Custom hotel software development
Appfront builds custom software for hotels: a property management system (PMS) that brings reservations and bookings, check-in and check-out, room status and housekeeping, pricing and revenue management and reporting together in one environment. With a channel manager that keeps your availability and rates in sync with OTAs such as Booking.com, a POS integration for restaurant and bar, online payments via iDEAL and credit card, and a guest portal for self-service. For hotels, boutique hotels, hotel chains, B&Bs and hospitality groups that don't want to give up their way of working for an off-the-shelf package.
What is hotel software?
Hotel software, usually called a property management system (PMS), supports a hotel's entire operational process. From reservations and bookings, through room planning, check-in and check-out, room status and housekeeping, to invoicing, pricing and revenue management, and reporting. The PMS is where the front desk, housekeeping and management come together, and it is usually connected to a channel manager that keeps your availability and rates in sync with online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com.
Off-the-shelf packages often force your hotel into a fixed way of working. Hotels differ greatly, however: a boutique hotel with personal service manages its guest experience differently from a chain with multiple locations or a holiday park with individual accommodations. Custom software fits your process, your channels and your guest experience rather than the other way round, and can grow with you as you expand or change your offering. That avoids separate spreadsheets alongside the system and keeps the booking, the bill and the room status accurate in one place.
Because a PMS processes guests' personal data, we build privacy by design and data minimisation in from the architecture onwards. Read more about our broader approach to reservation software and custom software.
One schedule, one booking
Reservations, room planning, bill and room status in one coherent system. The front desk works in one place and keeps an overview, without retyping data from separate booking lists or folders.
Channels always in sync
The channel manager keeps availability and rates consistent across your own website, the front desk and OTAs such as Booking.com. When a booking comes in, the other channels are updated, so you avoid double bookings.
Secure with guest data
We process guests' personal data and payments in accordance with the GDPR, with data minimisation and role-based access. Wherever possible, we leave payment details with the payment provider, so you store as little sensitive data as possible yourself.
How we build your hotel software
We work step by step and involve your front desk, housekeeping and management early in the process. From a thorough exploration of your process, channels and integrations through to go-live and ongoing maintenance, every step is aimed at software that your team understands, trusts and can use smoothly every day, even during the rush of arrivals and departures.
We map out your process: reservations, check-in and check-out, housekeeping, rates and the channels you sell through. Together we determine which integrations, data and guest experience matter most and what can simply stay simple.
We design the architecture, the booking and room model and the screens for the front desk and housekeeping, with data minimisation and privacy by design as the starting point, plus the approach for the channel manager, payments and point-of-sale integration.
We build in short iterations with automated tests and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and help steer priorities and how well the software fits daily practice at the front desk and in the rooms.
A controlled go-live with data validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing maintenance, monitoring and further development as you expand or as your channels and offering change.
What hotel software actually does
We tailor every application to your type of hotel, your channels and your guest experience. Below are the features we deliver most often for hotels, boutique hotels, chains, B&Bs and hospitality groups.
Reservations & bookings
A clear booking calendar with availability per room type, rates, groups and restrictions. Bookings from your website, the front desk and the OTAs come together in one schedule, so the front desk always works with an up-to-date picture.
Channel manager & OTAs
Availability and rates stay in sync across your own website and OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia. A booking on one channel updates the others, so you avoid overbookings and don't have to track anything manually.
Check-in & check-out
A fast arrival and departure flow at the front desk, with guest registration, room allocation and billing. Online check-in via the guest portal can take pressure off the front desk, while you decide which steps happen online and which stay at the desk.
Room status & housekeeping
Housekeeping sees which rooms are departing, staying or clean, and updates the status from the floor. The front desk instantly knows which rooms are ready, and the handover between reception and housekeeping runs smoothly.
Payments & POS integration
Online payments via iDEAL and credit card at booking or check-out, and an integration with your point-of-sale (POS) system for restaurant and bar. Consumptions and extras are charged to the room bill, so the final bill is right in one go at departure.
Revenue management & reporting
Insight into occupancy, average room rate and revenue per channel, with the option to adjust rates based on demand and season. Management information helps you back up decisions on pricing, channels and offering.
Who we build hotel software for
Hospitality comes in many forms, each with its own way of working and guest experience. For each of them, we build software that fits their type, their channels and the way they welcome guests.
Hotels
Independent hotels that want to connect their front desk, housekeeping and management in a single PMS, with control over channels, rates and billing. The software supports daily operations and steering on occupancy and revenue.
Boutique hotels
Smaller hotels that stand out through personal service. We tailor the guest portal and check-in to your branding and guest experience, so technology supports the personal touch rather than replacing it.
Hotel chains
Chains with multiple properties that want to combine central control with local working methods per location. The software supports overarching reporting and rate policy, with a clear separation of data per property.
B&Bs, holiday parks and hospitality groups
From a B&B with a few rooms to a holiday park with separate accommodations or a wider hospitality group. We tailor the software to your type of offering, your channels and the way you organise bookings, stays and billing.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we make your idea tangible in a single day for €1,150, so you know whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we deduct the cost in full.
View OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build with a modern, maintainable web stack and, where needed, integrate with the systems you already use. For hotels, the most relevant are: a channel manager for OTAs such as Booking.com, payment providers for iDEAL and credit card, a point-of-sale (POS) system for restaurant and bar, your accounting software and, optionally, door locks or a revenue tool. See also how we build custom CRM software for guest relations and returning guests. We set up each integration based on the interfaces your suppliers offer and your existing contracts.
For the overnight guest register and the tourist tax return per municipality from the same registration, there is our app for the overnight guest register and tourist tax.
If you rent out holiday homes with a changeover day rather than daily changeovers, take a look at our app for holiday home changeover day planning.
Why Appfront for your hotel software?
Appfront builds custom software and always starts with a thorough analysis of your process, your channels and your guest experience. Software for a hotel needs to be technically sound, but it also has to fit the pace at the front desk, the handover with housekeeping and the way you want to welcome your guests.
We build in privacy by design and data minimisation from the architecture onwards, and we write clear documentation so that your own team or a future supplier can understand and manage the software. No black box, but transparent code and clear agreements on integrations, authorisation, monitoring and maintenance. You stay in control of your own system and your own data.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technology and hotel operations. That keeps communication lines short, prevents miscommunication and speeds up decisions when choices have to be made during the build about channels, payments or integrations.
Also take a look at our broader services: building reservation software, custom software and app development for a guest app or staff app. Do you have questions? Get in touch.
- Custom PMS for hotels and hospitality
- Channel manager and OTA integrations such as Booking.com
- Online payments via iDEAL and credit card
- POS integration for restaurant and bar
- Guest portal and self-service check-in
- Privacy by design and data minimisation as a starting point
- Building in compliance with the GDPR for guest data
- Clear documentation that your team can read and maintain
- A single point of contact, no passing you between account managers
- Ongoing maintenance and further development as you grow
Security and privacy in hotel software
A PMS processes guests' personal data and sometimes payment data. That is why privacy by design is central. For each data flow we record the legal basis for processing, apply data minimisation and set up authorisation based on role and necessity, so that staff only see what they need for their work. Wherever possible we leave payment data with the payment provider, so you store as little sensitive data as possible yourself and the risk stays limited.
We build in line with the GDPR, with encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access and logging of views and changes. Interfaces that guests use, such as the guest portal and online check-in, are made accessible to WCAG 2.1 level AA. We document data flows and authorisations, so your record of processing activities stays complete and you can demonstrably show you are in control of your guests' data.
Discuss your situation with no obligation via our contact form. We are happy to think along with you about integrations, payments and the right balance between guest experience and privacy.
- GDPR-compliant processing of guest data and data minimisation
- Documented legal basis per data flow
- Payment data with the payment provider wherever possible
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Separation of data per property or client
- Logging of views and changes
- Documentation for your record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about hotel software
Answers to the questions we receive most often about custom software for hotels.
Hotel software, often called a property management system (PMS), supports a hotel's entire operational process: reservations and bookings, room planning, check-in and check-out, room status and housekeeping, invoicing and payments, pricing and revenue management, and reporting. A PMS is usually connected to a channel manager that synchronises availability and rates with online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com. Custom software lets you set this up the way your own way of working and guest experience demand, instead of adapting your hotel to an off-the-shelf package.
A channel manager keeps your availability, rates and restrictions in sync across all sales channels: your own website, the front desk and online travel agencies such as Booking.com and Expedia. When a booking comes in on one channel, the other channels are updated automatically, so you avoid double bookings. In a custom PMS we can integrate the channel manager via the channels' interfaces or via a specialised channel manager, depending on your existing contracts and channels. We always verify the available integration options up front.
We build custom software. Hotels differ widely in type, size and way of working: a boutique hotel with personal service operates differently from a chain with multiple locations or a holiday park with accommodation units. Custom software fits your actual process, your channels and your guest experience, and can grow with you as you expand or change your offering. After an intake conversation, we decide together which functionality matters most and in what order to develop it, without promising a fixed timeline or price that we can't yet substantiate.
Yes. We integrate online payments through payment providers so guests can pay with iDEAL, credit card and other methods, at booking or at check-out. At the front desk and in the restaurant or bar, we integrate the PMS with your point-of-sale (POS) system, so that consumptions and extras are charged to the room bill and the final invoice is correct. Which payment provider and POS system suit you depends on your situation. We work with your existing contracts wherever possible.
A guest portal gives guests their own environment to view their booking, add details, check in beforehand and book extras. Online check-in can relieve the front desk and speed up arrival, while you decide which steps guests complete online and which stay at the desk. We tailor the portal to your guest experience and branding, with attention to accessibility and a smooth mobile flow. We process guests' personal data in accordance with the GDPR.
A PMS processes guests' personal data and sometimes payment data. We build in privacy by design and data minimisation from the architecture onwards: only the data that is needed is recorded, with the right legal basis, role-based access and retention periods. Where possible, we leave payment data with the payment provider, so you store as little sensitive data yourself as possible. This way you demonstrably comply with the GDPR and keep your record of processing activities complete.
Yes. A hotel rarely works with a single system. Where needed, we integrate the PMS with a channel manager, payment providers, your accounting software, a point-of-sale (POS) system, email and marketing tools, and optionally door locks or a revenue tool. We work through REST and web service integrations and connect to the interfaces your suppliers offer. Which integrations are possible and worthwhile, we determine together based on your existing IT landscape.
We build for hotels of all sizes and types: independent hotels, boutique hotels with personal service, hotel chains with multiple locations, B&Bs, holiday parks with accommodation units and wider hospitality groups. The software supports both the work at the front desk and in housekeeping and the control over occupancy, rates and revenue that management needs, with attention to the guest experience on every channel.
Ready to build your hotel software?
Tell us how your hotel is set up and what you're running into, from reservations and check-in to housekeeping, channels and billing. We're happy to advise on the channel manager, payments, POS integration, the guest portal and the privacy of guest data. In a no-obligation first conversation, you'll get a clear picture of what's possible for a custom PMS that fits your hotel.