If something is still unclear
Frequently asked questions
You will find answers to a lot of the questions from this page. Please read and if some info is still missing, just write to us.
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Do direct bookings save costs?
The answer is yes direct bookings save costs because
- OTAs’ commissions are between 10-20% per booking. It means if your apartment, guesthouse, or hotel room selling price is 100€, you pay 10-20€ commission to OTAs from each reservation.
- If you ask the prepayment handled by OTA, you pay an additional 3-4%.
Is hotel website booking engine worth it?
Every hotelier or a cottage/apartment owner wants to reduce dependency on online travel agencies (OTAs) and increase the number of direct bookings. A good booking engine on a hotel website not only has a direct impact on revenue and costs but also helps hotels develop long-term relationships with clients and understand them better.
What do I have to do to get ED BOOKING engine ready and on my website?
Don`t spend time or money – we`ll give you a ready-made booking engine. We get all the information from hotel`s website – description of rooms/holiday house/apartment, photos, prices, extra services etc. With this information we create a booking engine for you, set it up on your website and you can start receiving reservations.
Can I use only ED BOOKING engine or do I have to get website from you as well?
You can definitely use only ED BOOKING engine for your current website and/or also Facebook page.
Is ED BOOKING engine suitable for all webpage templates?
ED BOOKING engine can be added to all website templates.
How much does it cost to add ED BOOKING engine to my hotel`s website?
ED BOOKING engine`s setup and design according to your hotel`s website is FREE. We will send you a commission invoice for accommodation only after client has checked-out.
Can the availability calendar of Booking.com and Airbnb.com be connected to the availability calendar of ED BOOKING engine.
No it can`t. To ease your daily work and update your availability and prices in all systems real time we recommend to start using channel manager.
Am I still be able to sell my rooms/apartments/holiday house on Booking.com and Airbnb.com as well at the same time while using ED BOOKING engine?
Yes, of course. To ease your daily work and update your availability and prices in all systems real time we recommend to start using channel manager.
What does OTA mean?
OTA stands for: Online Travel Agency. OTAs are online companies whose websites allow consumers to book various travel related services directly via Internet – Booking.com, Expedia.com, Airbnb.com etc.
What is channel manager?
A channel manager is a tool that will allow you to sell all your rooms on all your connected booking sites (ED BOOKING engine, Booking.com, Expedia.com, Airbnb.com etc.) at the same time. It will automatically update your availability in real-time on all sites when a booking is made, when you close a room to sale, or when you want to set restrictions to your inventory (min stay for 2 nights etc.).
How can I get the connection of channel manager for my property?
The SiteMinder channel manager can be contracted through ED for hotels. We need information about online channels through which you can also sell your hotel/holiday home or guest apartment.
We will do everything for you – we will add room and price information and connect all the necessary online channels. Finally, we will provide you with system training so that you can start using the channel manager on a daily basis.How can I use MakeCommerce service and how much it costs?
MakeCommerce offers a service where all payment methods are covered by one contract. The ED BOOKING engine has integration with MakeCommerce, which helps you to receive online payments or bank card information. The service fee for automated online payment depends on the bank and is between 1.5-2.5% of the paid total amount. Receiving bank card data is free of charge for customers using the ED BOOKING booking engine.
Do I have to pay commission to MakeCommerce for every reservation I receive?
No, not every reservation. You have the opportunity to offer the customer to make reservation and pay for it immediately, for example, during periods of high demand (summer months, weekends, New Year’s Eve, etc.). At other times, the customer will book the accommodation, guarantee their reservation with a bank card, but pay when they arrive. It is precisely in the case of guaranteeing reservation with a bank card that you don`t pay the commission to MakeCommerce.
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How much does new website cost?
The price depends on several aspects:
- if you would like template or custom design
- if we insert all languages or the base language only
- how many information you would like to add (text and photos)
- if SEO (search engine optimization) should be done or not
- if newsletter setup and template creation should be done or not
- if additional plugins with special functionalities should be added
Creating a new website. Is it a long and hard process?
If you trust us, then certainly not. We will try to spend as little your time as possible. Usually we make template websites ready in 1 month and website with custom design in 2-3 months.
What does template website mean?
A website template (or web template) is a pre-designed webpage that is adjusted for the hotel´s wishes and needs. Template has a lot of different elements to make each website look unique. This type is suitable for smaller hotels, guest apartments and holiday homes.
What does website with custom design mean?
The design of the website has been made taking into consideration the specifications, needs and wishes of your hotel. The website is made from scratch by the designer. It is possible to add special effects and modules, that will help to sell your hotel, to the personalized website. This type is suitable for customers with more demanding taste and for spas and boutique hotels.
Who will insert website contents (text & pictures)?
All the original content in one language (text & images) is always entered by us. You will get a ready to use website. If you want us to insert translations as well, this can be done at an additional cost.
Can I change anything on the website by myself?
Website administration part is built in such way that it is easy for our customers to make changes by themselves without knowing the html code. We will make a trainig of content management system after website is done, so you can make all necessary changes on the website in the future by yourself.
Will I get all the rights for the website to make changes?
You will have a lot of rights in the content management system and you will be able to make changes for most of the things by yourself without knowing the html code. Our WordPress content management system is built logically and it is easy to use.
I don't have a website. Do I need to have a hosting and website address before creating a webpage?
If you have not had a website before, we will help you by registering a website address and hosting.
Why do I need a technical support for my website?
This service is for WordPress homepage clients and it includes monthly maintenance, updates and securing WordPress for malware. The goal is to avoid homepage errors and brake-downs caused by WordPress uninstalled updates, bugs and plug-in code changes.
The service garantees ongoing support for clients including problem solving and maintenance work to deliver care free functioning of the homepage.
I didn´t have a website before. Website is done now but it doesn´t show up in Google. Why?
If SEO has been done, XML sitemaps added, the Google webmaster tool has been set up and the page has been added to the search engine, it will take up to a month for the new website to start appearing on Google. Your website is brand new to search engines and they need to read the information from there first. It is very important that SEO is constantly updated.
If the above steps are not taken, it will take even more time for search engines to index the new website.
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) is optimization for search engines. This increases the visibility of the website in the search engines for potential customers and partners. The optimized homepage will appear above in the search results. In other words, search engines look for the most accurate answers to a search query.
Is SEO a one-time activity?
SEO is definitely not a one-time activity but an ongoing process. Search engine spiders evaluate pages that match a customer’s search and are constantly updated. If you make special offers, add pictures, a new menu, etc., you should always optimize them for search engines as well.
What should I do after new website was created?
When website is ready, please check Facebook account if the webpage address is correct. Check Google My Business as well. It is possible that information and photos should be updated.
Can I see the statistics of how many people visit my website?
We use the Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tool for the statistics. It is possible to see the number of visitors, visits of the most popular pages, visits by countries etc by dates. It is also possible to see from the Google Analytics the statistics of made reservations and from which channels these came. Google Analytics is integrated in the end of the project.
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Is revenue management the same as accounting?
No, absolutely not. The purpose of hotel revenue management can be summarized as follows: to sell the right room to the right customer at the right time and the right price.
Why is segmentation important?
Successful revenue management can only be done if the segmentation is done properly.
Segmentation is an important step in finding out who your customer is and what their needs and wants are. To make the right pricing decisions, to make the right investments etc.
Am I already changing prices? Isn't that enough?
Revenue management is a process that involves many different aspects from segmentation to forecasting. Adjusting prices as needed is just one small part of revenue management.
Our team has one of the best revenue managers in the city – Kairi Stokgolm. She has worked in the hotel business since 1995. Most of the time in the sales team and in recent years as a revenue manager. She has in-depth knowledge of RM, sales and marketing. Graduate of Cornell University with a Master of Revenue Management. Kairi lectures RM as a guest lecturer at Tallinn School of Service.