IOS Reservations Hotels - Features requests

[timalsina]

Features request:
- Timezone setting for each hotel based on it's location (This is the most need feature to allow guests to cancel their reservation based on hotel set cancellation policy - for a global hotel booking portal having hotels all around the world, the reservation cancellation option becomes inactive once the guest passes allowed cancellation time - hoteliers and admins can always cancel or move the reservation)
- Option for hotelier to input local hotel confirmation/cancellation number once booking gets confirmed or cancelled by the hotel besides system generated confirmation number.
- Option to block adjust/close/re-open whole hotel or specific room inventory by the hoteliers based on their local inventory level (eg. for 3 days, 10 days etc.)
- Autocomplete search widget for Hotel Destination Name, Hotel Name etc. input field
- Ability to automatically adjust inventory for multiple distribution channels based on sales/cancellation - similar to http://www.onlinebookingmanager.com/distribution_channel_service.php
- Restrict hotelier from deleting hotel/hotels
- Option to charge fix fee to hotelier by admin on a yearly basis besides monthly fee.
- Hoteliers sign-up form

Would love to see these features.
Best

[peppemania]

- reservation email with more details: reserved room detail, terms and conditions, google map, button (no text link) for reservation status ... like booking.com

[timalsina]

Front-End Hotel pages url: (SEO)
Option to have hotel name in url.
Current: Hotel page ( reservations:hotels/{country}/{location}/{hotel_id}.html )

Requested Feature: For SEO boost.
Hotel page ( reservations:hotels/{country}/{location}/{hotel_name}.html )

If multiple hotels with same name exist in same location than append hotel_name with {hotel_id} preference in URL:
Hotel page ( reservations:hotels/{country}/{location}/{hotel_id}/{hotel_name}.html )

Also, option to reverse sorting when clicking again in the sort item for hotel list results.

[vardaris]

- Another importand would be "Alternatives Hotels" where 2-3 hotels from the same destination or nearest places are shown (Ideal: with distance from this hotel, if possible).
- As I said previous - "Last Viewed Hotels" is very necessary.
- Some Labels like "Best Deal" or "2013 best hotel with a cup icon" or possibility to make my own label and place it before or next to the Hotels'  title (enable/disable).
- User's ability request and change the date or number and room type when receiving e-mail's invoice and an empty place where administrator can write and be shown something extra at the end of the Invoice (at the bottom)".
- At the Hoteliers Area, selecting dates on the Calendar with another way because is pitty strange for them (maybe hover / drag) or selecting dates "from-until"(There are hoteliers who are not so good with technology and want something more simple). "More simple.. more easy...more partners!"

[datahell]

Keep posting your ideas and feature requests. IOSR Hotels 2.0 is under development and I will implement most of your proposals posted here.

A note for IOSR Hotels 1.x users
Be prepared for a major change! The upgrade from v1.x to v2.x will be easy, smooth and free but there will be many changes. I added many new settings that allows you to control better your booking system. There is also a logging system that allows you to track everything important made on IOSR hotels during your absence. The interface is 100% mobile friendly and there is a brand new styling system. This means that if you have a custom style for IOSR Hotels you will have to re-do your styling via CSS after you upgrade to v2.x. Also all IOSR modules and plugins will have to be upgraded too.

I will post a development report after some days to notify you about the already made changes and new features.

[timalsina]

Option to custom build 'Filtered By' AJAX filters from the backend for front end hotels results listings page. Eg. sliding price range, smoking, non-smoking, pet friendly etc., … and clicking more filters would display more filters for output results - similar to bookings.com. Sort by review score.

[datahell]

Screenshot showing side column filters in the upcoming IOSR Hotels 2.

You can now filter results by rating score (IOSR Hotels 2 supports guests rating/score on hotels). You can set which filters to be used or you can hide them all. You can also re-order hotels by rating score. I might also add one more filter with discounts (last minute, early booking, not refundable, etc.)

Rating hotels
You can rate 5 hotel characteristics (Cleanliness, Comfort, Staff, etc) and optionally add a comment. The final score is a float number from 1 to 10.
This score is divided into 5 ranges
9+ Excellent
8+ Very good
7+ Good
6+ Pleasant
1+ Tolerable

Note that you have to login to see attached images in this forum.

[timalsina]

Rating Hotels looks awesome!

Option to filter out results with a price range would be great if it has not been done already. Discount filter will help to generate more sales.

[webgift]

It's obvious to mention here that IOSR Filter Hotels 2.0 module will be updated when IOSR Hotels extension v.2.0 will be released. Thank to Is Open Source the new version of this extension will be published even to the inner page of IOSR Hotels extension (left area).
Of course all the upcoming updates from 2.0+ will be provided without any charge to the users who have already bought version 2.0 of IOSR Filter Hotels module.

[datahell]

You can now (v2.x) have your custom filter on the left column, hide the default one and you can also change the contents of the main column with an AJAX request without refreshing the page.
BTW added Meals filtering options in the default side filter.

[timalsina]

I found guest extranet very confusing. A simple extranet similar to hotelier extranet but stripped down version where logged in guests can be redirected to this extranet page to find their reservation, cancel reservation and change their password would be great.

[vardaris]

- When a visitor chooses main destination or a subregion, (for example, Athens or Athens Airport or Piraeus) I think that would be better, for the Engine on going directly to the available Hotels and not to the Subregions. The Subregions could be visible at the Bottom, next to the Hotels Presentations. I think that a visitor who knows what he wants, likes a rapid search without referrals and redirections.
- Another Idea is to save properties to lists

[datahell]

And what if all sub-locations have hotels? Which sub-location to display?

I believe this "problem" is easy to be solved with good internal linking. Place direct links to the locations you are interested in either as menu items, or inside articles, modules, etc.

Elxis URIs for an IOSR sub-location
reservations:hotels/{COUNTRY}/{LOCATION}/{SUB-LOCATION}/
Example:
reservations:hotels/gr/macedonia/thessaloniki/

You can also prompt users to use search with the flexible option to Yes (flexlocation=1 in URL) or use direct links like this:

reservations/hotels/search.html?lid=XX&numrooms=1&flexlocation=1&pickcheckin=17-09-2014&pickcheckout=18-09-2014&room1adults=2&room1children=0

[juanon]

Hi,

What about that development report with the already made changes and new features.

Do you have a release date now or this upgrade will take you some months?

Thanks a lot in advance

[datahell]

I work simultaneously on many features and the whole IOSR Hotels 2.x is under heavy re-construction. This is why I didn't post anything yet. Many features already requested and some others, not mentioned here, are under development. Also the frontend interface is under reconstruction (new template system). So I don't have many things to show yet. I will post below a (very) brief list on some of the new features which have already been implemented or are under development.

- Single hotel mode (as in v3.x)
- System logging with rotation.
- Static image maps
- Use a location as frontpage.
- Configurable filtering options.
- New filters added: Hotel score, meals
- Sort hotels by score
- 2 additional styles for the top area of hotel page.
- Option to show/hide hotel description, facilities, policies and navigation
- Google Street View (with static images and left-right navigation arrows)
- Built in reviews/rating system
- Automatic review notification system (send mail to guests to rate the hotel after their visit)
- Not refundable discount
- Option to stop bookings for a selected room
- Option to display inquiry form for a specific room instead of processing online bookings.
- Included meals (breakfast, half board, etc)
- Room promotional text
- Provide different charge based on the number of guests for a room (eg for 1 person 10EUR, for 2 persons 15 EUR, for 3 persons 23 EUR, etc..)
- Improved price editing system for rooms.
- Fully mobile friendly frontend interface
- New template/styling system
- HTML5 form elements
- New guests pick system
- Auto cancel bookings after some time of being not confirmed
- Local reservation code
- AJAX driven sub-pages in hotel details page (contact, rating, policies)

I attach a screenshot from the hotel's page (attention: the page is still under development)
I also attach a screenshot from the availability check form as seen from a mobile device.

Note: You have to login to see attached images.