A booking website lets travelers choose their dates, see what is available and book, often pay, without leaving the accommodation’s own website. For the business, this is direct selling: a booking taken on its own website does not go through a platform, so it carries none of the platform’s commission. Here are eight booking websites that we have created, with the booking engine of each, to see what this looks like and what can be borrowed for a hotel, a holiday cottage, a bed and breakfast or a rental.
What a booking website should include
Whatever the engine chosen, the websites that get people to book have the same things in common.
- Dates from the home page. A search bar over the opening photo, a calendar or an always-visible “Book” button: visitors should not have to look for how to book.
- Availability and prices for their dates. Travelers choose their dates and the number of guests, and see what is free, with the price of the stay.
- Clear online payment. Payment of the stay or a deposit, according to the property’s rules, with a confirmation message and an email at the end of the booking.
- Answers to hesitations. Cancellation terms, secure payment, parking, pets, amenities: better to show them next to the booking button than on a hidden page.
- A simple path on a phone. Dates, photos and payment have to stay simple to use with a thumb.
- Your customers’ languages. The site and the booking path in the languages of your real clientele: French and English at a minimum, German, Spanish or Italian as the case may be.
Which booking engine to choose?
The booking engine is the part of the site that shows availability, calculates the price and records the booking. There are two routes: the Booky booking engine, or an external engine integrated into the site.
The Booky booking engine
Booky is designed for hotels of up to about twenty rooms, holiday cottages, bed and breakfasts and apartments. Your website itself carries the booking: your customers choose their dates, book and pay with you, with an online payment or deposit. Calendars can be synchronized with the platforms (Booking, Airbnb, Homelidays…) to avoid double bookings, and all bookings, those of the site as well as those of the platforms, are found on a single dashboard. Seasonal rates and stay rules (arrival days, minimum length) are set in the same place. Bookings taken with Booky carry no commission. The first two examples below use it.
An external engine, integrated into the site
If you already work with an engine linked to your channel manager, or if the property is larger, we integrate that engine into your site and style it in your colors. The examples that follow use Amenitiz, Direct-Book, D-Edge, Misterbooking and Reservit. We have detailed the integration of several engines: D-Edge, Reservit, Misterbooking, Octorate and Eviivo (the Reservit, Misterbooking and Octorate pages are in French). To choose, see also the comparison of booking engines (in French).
8 examples of online booking websites
Each card shows the home page of the site as it appears today on a desktop computer, with the booking engine used and the languages offered. Where the site is in our portfolio, the “Our project (in French)” link details it.
Villa Arty Riviera
Villa with pool · Saint-Paul-de-Vence
The search bar sits on the large opening photo: arrival date, departure date, guests, children, then “Chercher” (Search). At the top of the screen, the phone number and a “Réservation” (Booking) button stay visible. A “Tarifs et disponibilités” (Rates and availability) page repeats the date search and also offers a contact form. Booking is handled by the Booky engine: the traveler books with the host, with no commission.
Key takeaways
- Date search directly on the home photo.
- Phone number and “Réservation” button fixed in the header.
- Type
- Rental villa
- Location
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes (France)
- Booking
- Booky (the agency’s booking engine)
- Languages
- French, English
Location Normandie
Holiday houses · Veules-les-Roses and Vasterival
Two upscale houses, Belle Rive in Veules-les-Roses and Les Colombines in Vasterival, presented on a website in five languages. A “Réserver maintenant” (Book now) button stays at the top of the page, the menu has a “Réserver en ligne” (Book online) tab and a “Cherchez des disponibilités” (Look for availability) block sits just under the opening photo. Bookings go through Booky.
Key takeaways
- A fixed booking button and a date search block from the home page.
- The site exists in five languages, including German and Italian.
- Type
- Holiday houses
- Location
- Veules-les-Roses, Seine-Maritime (France)
- Booking
- Booky (the agency’s booking engine)
- Languages
- French, English, German, Italian, Spanish
Manoir de la Croix Saint-Louis
Guest house · Taingy
Over the photo of the manor, the site lists what reassures before booking: air-conditioned rooms, secure payment, cancellation according to the terms, secure parking, heated outdoor pool. The phone number is at the top of the page and a “Réservation” (Booking) button stands out in the menu. Booking goes through the Amenitiz engine, integrated into the site, and a selector lets visitors change language.
Key takeaways
- The reassurance arguments (secure payment, cancellation terms) are next to the button.
- A “Réservation” button in a different color in the menu.
- Type
- Guest house
- Location
- Taingy, Yonne (France)
- Booking
- Amenitiz
- Languages
- French, English, Italian, Spanish
Mieux Qu’à L’hôtel
Love rooms with private jacuzzi · Bordeaux
Love rooms with a private jacuzzi, introduced by a large dark photo and a mood title. At the top of the page: “paiement sécurisé” (secure payment), legal notices and terms and conditions. The “Réserver en direct au meilleur tarif” (Book direct at the best rate) button is on the photo; just below, a “Trouvez votre hébergement” (Find your accommodation) block with the dates and the number of adults. Booking goes through the Amenitiz engine.
Key takeaways
- The “Réserver en direct” (Book direct) message puts booking on the website itself, with no intermediary.
- A date search block under the home photo.
- Type
- Love rooms
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde (France)
- Booking
- Amenitiz
- Languages
- French, English, Spanish
Espace Acu-Nature
Holiday cottages and wellness center · southern Finistère
Charming holiday cottages in southern Finistère, combined with a wellness center: the menu separates the cottages, the treatments and the stays. The “Réserver un gîte” (Book a cottage) button is in the middle of the opening photo, with a “Réservation” (Booking) button in the header and a “Réserver en direct” (Book direct) link in the top band. Booking goes through the Direct-Book engine, and the site exists in English.
Key takeaways
- Three calls to book are visible as soon as the page opens.
- A menu that separates the accommodation and the wellness treatments.
- Type
- Holiday cottages and wellness
- Location
- Saint-Evarzec, Finistère (France)
- Booking
- Direct-Book
- Languages
- French, English
Le Neige & Roc
Hotel, restaurant and spa · Morzine-Avoriaz
Thirty rooms, an indoor and an outdoor pool, a spa, a restaurant, a shop: there is a lot to show. The home page opens on a photo of the snow-covered resort at nightfall, with a single button in the center to see availability. The rest waits in the menu.
Key takeaways
- A single call to action in the opening photo, then a “Réserver” (Book) tab fixed to the edge of the screen.
- The ancillary services (spa, restaurant, shop) each have their place in the menu.
- Type
- Resort hotel and spa
- Location
- Morzine-Avoriaz, Haute-Savoie (France)
- Booking
- D-Edge
- Languages
- French, English, Spanish
Le Relais Manderen
Hotel and restaurant at the foot of the Malbrouck castle
The availability search sits directly on the home video: arrival and departure dates, adults, children, then “Chercher” (Search). Travelers see the free rooms without going to another page. The site exists in French, English and German.
Key takeaways
- A booking bar from the home page: one click fewer before the rates.
- Languages chosen according to the hotel’s real clientele.
- Type
- Inn
- Location
- Manderen, Moselle (France)
- Booking
- Misterbooking
- Languages
- French, English, German
The eight websites at a glance
The booking engine is not the same everywhere: each property keeps the one that suits it, and the site integrates it into its own look.
| Website | Location | Type | Booking | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Arty Riviera | Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes (France) | Rental villa | Booky (the agency’s booking engine) | French, English |
| Location Normandie | Veules-les-Roses, Seine-Maritime (France) | Holiday houses | Booky (the agency’s booking engine) | French, English, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Manoir de la Croix Saint-Louis | Taingy, Yonne (France) | Guest house | Amenitiz | French, English, Italian, Spanish |
| Mieux Qu’à L’hôtel | Bordeaux, Gironde (France) | Love rooms | Amenitiz | French, English, Spanish |
| Espace Acu-Nature | Saint-Evarzec, Finistère (France) | Holiday cottages and wellness | Direct-Book | French, English |
| Le Neige & Roc | Morzine-Avoriaz, Haute-Savoie (France) | Resort hotel and spa | D-Edge | French, English, Spanish |
| Le Relais Manderen | Manderen, Moselle (France) | Inn | Misterbooking | French, English, German |
How to create a booking website
Our method takes four steps, from the first conversation to going live.
- A questionnaire. You describe the property, its accommodation and your booking rules.
- A mock-up on a private link. You see the site before it is published and you react to it.
- A review with test bookings. We test the booking path with you, then go live.
- Follow-up. Once the site is published, we remain available for updates and questions.
At delivery, a training session lets you manage the texts, photos, rates, periods and booking rules yourself. Standard plans are generally delivered in about twenty working days; more elaborate projects take up to about fifty working days on average.
Being seen on Google: search engine optimization and Google Hotels
A booking website also has to be found. A text that answers the searches of your future customers (“holiday cottage in Veules-les-Roses”, “love room in Bordeaux”) and fast pages bring visits from Google: see search engine optimization for a hotel (in French). As for rates, Google Hotels can show your property’s prices with a free link to your booking page, next to those of the platforms. Hotel Web Design is listed in the official Google Hotels connectivity partner directory: we send our customers’ rates and availability to Google. How it works is explained in our article on Google’s free booking links.
Examples by type of accommodation
For more reviewed examples, by type of property: hotels (in French), bed and breakfasts and holiday cottages and vacation rentals.
Questions about booking websites
How do I create an online booking website for accommodation?
You need a site that presents the property (photos, accommodation, practical information) and an integrated booking engine that shows availability, calculates the price and records the booking. We create the custom site with the Booky booking engine or the external engine you already use, then train you to manage it.
Which booking engine should I choose for my site?
The Booky booking engine suits hotels of up to about twenty rooms, holiday cottages, bed and breakfasts and apartments. If you already have an engine linked to your channel manager, or a larger property, we integrate your engine (D-Edge, Reservit, Misterbooking, Octorate, Eviivo…) into your site.
Do bookings taken on my site carry a commission?
Bookings taken with Booky carry no commission: your customers book directly with you, with no intermediary. With an external engine, the terms are those of that engine.
Can my customers pay online?
Yes. Booky allows online payment and deposits, with payment gateways offered by most of the major French banks and by online banks. With an external engine, the payment methods are those it offers.
How do I avoid double bookings with Booking or Airbnb?
The calendars of your accommodation can be synchronized with platforms such as Booking, Airbnb or Homelidays: a booking taken elsewhere blocks the same dates on your site, and the other way around. Platform bookings also appear on your dashboard.
How long does it take to create a booking website?
From signing to going live, our standard plans are generally delivered in about twenty working days. More elaborate projects take up to about fifty working days on average.
