Leaving Hostaway because of their booking fee?

Availability search WITH booking

Status: Requested 5 Votes
Shelley S
Oct 15, 2022 6:18 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 28 posts

You are really lacking in one important widget.

Right now, you offer an availability search widget (in which the returned available results simply give a "more details" button to go to that room page) - and a inquiry/book now widget.

It would be SUPER HELPFUL if you could develop an availability search widget - but one that returned an actual BOOK NOW button for the available properties.

This is pretty common across hotels and accommodations. You do a search for your dates, and the rooms that come up, you can click to book it right then and there.

Only being able to send the guest to ANOTHER PAGE and THEN they complete the booking from there is an extra unnecessary step.

Or perhaps your availability search widget could return results that offer both options: A button for "more info" and a button to "book now."

That would be MOST helpful.

Ken T
Oct 18, 2022 12:01 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

It actually already does work this way.

The reason it isn't for you, is, because you are using Wix, and Wix has put the widget in an iframe which is preventing it from communicating from its fellow widgets.  You may need to talk to Wix to get them to turn it off, but once they do that, the data will be transferred as expected.

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/wix-widgets#iframe

Please reach out to the Helpdesk if you need additional assistance.

Shelley S
Oct 18, 2022 12:26 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 28 posts

Actually, yes my current website is on Wix but I'm in the processing of building a new one on Wordpress.

You can see it here (still in development): stardustretreatgroups.com

Will I be able to insert an availability search WITH booking in wordpress? How do I find the widget to do that?

Ken T
Oct 18, 2022 5:53 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

Yes, you should be able to use the same widgets in WordPress.  But, since WordPress works differently, you likely won't run into the iFrame issue you did with Wix, so, they should work as designed without excessive jumping through hoops.

Shelley S
Oct 29, 2022 7:25 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 28 posts

Can you please provide a help article or give me more direction on this?

My website is now on Wordpress. And I've put the property search/availability widget on this page:

https://stardustretreatgroups.com/testing-page/

using the following code:

<!-- OwnerRez Availability/Property Search widget -->
<div class="ownerrez-widget" data-widget-type="Availability/Property Search" data-widgetId="6b516fc0cfe34212976f57ee2ed81d7f"></div>
<script src="https://app.ownerrez.com/widget.js"></script>

 

But it STILL does not provide any "book now" option when you search by the dates. It only shows the properties and you have to click through to the property page and THEN do the search again. ?? What am I doing wrong? How do I get an availability search that will then result in a booking button where someone can immediately book any rooms that display as available on the dates they input?

Shelley S
Nov 2, 2022 7:57 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 28 posts

I still cannot figure this out and my site is on Wordpress. I'm using the booking/inquiry across all listings and making sure "all properties" is selected. It doesn't work right, it ONLY shows results for the entire retreat. ???

 I can't figure out how to make your widget work so that one can search by date, see ALL properties available that date, and then have a "book now" option for each available property.
But I put the book now/inquiry across all properties widget on a testing page so you can look:https://stardustretreat.com/testing-page/

Please let me know what the problem is and how I can do what I want it to do: Allow a person to search by dates (and number of guests, etc) and return results for ALL my available properties, with a "Book Now" option for each one that's available.

Ken T
Nov 3, 2022 7:50 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

There is no widget option that let you search across all properties from the booking/inquiry widget
 
But you can make an availability widget that will search across properties for a set of dates:

https://secure.dev.ownerrez.com/settings/widgets/edit?type=SearchProperty
 
Take a look at this and give it a try:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/widgets#availability-property-search

Shelley S
Dec 3, 2022 6:12 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 28 posts

I understand about making an availability search widget.

What you DON'T have - and really should - is a widget which would allow a person to search availability - and THEN, when the available properties are shown, actually have a "BOOK" button where the person can then immediately book an available property.

Right now, you can't do that. You can do the availability search, which shows available properties and the guest can then click on any one for more info. But then, in order to actually book that property, they have to AGAIN enter their dates and start a booking process.

This should be more integrated. Almost every single hotel/accommodations site lets you search for availability, then immediately book an available room/property.

Why doesn't OR provide this functionality?