Managing hotel event bookings often means juggling client needs and being the first to respond with all necessary information. Today's booking methods, like email and phone calls, can be a slow process, frustrating clients and leading to missed opportunities.
In this article, you'll learn how our soon-to-come new Booking Engine for Events simplifies and speeds up the entire process. You’ll see how this tool will offer real-time availability, instant bookings, and flexible options for both hotels and event organisers. By the end, you’ll understand how this solution can help your hotel stay competitive by meeting the demand for faster, more efficient bookings without sacrificing control.
The Flexibility Dilemma in Meeting Room Bookings
In the fast-paced world of event management, hotels often find themselves caught in a balancing act. On one hand, they must cater to the evolving needs of their clients, while on the other hand, they seek to maintain flexibility in room bookings for larger, more profitable events.
Traditionally, hotels avoid direct online bookings for meeting rooms to preserve this flexibility, relying instead on a manual process that gives them control over availability. But this practice is increasingly inefficient in today’s fast-paced, digital-first environment, where instant bookings have become the norm.
Traditional Booking Process Inefficiencies
For event organisers, the current approach can feel like an unnecessary delay. Even for simple requests—like booking a meeting room for a small workshop—organisers often have to wait hours or even days as venues respond to emails or phone calls.
In a world where efficiency is key, this slow process can frustrate organisers, leading them to seek out competitors with quicker, more automated solutions. The lack of a streamlined process poses a risk for hotels that want to stay competitive in a market increasingly driven by speed and convenience.
Get Ready for Efficiency and Speed with Our Upcoming Booking Engine
Exciting changes are on the horizon. Soon, we will be launching our Booking Engine for Events, designed to bring the speed and efficiency of modern e-commerce to the world of event management.
Hotels will no longer need to choose between maintaining flexibility and offering a fast, user-friendly booking experience. Our innovative solution will balance both.
When it launches, our booking engine will allow event organisers to:
- Instantly search real-time availability of meeting rooms, catering options, and equipment—eliminating the need for back-and-forth communication.
- Create and customise event proposals in minutes, tailoring the room setup, catering needs, and other event essentials based on real-time data.
- Confirm bookings with just a few clicks, thanks to integrated payment options and automated proposal generation. Organisers will be able to secure their reservations quickly, avoiding delays caused by traditional manual handling.
- Modify event details without hassle. Organisers will be able to log into the system to make changes to participant numbers, meal preferences, or additional equipment—without waiting for approval and within the hotels regulations.
This level of automation will cut down the time typically required to finalise bookings from days to mere minutes, making the process more efficient for both hotel staff and organisers.
Complete Flexibility Without Sacrificing Speed
The flexibility of our Booking Engine for Events allows hotels to manage online bookings fully. Hotels will still be able maintain full control with:
- Limit online bookings to certain need periods: Use it during summer months or slow business days for example—while still allowing quick, instant booking for organisers during those times.
- Restrict bookings to specific event rooms: For example, smaller or less frequently used spaces, where availability is higher and decisions can be made swiftly.
- Set a maximum number of attendees for direct bookings: Like capping it at 20 people, ensuring hotels maintain control over larger, more complex events without sacrificing speed for smaller bookings.
- Enable short-term bookings: Allow meeting rooms to be reserved online only within a two-week window before the event, keeping flexibility for longer-term planning while offering instant booking for last-minute requests.
This combination of flexibility and speed will ensure that hotels can still manage their event spaces effectively while offering a modern, efficient booking experience that caters to the fast-paced needs of today’s clients.
Be Ready for the Future of Event Management
We’re excited to shape the future of digital-first guest interaction, and our Booking Engine for Events is just the beginning. While the official launch is around the corner, we invite you to stay tuned for its release. This tool will revolutionise how events are managed by speeding up the booking process, improving flexibility, and putting efficiency at the forefront.
Clock will ensure that every booking, change, and deposit is tracked in real-time, making event management faster and easier for all parties. The future of event management is coming soon, and we invite you to be part of it. Keep an eye out as we continue to roll out these transformative features.
