Hotel Management
5 Affordable Open Source Hotel Management Systems
As a family-owned, single-site hotel or bed and breakfast, your business must compete against well-established hotel chains with more space, a bigger workforce and significantly deeper pockets. While the competition may have more cash to throw toward a comprehensive hospitality management software suite, smaller businesses can still invest in a cost-effective hospitality management system to run their businesses more efficiently.
The Top 5 Open Source Hotel Management Systems
Open source software is software whose source code people can freely utilize, modify and share. Many open source solutions are cost effective, and are nurtured and improved by communities who seek a more open, collaborative or community-based approach to making software.
Companies on a budget (or with a talented web development team) can easily find droves of useful open source solutions by simply consulting Google. Even the most robust, complex software solutions are frequently offered as open-source versions. While your open source hotel management system may take more time and effort, for many people these solutions provide all of the features and functionality your hospitality business needs, without a hefty price tag. Here are the top open source hotel management solutions on the web today.
1. Hoteldruid
Open source hotel management system Hoteldruid is a web-based hospitality solution that can be accessed via any web-enabled device. This free open source software can be configured to manage bookings and streamline various operational tasks for small hotels, bed and breakfasts and vacation rentals.
Businesses can use Hoteldruid to automatically assign rooms based on user-defined rules, provide necessary documents such as rental contracts and forms, and create websites that allow potential guests to check the availability of rooms or properties. Other notable features include:
- POS systems for restaurants with inventory management
- The ability to run and manage special offers and additional costs
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Built-in English, Italian and Spanish languages, with other language modules available
2. GoReserva
GoReserva is an open source booking system built to simplify the reservation process for all sizes of tourism and hospitality businesses. This open source hotel booking system can be purchased for a one-time payment (with a starting price of $999), and includes a number of free add-ons such as offline booking and a channel manager.
GoReserva provides all of the tools needed to configure a website, manage pending properties and integrate your website with popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Other notable features include:
- Contact management
- Group booking and discount management
- Unlimited rooms and rates
- Inventory management system
- Customer feedback reports
3. OpenHotel Property Management System
With OpenHotel Property Management System, hospitality businesses can manage end-to-end hotel operations from booking and housekeeping to managing guest information. This cloud-based solution was designed specifically for small and midsize hotels, and the company offers free 24/7 support to all users. Pricing for OpenHotel Property Management System starts at $39 per month and is based on the number of rooms you need to manage.
Hotels can use OpenHotel Property Management System to manage rates and availability with third-party integration to sites like Travelocity and AAA. This cloud-based solution is compatible with all Android and iOS devices, meaning that customers can book rooms from any device. Other notable features include:
- Promotional codes and unlimited discount types
- Fully hosted website
- Email hosting and marketing tools
- Custom booking urls
- Content management and blogging capabilities
4. Drupal Rooms
Drupal Rooms is a free booking and room management solution built on the Drupal 7 open source development platform. While this solution is perfect for small B&Bs, vacation rentals and single-site hotels, hospitals and conferences may also use this solution.
With Rooms, users can manage booking and availability, charge multiple rates and keep customer records. A seamless integration with Drupal Commerce — a free payment gateway that accepts various payments and offers numerous ecommerce features — ensures that your business can accept payments from within a single system. Other notable features include:
- Discounts for children
- Manage special offers for bookings
- Flexible options for charging customers
- Search by room type
5. KWHotel
KWHotel is open source hotel management software that is offered in three different versions: Free, Standard and Pro. With modules designed to manage every aspect of the hospitality business, this solution can be used to manage both small and midsize hotels.
Hospitality businesses will love KWHotel’s flexible reservation module that easily manages group reservations, attaches relevant documents and allows businesses to send automatic confirmation emails. From here, businesses can record customer information and preferences in the customer base module database. Other notable features include:
- Customizable reservation fields
- Role-based permissions
- Create, edit and issue invoices, receipts, fiscal coupons and other important documents
- Custom reports creator generates useful reports and insights on various departments and tasks
- Online booking calendar
Ready to Find the Best Hospitality Management Software for 
Your Business?
We compare the top-rated hotel management software solutions in our brand new Top 10 Hospitality Management report. Here, you’ll find an overview of the industry, learn more about the key features of hotel management software and find relevant pricing information about each of the top products. Head to the hospitality section of our research center to download the free Top 10 Hospitality Management report.
[Image courtesy of Trey Ratcliff]
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