Direct booking engine
Live room availability, rates and instant booking on your website, with card payment and instant confirmation.
Motel booking software: direct bookings without commission
Motels: keep the commission, fill the rooms. More direct, less desk.
Most rooms get sold through booking sites that take a cut. The website can't take a booking. Late arrivals ring at 11pm looking for a key and the corporate invoices get typed up by hand every Friday. We build direct booking, check-in and guest systems for motels that work with the platforms you already use, then we host them and look after them.
Looking for motel direct booking software that actually gets guests booking with you?
A motel runs on thin margins and long hours. Guests find you on Google, then click through to a booking site and book you there, so you pay commission on a guest who was already looking for you. Meanwhile the owner is the night manager, the cleaner's boss, the breakfast cook and the bookkeeper. The reception phone never really stops.
Wollopit builds custom motel software around how your motel actually runs. A booking engine on your own website that syncs with your channel manager so you never double book. Express check-in and key codes for late arrivals. Corporate and crew accounts that invoice themselves. A guest guide on their phone so the phone stops ringing about the wifi. We connect to your property management system and booking channels, build what's missing and look after the lot on our own servers.
01The problems
What we hear from motels
Does your motel have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most motel owners we talk to aren't short on guests. They're short on margin and sleep. Commission eats the first and the after-hours phone eats the second.
- The problemEvery room costs a cutBooking sites take a healthy slice of most nights you sell, even from guests who searched for your motel by name.How we fix itA direct booking engine on your website with a better deal for booking direct, so the guests who already know you stop paying the middleman.
- The problemThe website can't take a bookingThere's a phone number and an enquiry form. Guests want to book at 10pm on their phone, so they go back to the booking site.How we fix itLive availability and instant booking on your own site, quick on mobile, with card payment and a confirmation in seconds.
- The problemGuests find you on Google, book elsewhereYour Google listing sends people straight to the booking sites because that's the only place they can book.How we fix itYour Google Business Profile and website point to your own booking engine, with direct rates shown up front.
- The problemLate arrivals after reception shutsThe key goes under a mat or in a lockbox with a code that hasn't changed since 2019. Then someone rings at 11pm anyway.How we fix itExpress check-in online before they arrive, with a room number and a fresh key code or lockbox code sent by SMS.
- The problemDouble bookings across channelsA room sells on two sites at once and someone gets turned away at the desk with an apology and a phone call to the motel down the road.How we fix itDirect bookings flow into your channel manager and PMS straight away, so availability stays in line everywhere.
- The problemCorporate and crew stays invoiced by handTradie crews, reps and government travellers stay for weeks. Every invoice is typed up, chased and reconciled manually.How we fix itCorporate accounts with their own rates, booker logins and monthly invoices that land straight in Xero or MYOB.
- The problemRepeat guests get nothingThe same rep stays every month and still pays the same as a stranger. You don't even have their email.How we fix itReturning guest perks like a direct rate, late checkout or a free breakfast, with their details saved for a two-tap rebooking.
- The problemThe phone rings about the wifiWifi password, checkout time, where's the nearest servo, does the pool open early. Over and over.How we fix itA guest guide on their phone with wifi, checkout, local eats, the breakfast menu and house rules, sent with the booking.
- The problemBreakfast orders on a door cardCards hung on doorknobs, scribbled on, blown off in the wind and read at 6am by torchlight.How we fix itBreakfast ordered from the guest's phone by a cut-off time, with a printed kitchen list and the charge added to the room.
- The problemHousekeeping runs on a printed listCleaners don't know who's checked out, who's staying on and which room needs an early turnaround.How we fix itA housekeeping board on their phones showing departures, stayovers and priority rooms, ticked off as each one's done.
- The problemNo-shows and late cancellationsRooms held all night for guests who never turn up and no card details to charge.How we fix itDeposits or card holds at booking, clear cancellation terms and no-show charges done in a tap.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for motels. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Channel manager sync
Direct bookings pushed into SiteMinder, your PMS and the booking sites so availability always lines up.
Express check-in
Guests check in online before arrival, confirm details and ID, then get their room number by SMS.
Key codes & lockboxes
Fresh lockbox or smart lock codes for each stay, sent automatically and expiring at checkout.
Book direct perks
Direct-only rates, late checkout, free breakfast or a room upgrade to give guests a reason to skip the booking sites.
Returning guest profiles
Saved details, preferred rooms and stay history so regulars rebook in two taps.
Corporate & crew accounts
Company rates, booker logins, long-stay pricing and monthly invoices into Xero or MYOB.
Guest guide
Wifi, checkout, parking, local eats and house rules on the guest's phone. No app to download.
Breakfast ordering
In-room breakfast ordered from a phone, with a cut-off time, a kitchen list and charges on the room.
Housekeeping board
Departures, stayovers and priority rooms on cleaners' phones, with maintenance issues reported on the spot.
Deposits & no-shows
Card holds, deposits and cancellation terms handled at booking so empty rooms still get paid for.
Reviews & guest messages
Google, Tripadvisor and booking site reviews plus guest texts in one inbox, with a review request after checkout.
A website that books
Hand-built, quick on mobile, with room photos, rates and booking front and centre, built to rank for 'motel near me'.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole motel, on one system.
These are the systems motels ask us about most. Each one works on its own. They get properly clever when they're joined up with your PMS and channel manager.
Direct bookings
Rooms booked on your site. Commission kept in your pocket.
A booking engine on your own website that shows live availability and takes payment on the spot. It syncs with your channel manager and PMS so a room sold direct comes off every booking site straight away. Direct perks give guests a real reason to book with you.
- Live availability on your website
- Instant booking with card payment
- Syncs with your channel manager
- Pushes bookings into your PMS
- Direct-only rates and perks
- Promo codes and package deals
- Deposits and card holds
- Minimum stays for busy weekends
- Linked from Google Business Profile
- Direct vs booking site report
Express check-in
Late arrivals let themselves in. You get some sleep.
Guests check in online before they arrive and get their room number plus a fresh key code by SMS. No key under the mat and no 11pm phone call. You see who's arrived from your phone.
- Online check-in before arrival
- Guest details and ID confirmed
- Room number sent by SMS
- Unique lockbox or smart lock codes
- Codes expire at checkout
- Arrival time and rego captured
- Late arrival list for the night
- Arrived and not arrived at a glance
- Express checkout from their phone
- Card on file for incidentals
Corporate & crew accounts
Business travellers billed without the Friday paperwork.
Companies get their own account with their rates and a login for whoever books the rooms. Long stays for tradie crews and reps roll into one monthly invoice that goes straight into Xero or MYOB.
- Company accounts with their own rates
- Booker logins for office staff
- Long-stay and weekly pricing
- Crew bookings across several rooms
- Purchase order and job numbers
- Monthly consolidated invoices
- Invoices straight into Xero or MYOB
- Overdue reminders sent automatically
- Stay history per company
- Credit limits and account holds
Guest guide & breakfast
Answers on their phone. Breakfast off the doorknob.
Every booking comes with a guest guide that covers the wifi, checkout, parking and the best feed in town. Guests order breakfast from the same page by the cut-off and the kitchen gets a tidy list in the morning.
- Wifi, checkout and parking info
- Local eats and things to do
- House rules and pool hours
- No app to download
- Breakfast ordered from a phone
- Cut-off time for next morning
- Printed kitchen list by room
- Charges added to the room
- Late checkout requests
- Request a review after checkout
Housekeeping
Cleaners know which rooms to hit first.
Departures, stayovers and early check-ins show up on housekeeping phones, sorted by priority. Rooms get ticked off as they're done and maintenance issues get photographed and logged on the spot.
- Departures and stayovers by room
- Priority rooms for early arrivals
- Tick off rooms as they're done
- Room ready status for reception
- Maintenance issues with photos
- Linen and amenity counts
- Lost property log
- Cleaning checklists per room type
04How it changes
Before and after
A late arrival, wolloped.
Here's how a Tuesday night arrival could change. Every motel runs differently, so we map yours first.
Before
- Guest books through a booking site and you pay the commission
- They ring to say they'll be late
- Key goes under the mat for Unit 7
- Phone rings at 11pm asking for the wifi password
- Breakfast card blows off the doorknob
After
- Guest books direct on your website for the direct rate
- They check in online and add their ETA
- A fresh key code arrives by SMS
- The guest guide has the wifi and checkout time
- Breakfast ordered from their phone and on the kitchen list
- You slept through the lot
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for motels.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for motels
Built around how your motel actually runs: direct booking engine, channel manager sync and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for motels
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Motel system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for motels
Express check-in and key codes & lockboxes: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect SiteMinder, Cloudbeds and RMS Cloud so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your motel, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to your PMS, channel manager and booking sites. We work alongside the platforms you're happy with and replace the ones holding you back.
- SiteMinder
- Cloudbeds
- RMS Cloud
- NewBook
- Little Hotelier
- eviivo
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Wotif
- Agoda
- Google Business Profile
- Tripadvisor
- Stripe
- Square
- Xero
- MYOB
- Mailchimp
- Deputy
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your motel: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We spend time at your front desk, with your housekeepers and in your booking reports, then work out where the commission and the hours are going.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your rooms, rates, channels, PMS, check-in, corporate accounts, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually direct bookings first, so you start keeping commission before the next busy weekend.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things motels ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can direct bookings stay in sync with the booking sites?
Yes. We connect to your channel manager and PMS so a room booked on your website comes off Booking.com, Expedia and the rest straight away. No double bookings.
Will guests actually book direct?
More of them will when it's easy and there's a reason to. A quick booking engine on your site, a Google listing that points to it and perks like a better rate or late checkout make a real difference.
Do we have to switch our PMS or channel manager?
No. If SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, RMS, NewBook or another platform is doing its job, we build around it. If it's holding you back, we'll show you what replacing it would involve before anything changes.
Can late arrivals check themselves in?
Yes. Guests check in online, then get their room number and a key code by SMS. We can work with lockboxes or connect to smart locks if you have them.
Can corporate clients get one monthly invoice?
Yes. Each company gets its own rates and booker login. Their stays roll into one invoice that goes straight into Xero or MYOB.
How much does a motel system cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like a guest guide or direct booking engine can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most motels we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a motel problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.