Have I done something wrong?

[JayQZ]

Hi,
I asked in another thread about software that's being used, however this post seems to be missing.
Inn the Office - Policies and Accounting › thread titled "software".
I posted in the correct section, didn't add any links etc - anyone want to guess what happened?

 

[Madeleine]

As no one can see the post it's hard to say.
Try doing an intro here as this thread seems to be visible. Explain who you are (inn owner, software developer, whatever) and how you plan to contribute to the dialog.
Your original post may have had enough spam triggers in it to get it blocked.

 

[Arks]

I read the post yesterday, didn't see anything wrong with it. I would have responded but didn't really have anything helpful to say. As I understand it, you're contemplating creating yet another reservation system and were asking our opinion of cloud-based systems vs. a locally-based system.
I think most of us use cloud-based systems and are happy with them. Down times are very rare and yes, we trust them to keep our data well backed up.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

If you're considering creating another reservation system, forgetaboutit.
There is absolutely no reason to recreate the wheel. There are so many systems out there in all price ranges.

 

[JayQZ]

Thanks for the replies everyone
I've already seen many reservation systems, probably less than you though
I get the impression there are many of them, but most aren't that great. I'm still very interested in pursuing this but I don't really see why there being existing systems should mean not developing my own version - or am I missing something? Surely things can be improved and have room for innovation.
@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?

 

[Arks]

Thanks for the replies everyone
I've already seen many reservation systems, probably less than you though
I get the impression there are many of them, but most aren't that great. I'm still very interested in pursuing this but I don't really see why there being existing systems should mean not developing my own version - or am I missing something? Surely things can be improved and have room for innovation.
@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?.

@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?

I was referring to the B&B users on this particular forum. As far as I can tell, most of us here use cloud-based systems.
And certainly the fact that the market is already very full and very competitive doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try if you want. We just hate to think of anyone wasting a lot of time developing something that has a poor chance of wide success.
It just sounds like kids shooting baskets and each thinking THEY will be the one who makes it to the level of Michael Jordan. It's good to dream, just keep a basis in reality.

 

[JayQZ]

I appreciate your response Arks, very helpful actually.

 

[happykeeper]

Thanks for the replies everyone
I've already seen many reservation systems, probably less than you though
I get the impression there are many of them, but most aren't that great. I'm still very interested in pursuing this but I don't really see why there being existing systems should mean not developing my own version - or am I missing something? Surely things can be improved and have room for innovation.
@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?.

@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?

I was referring to the B&B users on this particular forum. As far as I can tell, most of us here use cloud-based systems.
And certainly the fact that the market is already very full and very competitive doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try if you want. We just hate to think of anyone wasting a lot of time developing something that has a poor chance of wide success.
It just sounds like kids shooting baskets and each thinking THEY will be the one who makes it to the level of Michael Jordan. It's good to dream, just keep a basis in reality.
.

I would add that, while we have switched over to a very inexpensive system that does a lot of things well, it too is not perfect. Obviously, take a look at Res Key, it's price point, what it offers (like quick and helpful support), what it doesn't (like the ability to do extensive yield management and an email marketing engine), and use that as the gold standard. Would I pay $5 more for a email marketing engine? Probably. Would I dump an overall good product for an untested product that cost more? Probably not.

 

[Generic]

Cloud based. Specifically aimed at selling, marketing and CRM, which all software is weak. For example, upsell, keep track of things, manage parking, add-ons, etc.
The current software is good, but there is a market if you can sell certain add-ons that bring us more income. For example, travel insurance, books on the area or even things to do.

 

[JayQZ]

Thanks for the replies everyone
I've already seen many reservation systems, probably less than you though
I get the impression there are many of them, but most aren't that great. I'm still very interested in pursuing this but I don't really see why there being existing systems should mean not developing my own version - or am I missing something? Surely things can be improved and have room for innovation.
@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?.

@Arks - From what I've understood, most aren't cloud based?

I was referring to the B&B users on this particular forum. As far as I can tell, most of us here use cloud-based systems.
And certainly the fact that the market is already very full and very competitive doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try if you want. We just hate to think of anyone wasting a lot of time developing something that has a poor chance of wide success.
It just sounds like kids shooting baskets and each thinking THEY will be the one who makes it to the level of Michael Jordan. It's good to dream, just keep a basis in reality.
.

I would add that, while we have switched over to a very inexpensive system that does a lot of things well, it too is not perfect. Obviously, take a look at Res Key, it's price point, what it offers (like quick and helpful support), what it doesn't (like the ability to do extensive yield management and an email marketing engine), and use that as the gold standard. Would I pay $5 more for a email marketing engine? Probably. Would I dump an overall good product for an untested product that cost more? Probably not.
.

More useful input, thanks again
It appears that good/quick support is a very sought after part of the service, and I wonder if that is also an area other companies could improve.
I have many other questions, such as what would make a good system, what would (in theory) make someone switch, how you found your software in the first-place etc but I'll leave those for later! I have much to learn!

 

[happykeeper]

Cloud based. Specifically aimed at selling, marketing and CRM, which all software is weak. For example, upsell, keep track of things, manage parking, add-ons, etc.
The current software is good, but there is a market if you can sell certain add-ons that bring us more income. For example, travel insurance, books on the area or even things to do..

I second this train of thought with a hearty, YES!

 

[JayQZ]

Thanks again for the in-sight everyone.

 

[swirt]

Hi JayQZ,
I just checked and your post was flagged as spam by people on the site. It is clearly not spam and I have removed the flag so it appears again.
I agree that there are a lot of systems and the development is not for the faint of heart.... but I do not agree that there are a bunch and you should not re-invent it. If everyone held to that spirit we would all be using alta-vista instead of Google, we'd all be promoting our businesses on MySpace and the booking engine that many recommend strongly here would never have been built.

 

[Hillbilly]

Look at the site Travelnuts. This is a new way sites might be heading. Very cool concept.

 

[JBloggs]

If I did not find reservationkey I would say PLEASE GO FOR IT, but I have now. Before that the only systems that suited our needs were too expensive.

 

[Madeleine]

Hi JayQZ,
I just checked and your post was flagged as spam by people on the site. It is clearly not spam and I have removed the flag so it appears again.
I agree that there are a lot of systems and the development is not for the faint of heart.... but I do not agree that there are a bunch and you should not re-invent it. If everyone held to that spirit we would all be using alta-vista instead of Google, we'd all be promoting our businesses on MySpace and the booking engine that many recommend strongly here would never have been built..

If I did that, I'm sorry. My tablet does not always resolve the page properly and I find myself hitting 'spam' when I was aiming for 'reply'.