IOS Reservations 4.x feature requests

[datahell]

I develop the next generation of the famous IOS Reservations booking engine (IOS Reservations 4.x  for Elxis 4.x).
The only thing that I can say for now in public regarding the new version is that it will support hotel bookings, car rentals and tour packages, with the ability to add more "booking items" in the future. The development period will be some months so it is too early to ask me now when it will be released. As the time passes I will release more information about this version.

The reason I wrote this post is to hear feature requests by people using IOS Reservations 3.x and have some experience on the software.
So, if you have a feature request for IOSR v4.x please reply to this post (no private messages and no emails please).

[peppemania]

hello datashell can not wait to try it with the new nautilus.
the improvements that are needed, in my opinion are:

• implement lastminute, lastsecond or offer
• link a category (i think with module: show all bed and breakfasts, show all hotels, show all apartments).
• google map is almost hidden
• mod_advcheck_availability more flexible ... for show it in small and large column, horizontal or vertical
• but the most important is search result (for minimum price for example not for ID hotel). Hide hotel with no room available in the select period. i have a hotel always not available and is shown always in first line of result and new hotels (with nice price) always in last page.
• And more of 5 result in search page

thanks for all data datashell

[datahell]

Last minute: Can you please tell me more about the "last minute, last second or offer"? You want an extra fee on those make a booking too late?
Maps: IOSR 4.x has advanced geolocation features (nearby places, hotels, etc).
Search results and hotels without rooms: Search will be improved a lot. Regarding hotels without rooms, a related question: You search for a room for a 2 days stay and the hotel requires a minimum of 3 days stay, should the hotel be displayed with a warning and with disabled the booking button or not show it at all? The same applies for other time related features.

BTW I am datahell, not datashell 

[peppemania]

hello datahell
for last minute etc..  I created images to describe what I mean for last minute

for the search result:
 I see no reason to show hotel with a warning and with disabled the booking button, I think it's a useless list to the disadvantage of available hotels. (see booking .com ).
many people are lost in the site  . Place information that are not asked in the research, I think it is inappropriate. then not show hotel at all?

(datahell sorry for datashell  )

[datahell]

Describe the last minute functionality. The screenshots are useless.

[peppemania]

i try with my bad english and saint google translator 

Now when my hotels want a last minute, I manually insert the ads on a page with news to highlight it.

example:
NEWS in home page: hotel Pippo from 05/01/2013 to 05/10/2013 eur 230. (and link to iosr hotel Pippo).
obviously changing the prices at that period from 60 euro to 46 (230:5 = 46 eur at day only from 5.01.2013 to 05.10.2013).
A big job for many hotel.
Visitors to the site must select precisely the period to get favorable prices 05/01/2013 to 05/10/2013 or no last minute

I'd like to show the last minute automatically.
Just add the date, description and price in admin area. (The prices of last minute override all prices preset in the same period) and in the page of hotel there is automatically:

Last minute: double room from 05/01/2013 to 05/10/2013 eur 230 ... reserve
 (As if it were a new room. If available then show, if not available or not present then hide. if busy and click on show all room ... last minute is hide).

In addition put all last-minute in a module would be a great idea

 I'm sorry. But looking the screenshots I thought it was most clear the final result

[juanon]

Hi,

I think these ones will be good ideas:

- More than one photo per room.
- Autoreduce big photos for storing an smaller file.
- Photos for Add-on services.
- Mobile Support.
- Different prices for same period base on "only room", "room+breaksfast", "room+lunch+dinner", "all inclusive", etc.
- Specific payment gateway for hotels, so we can create a custom payment gateway for a client with his own bank data.
- Easier step process.
- Personal fields to search for. For example I can create a field called "Number of baths" and I can search only for rooms with two or more baths.
- Contact the owner for price option (Apartments).
- Prices per week for apartments with calendar adapted.
- Some kind of external searching for websites outside the instalation.
- "Reserve now" button to insert in hotel website.
- Closing days for hotel that overrides all rooms periods.
- Discounts (also for touroperators) per room and periods. Also cancel days per room and periods, with an "no cancelable" option too.
- Ability to set a different template in elxis and in IOSR. For example for hotels in spain I can set another template.
- Graphic Reports.
- Iphone and Android apps to access the site will be great.
- Any kind of communication with a Booking.com account is possible??

I know they are too many things, just some ideas (some of them really difficult to achieve, I know).

I totally trust in your work. I wish you the best for IOSR4

Regards.

[datahell]

@peppemania: I understand, but what you describe is not last minute. It is a special offer for certain dates. Last minute is booking something with the check-in date today, tomorrow, this week, etc. Here is a sample from expedia: http://www.expedia.com/p/multi-deal/last-minute.htm The idea behind it is the hotel not to be left with empty rooms. Of course this is the meaning of your concept too but with the difference that the check-in date should be very soon to today (related article I found).

@juanon: Some of the things you mention are already implemented, others will be implemented for sure. Mobile apps cannot be a part of IOSR as they are not web applications but I focus on a mobile friendly version of IOSR. IOSR 4.x will be ever easier to administer and use. Thanks for your list, I will check it thoroughly. If you have any technical documentation regarding booking.com I would be happy to share it with me. From what I have seen, and I searched a lot, there is no way to integrate with booking.com except by using their own system remotely. I don't see any booking API anywhere for booking.com.

[peppemania]

@datahell you're right, but I think the entry mechanism for hotels does not change. Change only a name (last minute, last second, special offer).
however, you understand exactly what I mean, I'm sure you'll do the best you can

I would like to add to the list @juanon a good XML to interact with many sites (trivago.com, hotelclick.com, hoteloogle.com  and other)

[datahell]

Most companies do not have or publish XML APIs.
If you show me a good integration service with online documentation I will include an integration with it in IOSR.
Some people ask me for integration with booking.com but there is no such integration. Can you find one?
The only thing they provide is inclusion of their services in your page, not a real integration like paypal, flickr and twitter provides. Can you understand the difference?
So, no integration can be made if the other part does not have an integration API!

[aiden11]

I think Ean ( Expedia Affiliate Network ) does have lots of documents on how to integrate their API ( http://developer.ean.com/docs#.UJEh7MXZb9w)

I have seen some software companies that do offer this future integrated on their software, the only thing you need to do is enter API credentials.

Also Booking.com does have some documents available, but i think with booking.com its  hard to work as they will not offer you an API account unless you have already generated lots of bookings using their normal banners etc.

""Booking.com offers clear and full XML documentation online at http://distribution-xml.booking.com. In case of any questions about our XML feed please contact the XML support team per email."" you need a test account to access their documents!!

 

[datahell]

I post a screenshot from IOSR 4.0 which is under development (for Elxis 4.x).

The image is from the page where you add price and availability info to a room.
The page is in calendar view mode (list view mode is also supported).
Adding, editing and deleting entries is super easy as all you need to do is clicks. The seasons get calculated automatically based on your clicks. You can put seasons inside other seasons and IOSR will fix everything automatically. For comparison, this is the corresponding page on IOSR 3.6.



@illusion-web-solutions Stay away from this, you know why. Your post was deleted.

[juanon]

Wow, It looks great.

Can wait to test new version.

Will it be available on january 2013?

Thanks again for your efforts in making IOSR the best booking software in the world

Regards

[mgrc]

Looks nice!

I recently run into this link, I think it's also supposed to be a booking calendar.

http://www.teachernow.co.uk/Pages/Calendar2.html

[datahell]

Nice, although IOSR 4.0 calendar/list view is much more advanced than this and also it is a complete availability add/edit system, not a simple calendar to book a room!
Unfortunately from the screenshot you can not see how it functions.