Top 6 Bed and Breakfast Software Compared

Running a hospitality business like a bed and breakfast involves a long list of daily tasks. Investing in a cloud-based system is one of the best ways to ensure operational efficiency and deliver a five-star guest experience time after time.

Key Takeaways

• B&B facilities have small teams, so they need comprehensive but not overly complex automation.
• The most important features of bed and breakfast software are the reservation system, channel manager, communication automation, billing/payment processing, and housekeeping management.
• Compare the 6 top B&B booking software in terms of features, property size, and pricing.

The bed and breakfast software you choose depends on a set of features and your property size. Bed and breakfast establishments generally have a few rooms, so you don't need a robust property management solution. You likely have a lot of administrative tasks and a small team. Your solution should automate bookings across channels, guest communication, and help you organize a series of daily tasks.

While it’s still smaller than independent hotels, it can make sense to invest in the same type of software that small hotels use. Here are six of the most popular bed and breakfast software solutions that you can check out and compare.

Why Do You Need Bed and Breakfast Software?

Bed and breakfast management software saves time and improves the guest experience. B&B facilities have a small team size. Aside from guest demands, they also have their hands full with administrative tasks such as confirming future reservations, managing room service, updating property listings on distribution channels, and monitoring cash flow. 

Bed and breakfast booking solutions have a set of features that automate management.

What Features Does B&B Software Have

Basically, you’re searching for B&B booking software that streamlines all the essential tasks involved in reservation management. 

Reservation system and channel manager

There should be a unified calendar displaying all your reservations. It should be easy to manage reservations and edit bookings within a bed-and-breakfast reservation system. 

Integrations

If you use multiple channels, look at integrations. It should offer two-way integration with the distribution channels that you use to remove the risk of receiving double bookings. 

Guest communication automation and reputation management

Automated guest communication tools send booking confirmations, check-in instructions, reminders, and follow-up messages without you having to lift a finger.

Housekeeping and maintenance scheduling

Scheduling features help you assign cleaning and maintenance tasks, track completion status in real time, and even create cleaning checklists for cleaners.

Billing and payment processing

Built-in billing and payment tools securely process online payments, manage invoices, collect deposits, and keep financial records organized.

Direct bookings

A direct booking engine enables secure, commission-free bookings directly on a bed and breakfast's website.

Some tools also personalize guest experience with customer relationship management. For example, if you offer add-on services to your guests, you can use guest profiles to make notes. 

6 Best Bed and Breakfast Software

1. Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds is a cloud-based solution used by a wide range of property types, including hostels, hotels, and bed and breakfasts. Users have described it as one of the more straightforward hotel management systems to set up and use. They’ve also been praised for their support. 

It can automate various manual tasks like ensuring all your different booking channels stay synchronized. In fact, with its built-in channel manager, you can connect to over 300 booking sites. It also has an online booking engine that you can use to leverage direct bookings. 

In addition to its powerful booking software features, it also includes key features and services like:

• Round-the-clock support
• A dedicated onboarding specialist
• Detailed reporting helps you to monitor productivity, finances, and daily activities
• Permission-based roles to limit access
• A drag-and-drop booking calendar

As for pricing, they offer tiered plans and a number of add-ons. You also don’t have to pay any commission on bookings made via their booking engine or channel manager. For more info about their pricing, you’ll need to contact them for a quote. 

2. ResNexus

ResNexus is an all-in-one property management system that’s aimed at independent properties as well as hoteliers. It also offers features aimed at guests, like contactless check-in and travel protection, to enhance guest experience. 

Aside from its channel manager and booking engine, it also offers various solutions to help with guest communications like text messaging and automated email marketing. You can, for example, use cart abandonment features to remind guests to complete their booking. 

Some of its other noteworthy features and services include:

• Revenue tools like dynamic pricing to increase revenue
• One-on-one training 
• In-depth onboarding
• A dedicated account manager
• More than 100 reports

Pricing is available upon request.

3. Little Hotelier

Not to be confused by its name, Little Hotelier is also aimed at small accommodation providers. It is inn management software for properties such as inns, bed-and-breakfast establishments, and guest houses. It offers several features aimed at the guest experience as well as daily tasks. 

From managing reservations to processing payments to concluding checkouts, it can come in handy across all stages of the guest journey. You can, for example, use it to send out personalized checkout messages to encourage guests, useful for gathering more reviews. 

There’s a mobile app making it easier to work remotely and a virtual front desk, a centralized command center from where you can get an overview and manage online bookings. 

Unlike several of the other management software, Little Hotelier is also upfront about its pricing. There’s no need first to schedule a demo. Pricing is published on their website.

Pricing starts at about $39 per month for the Basic plan. That said, with Little Hotteliers basic plan, you’ll also be charged 1% of the booking value. For owners who prefer a fixed monthly cost, there’s the Pro plan. It’s more expensive (about $170 per month), but you’ll also get more advanced functionality and the ability to add extra features like payment processing and a website builder, for a fee. 

Other key features include:

• A direct booking web page
• Inventory control
• Various types of reports
• Email and chat support 

4. Hoteliga

Hoteliga is one of the top property management software solutions in the bed and breakfast category on Software Advice when using the average rating as criterion. It describes itself as a comprehensive cloud software platform for managing all types of properties — from hotels to hostels to villas to vacation rentals.

It offers customizable, interactive calendar and team management features like real-time tracking of housekeeping and permission-based access roles. This way, you can set it up so that your receptionist has access to only the features and reports needed for front desk operations. 

Speaking of reports, this is one area in which Hoteliga shines. There are over 100 reports that you can view and export about key business operations like reservations, daily check-ins and checkouts, and payments. 

As for pricing, small properties like bed and breakfasts can expect to pay $35 per month, or receive a 20% discount with an annual subscription. While this plan lets you add up to 10 rooms (which will most likely be enough), you can only add one user. For the ability to add two users and access phone support, it suddenly becomes expensive and you’re looking at about double the price. Also, if you want to use its channel manager and booking engine, additional charges will apply. 

5. iGMS

While iGMS might be synonymous with vacation rentals, it's also used by B&B operators who want to list on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. Airbnb and Booking.com are standard channels for most B&B operators, and iGMS manages these channels and your direct booking website seamlessly without having to pay for an expensive and complex hotel management system.

iGMS is also one of the most reviewed bed and breakfast solutions on a platform like Software Advice. Here, it has over 290 reviews, boasting a score of 4.6 out of 5. It might have received a few dozen reviews less than software like Cloudbeds, but users have rated iGMS functionality higher. As it can be used by owners operating a single vacation rental too, it makes it a great option if you know that your plan is to scale. 

As bed and breakfasts typically require a small team to complete the daily tasks, you’ll want a management software solution that offers solid team management features. iGMS is used by dozens of companies that range from two employees all the way to 50 employees. 

Features like the ability to automate the cleaning assignment process, create checklists for cleaning tasks, and track guest communication productivity can streamline operations. 

iGMS's channel manager integrates seamlessly with the major OTAs like Airbnb and Booking.com, helping you eliminate double bookings. It also offers a direct booking management toolset that you can use to accept direct bookings, collect a security damage deposit, manage invoices, and process online payments. 

Other key features are:

• A unified inbox and multilingual templates to streamline guest communications
• AI-powered messaging
• In-app and email notifications
• A website builder
• Financial reports

iGMS offers transparent pricing with three tiers. The Pro plan is very popular. Pricing starts at $18 per property per month. For hospitality operators who need the flexibility to pay per booked night, there's also a Flex plan that costs $1 USD per booked night (20 nights minimum).

Check out all the features for yourself during a free 14-day trial.  

6. GraceSoft

For B&Bs with bigger budgets, there’s GraceSoft's Easy Innkeeping. It’s an all-in-one hotel reservation and property management software for accommodation providers of all shapes and sizes. 

Its bed and breakfast management system offers several comprehensive solutions that include a reservation calendar and dashboard, a commission-free online booking engine, and communication tools. 

It’s more than just a bed and breakfast reservation software. For example, there’s an auto email feature that sends reservation confirmations automatically. 

Another useful feature is the housekeeping module. It can create printable worksheets that give cleaners an overview of what needs to be completed. Then, when a room is ready, the cleaning team can notify the front desk. It’s these types of touches that can streamline day-to-day operations. 

As mentioned, it’s one of the more expensive tools to manage bookings. Pricing is available upon request, but to give you an idea, setting up integrations will cost you a few hundred dollars alone. 

What Are the Benefits of Investing in B&B Software

No double bookings

A unified calendar updates automatically across all booking platforms when a reservation is made. This prevents two guests from booking the same room for the same dates.

Instant replies to guests

The system sends messages like confirmations, check-in instructions, and reminders without manual effort. This saves time and keeps guest communication consistent.

You manage pricing from one place

You can change prices in one place, and updates apply everywhere automatically. This makes it simple to adjust rates based on demand or season.

Maintenance scheduling is automated

Rooms are automatically marked for cleaning after checkout and updated when ready. This helps coordinate housekeeping and avoid delays.

Better financial tracking

The software shows key data like revenue, occupancy, and average rates in one dashboard so you have a better overview of the financial health of your business.

Skip platform fees with direct bookings

You can accept bookings through your own website. This reduces the total commission fees you pay to the third-party platforms.

Time savings

Routine tasks like updating calendars, sending emails, and tracking bookings are automated. This will improve operational efficiency and minimize human error in your small team.

See what iGMS can do as your property management solution and how it can help you spend less time on manual tasks and more time growing your business.