotels that incorporate all the features you can think of. We have a responsibility to please our clients as the most reputable company for developing travel apps.

We are able to assist you in creating a successful hotel booking app that requires lots of work and expert advice from experts. With our knowledge and experience and your suggestions, we will help you take your hotel’s business to new levels.

Do you Want to Develop a Hotel Booking App with iTechnolabs?

The widespread use of mobile devices offers hospitality companies the opportunity to communicate with and assist customers throughout their journey. By using hotel booking apps, you’ll be able to grow your business and attract new customers who don’t want to spend time booking reservations using the traditional method.

We hope that you enjoyed reading this post and have provided you with more information on how to Develop a Hotel Booking App.