Just a few years ago, the telephone was the primary source for booking hotels, apartments, and guesthouses. Guests would call, inquire about available dates, prices, parking, breakfast, or the possibility of bringing a dog. Today, the situation is entirely different.
More and more people don't want to make phone calls.
And it's not that phones have stopped being important. They are still needed – especially for more complicated bookings, problems, or individual arrangements. The problem is that some guests expect something different today: quick online booking, payment in a few seconds, and the ability to sort everything out without a phone call.
And if the object doesn't offer it? Very often, the guest simply moves on.
Guests have changed the way they book accommodation
Today, most people look for accommodation on their phones. In the evening on the sofa. At work during a break. In the car. While queuing. Quickly, conveniently, and without the need for contact.
The guest wants:
- Check availability,
- to see the price
- Book a room
- to pay for the stay,
- Get a confirmation.
And ideally, you should be able to do it in two minutes.
In practice, it looks like this: if there's no option for quick online booking on the property's website, the user returns to Booking.com or chooses a competitor.
It's not because the phone is bad. Convenience simply wins today.
The phone still makes sense – but in a different role
Many accommodation providers still rely mainly on telephone bookings. This is particularly true of smaller guesthouses, self-catering apartments and holiday cottages by the sea.
And indeed – there are guests who prefer to call.
Most commonly:
- Elderly people
- business customers,
- guests with unusual questions,
- those organising a longer stay,
- customers wishing to negotiate the price.
A phone call helps establish contact, builds a relationship and allows any concerns to be addressed more quickly. The problem arises when the phone becomes the only way to make a booking.
Because then the establishment starts to lose some customers.
Missed call = lost booking
There is one very simple problem in the accommodation sector: the owner of the property is not always available to answer the phone.
Room cleaning. Check-in. Breakfast. Technical problems. Guest service. Driving. Sleep.
The phone rings at the worst possible moment.
And a modern guest very rarely calls back a second time.
If you don't answer:
- will move on to the next object,
- book via the website,
- or give up completely.
This is why more and more accommodation owners are treating the telephone as an additional contact channel, rather than a primary sales source.
Online bookings are available 24/7
The biggest advantage of an online booking system is its availability.
The system works:
- morning
- at night,
- at weekends,
- during the holidays,
- when you're sleeping,
- When you are serving other guests.
The guest doesn't have to wait for a reply. They don't have to send a message. They don't have to call.
Once they see the availability and price, they can make a decision straight away.
This has a huge impact on booking conversions.
More and more people dislike phone calls.
This is a very important change, which is particularly noticeable in younger customers.
For many people, a phone is simply inconvenient.
They don't want
- translate dates,
- To pry into details.
- to wait for a callback
- Talk about payments,
- to provide data by phone.
They prefer to click "Book", pay online and have everything confirmed automatically.
And that's precisely why a modern online booking system is no longer an add-on. It's becoming the standard.
Automation saves the property owner time
Telephone-based reservation services consume a vast amount of time.
Every conversation is:
- checking the calendar,
- giving a price,
- Data Rewriting
- sending account number,
- Payment confirmation
- Manual booking addition.
With more queries, it adds up to a few hours a week.
Online booking systems automate most of these actions:
- shows availability,
- calculates prices,
- accepts payments,
- sends confirmations,
- adds bookings to the calendar,
- synchronises portals such as Booking.com or Airbnb.
This allows the property owner to focus on guest services instead of constantly answering the phone.
Will phones disappear completely?
No.
The telephone will remain an important element of customer service. Especially in the hospitality industry, where relationships and guest contact are still important.
But his role is changing.
Today, a phone is increasingly used for:
- problem-solving,
- answering specific questions,
- handling of exceptional situations,
- building relationships with guests
However, the booking itself is increasingly done online.
And that's exactly what today's customers expect.
Jak mobile-calendar rozwiązuje ten problem?
W mobile-calendar you can connect your own Online Booking System without the need to manually handle every phone booking.
The guest can
- check room availability
- To see the current prices,
- book a stay online
- pay for the booking
- receive an automated confirmation.
The whole process runs 24/7 – even when you don't answer the phone.
Additionally, the system:
- synchronises calendars with Booking.com and Airbnb,
- automatically updates availability
- reduces the risk of overbooking
- allows you to manage bookings from your phone and computer,
- allows automatic messages to guests.
This means the phone stops being the only way to sell accommodation.
The property owner doesn't have to choose between answering the phone and serving guests on-site.
Summary
Is it worth answering the phone at accommodation?
Yes.
But even more importantly, The guest had a choice.
Some will continue to call. Others will want to book a stay in 2 minutes without any conversation.
A modern accommodation facility should cater for both of these scenarios.
