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Overbooked!! I'm new to the platform, Please someone help!

Hello all! I have an issue where people are booking dates that i forgot to close off. I didn't realize that guests can just book the dates that they want and that they don't need me to confirm them first. Is there a setting that doesn't allow guests to just book right away? 


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Mr Spence 6 years ago

Guess you need to start on Airbnb or Holliday Lettings and pre select your booking criteria, here on Booking.com / Expedia / Hotel.com etc it is to my knowledge all instant book and providing you register your Phone/Email with Booking.com on your Extranet [booking log in pages] then you will be notified immediately day or night of a booking.

Best of luck, and hope some of this helps

Keith Spence Owner

ApartmentsWales.com

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Jeannie Peachey 6 years ago

You must check on a very regular basis if you don't want to get wound up with all these other things. You just have to check because if you don't then you are stuck with booking them somewhere else.

You will get there

Jeannie Peachey Owner

Hillhouse B&B Norwich

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Allan Withers 6 years ago

Dont worry to much (easily said I know) it has happened to all of us I'm sure! The beauty of using Booking.com is the booker gets immediate confirmation and that's why this platform is so popular. I have a number of rooms that I don't leave available so I have some spares just in case i forget that i just took a booking over the phone for instance and forgot to adjust the platform (make sure you get notifications on your phone as in a text)

Check other accommodation providers in your area and see what is available and then notify your new booker either by phone or by emailing back, tell them of your mistake and give them the alternatives.(most bookers will understand) Ask them to cancel their booking with you (if not BC will charge their commission)

You will learn real quickly to keep on top of this platform!

Regards

Allan, Millicent Hillview Caravan Park

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Salidainn 6 years ago

Eja

I do believe you can enter the number of rooms you are giving OTAs to book. If you are using a giant calendar to record your booking on which is what it sound like, and you have 10 apartment available, only list 4 or 5 on the OTA. Then as you get a booking from anywhere, go into the OTA extranet and take on of the available rooms you gave them away. The other alternative is to find a decent Property Management System and a channel Manager. You enter the number of rooms you have into your PMS.

When a reservation comes in from one of the OTAs, that unit is subtracted automatically from your inventory so no one else including you can book it.

Mike

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Yosemiteparadisebnb 6 years ago

Hi Eja,

I have few rooms rented out to guests at home. The way I manage myself to prevent over booking is i approriated particular rooms to the site like for Booking.com only rooms. Some rooms are listed on Expedia only rooms and for Airbnb only rooms.

There is nothing sicker in my stomach expericence when I over or double booked rooms. All my rooms are instant book and I only manage one email to look out for the daily bookings. Good luck.

Marilyn

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Richard 6 years ago

The easiest way to avoid overbooking is by using a channel manager to keep your current avaiablity live, though this might be overkill for a small B&B/guestrooms etc.

The allocation of the number of rooms you have should stop this and your only real issue is selling via multiple sites at the same time so like Yosemiteparadisebnb said I would maybe consider droping your allocation to all the sites by 1 room, meaning you can never oversell even if two sites sell a room at the same time. Then manually manage that last room as soon as you sell your last room add it to just you main provider's site be it Booking.com/Expedia etc and sell it. It's a bit of pain but it's very easy to be distracted and lose track!

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Mr Spence 6 years ago

Great strategy Marily Yosemiteparadisebnb has, splitting her rooms around the different OTA`s, this will allow her to decide on what prices are offered to each of the OTA`s and max profits,great tip for larger establishments.

Think someone mentioned using a Channel Manager for your Booking Calendar, be careful here as they merely supply a fixed same price to all the OTA's and give you no flexibility for your pricing.

Keith Spence Owner

ApartmentsWales.com

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Richard 6 years ago

Keith,

With the channel managers it depends on who you use.

The one we have linked to our property allows me to set prices as a base but then also amend each price for each OTA sepratley and not just for the OTA as a whole, I can amend each room type to a different price as well. That said there are channel managers that just allow you to set rate cards/seasonal rates and everyone (OTA) is the same - if you change one it changes them all.

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Mr Spence 6 years ago

Hi Richard,

I have searched the internet for years for such an Animal, a Channel Manager that allows us to send out different rates to various OTA'S and you have found one, do tell, what's the name / link / web address.

I did manage to find some Channel Managers that said it was possible to send different rates to the OTA's but it meant them intervening with the software and hence not at all user friendly.

When we first came to market I tried two Channel Managers, one was Eviivo, which aged me by 10yrs, but to be fair they had great customer service, but for me the software just did not do it.

Thanks

Keith Spence Owner

ApartmentsWales.com

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Liz M Lockwood 6 years ago

Hi, personally I'm a bit old school. I get a booking and go into every platform I'm on an manually block the dates, send off my welcome letter etc and takes about 10 mins.

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Graham Fisher 6 years ago

I'm afraid I'm with Liz on this front, it may be nerve jangling but I prefer to alter each platform myself - I have had numbers of bookings from other B&B locally where "for some reason or other" their channel manager failed to block rooms on one platform or another....

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Mr Spence 6 years ago

Have to agree with both of you - Liz M Lockwood and Graham Fisher

I have had over the years used 2 different Channel Managers and they are automated robots that sometimes break down, but no one puts their hands up to this.They are limited in the main by not being able to offer individual pricing to individual OTA'a, they have limited tools to offer Special Offers and the software is way to complex.

I use the Booking.com and Expedia Platforms Software Suite and configure it for my own individual offer and it works, unlike Channel Managers that I have tried.

I have tried listings on Airbnb & Holiday Lettings and to be honest it does produce the odd 1mth booking, be it only once a year. Airbnb are a nightmare to deal with as can be some of the guests they send us, presently we have suspended our account, but do not see it's use any time soon. Both Holiday Lettings and Airbnb are faceless companies to deal with, yes, you've guessed it, this makes it really difficult for us to talk to ???

Mr Spence Owner

ApartmentsWales.com

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Garyh1970 6 years ago

I suppose it really depends on the size of your property and where your guests are booking from.

I have only six rooms but could not function without a channel manager. I have guests booking from all over the world in different time zones and regularly have several bookings through the night. I couldn't possibly be awake at all hours manually updating inventories on many different platforms. And I do need a holiday sometimes too! No matter on which platform the booking is made, the channel manager handles it and I don't need to do anything.

I too use Siteminder and whilst they are probably a little pricier than most channel managers, you get what you pay for. I have only once in two years had an issue which resulted in an overbooking and Siteminder immediately took responsibility and offered to refund me for any relocation expenses.

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Martin 5 years ago

There is no option in booking to avoid these problems! I recommend you to use a chnnel manager to solve this issue. I've been using Nuevah and it's perfect! It really does all the work, I don't even have to worry about overbookings like i used to ;) Hope it helps! http://www.nuevah.com/

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Mr Spence 5 years ago

Hi Richard, I spent some time on 3 occasions looking at the Channel Manager link you kindly sent to me https://www.siteminder.com/channel-manager/ and all they want to do is sign me up.

I cannot get the info out of them as to how they are or how they would be able to offer me INDIVIDUAL Pricing to OTA's by using their Channel Manager.

Thanks

Keith Spence Owner ApartmentsWales UK