1. Booking Widget and Booking Engine link Overview:
· Booking widget: A booking engine widget is the search box (often a calendar) embedded directly on your website. Guests use it to enter their booking search details. Once they click search, the widget takes them straight to your booking engine link (URL). The booking engine widget is embedded to your website
· Booking engine link: A booking engine link (URL) is the platform that displays available rooms and packages. Based on the display the customer can proceed to complete the booking process. The content (descriptions and images) is based on the setup within the channel manager (rooms, packages etc)
2. Customising Booking Engine
· Set the theme display of the booking engine
· Step 1 - Navigate to BE themes
· Login to extranet > Booking Engine module > Settings > BE themes
· Step 2 – Theme
· Select from the drop-down menu. This determines the overall design of your Booking engine
· Step 3 – Date picker
· Select from the drop-down menu. This controls the display of the calendar/date picker on your booking engine
· Rates display – select to enable display of rates in date picker.
· Step 4 – Booking engine page
· Background colour
· Header/Footer background colour
· Header/Footer font colour
· Step 5 – Calendar widget & date
· Background colour – Widget and Date
· Font colour – Widget and Date
· Step 6 – Fonts & Colours
· Headings
· Descriptions
· Amenities & Hyperlink
· Buttons
· Step 7 – Disable Flexi view
· When a guests searched dates are unavailable, the booking engine will auto divert to ‘Flexi-view’ (14-day grid display). This highlights availability for the property for 14 days from the guests selected check-in date.
· Enable flag to disable this view, default is not enabled.
· Step 8 – Apply/Save changes
· SAVE
3. Customising/Setup Widget
· Set the display of the booking widget
· Step 1 - Navigate to BE themes
· Login to extranet > Booking Engine module > Settings > BE themes
· Select the ‘settings’ icon
· Step 2 – Widget setting
· Set labels for the different search options presented on the widget
· Optional display features – Currency & Nationality, simply click to display on widget
4. Widget settings
· Create the script (for widget) that will be embedded to your website. Multiple widget setup supported
· Provides more control over how and where guests access booking
· Set different widgets in different locations, such as a homepage, rooms page(s), or a promotional landing page
· Choose what rooms or packages will be linked to widget
· Step 1 – Create widget
· Set widget name – to help easily identify your widget (i.e Home page)
· Iframe – is a way to embed your booking engine directly inside a page on your website, so guests can search and book without leaving your site. Traditionally a booking engine will either open in a new tab or change the current tab , meaning the guest is redirected from your website.
· Default occupancy and hide promo code – select as needed
· Select widget option – booking widget can be configured in one of four display formats, each suited to a different style of guest experience from your website.
o Date option – Guests select their check-in and check-out dates directly within the widget, along with the number of rooms and guests required.
o Day/Horizontal – Displays availability and rates across a horizontal calendar of days, based on the selected check-in date. Guests can scroll through upcoming dates to compare options at a glance. Sample use case - showcase rate flexibility across multiple dates in one view.
o Book Now - A simplified, single-action button. Guests are directed straight to the Booking Engine to select their dates and complete the booking from there. Sample use case - Accommodation pages with a "Book Now" link per room type, sending guests straight to the Booking Engine to complete their dates.
o First Available rate - Displays the next available rate without requiring the guest to select dates first. This gives an immediate price reference before the guest proceeds to book. Sample use case - Properties wanting to lead with pricing as the primary hook to drive click-through.
· Promo code – select if the widget will divert to Booking engine with promo code
· Minimum nights – default is 1, widget will auto apply check-out date based on minimum nights. Ideal if your stays are consistently more than 1 night
· Advanced purchase – this will automatically display check-in date based on advanced purchase days. Bookers must book 5 days prior the widget will auto apply 5 days from the current date, to avoid dates not bookable from being displayed
· BE type – determines the display of the booking engine. Choose from BAR, Flexi or combination of both
o BAR – displays real time availability based on searched dates
o Flexi view – displays rates and availability across a 14-day calendar, based around the guest's searched dates — rather than showing rates for just the specific dates searched (as BAR View does).
o Both – default display is BAR, if searched dates are not available auto divert to flexi-view
· Room/Unit or Package display – select from drop down. This determines what is displayed as the priority – rooms or packages
· Select the packages or room types that will be linked to widget
· Enable flag to display packages or room types in drop down – enabling this will include a drop-down menu in your widget displaying a list of packages or room types.
· SAVE
· Step 2 – Accessing your widget
· You will need to access your widget, so that you can provide the script to your website developer to embed on to your website
· Select the ‘Widget’ tab, located at the top left of the BE theme pop up
· Select the ‘view’ icon to access widget script and Booking engine link.
· Step 3 – Edit widget
· To adjust your widget (i.e theme or linked packages) you can easily edit.
· If your widget is already embedded on your website, any changes you make will be applied automatically — no need to re-embed or update website.
· Select the ‘Widget’ tab, located at the top left of the BE theme pop up
· Select the ‘view’ icon to access widget script and Booking engine link.
· Edit fields as required
· SAVE