BOOKING PLATFORMS Β· PRODUCT Β· 8 MIN READ
A sound project assessment starts with the accommodation sales model and the operational systems the platform must support, rather than with a page count.
1. Define what the guest can buy
A list of properties is not enough. You need to define accommodation units, stay rules, prices, additional services, booking conditions and availability states. If these rules are scattered across spreadsheets and emails, first establish the authoritative data source.
2. Separate the content from the transaction, but connect them
Destination and category pages help guests explore the accommodation offering. Searches by dates and guest numbers lead to options that are genuinely available. The page context should carry through to the search results so users do not have to start a disconnected journey.
3. Agree on integrations and exceptions
PMS, Channel Manager, payment and communication integrations must be verified rather than assumed. For each data transfer, define what happens when booking dates change, a booking is cancelled, an event is duplicated or an external system is unavailable.
First step
Map a real booking from the first search through to operations. This is a better basis for planning than a list of desired screens.
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