Five Star Stays

# Booking platform with PMS integration and online payments

A bespoke booking platform integrating with property management systems, enabling real-time availability, pricing, and seamless online payments.

**Sector**: Hospitality & visitor services  
**Type**: Platform / system

- Booking platform  
- PMS integration  
- Online payments  
- Real-time availability

## A booking journey that needed to work commercially for guests and operationally for the business.

Five Star Stays operates in the holiday accommodation sector, managing bookings, availability, and customer interactions across a portfolio of properties.

The platform needed to support real-time booking, integrate with property management systems, and handle payments reliably so guests could complete the journey without unnecessary interruption.

Previously, processes were fragmented, creating friction both in enquiry-to-booking conversion and in the operational handling of availability, pricing, and reservation data behind the scenes.

## The challenge

Booking conversion depended on tying together PMS data, pricing, payments, and a smoother guest journey.

- Integrating the booking flow with property management systems rather than relying on disconnected third-party journeys.
- Managing real-time availability and pricing in a way that stayed accurate throughout the customer journey.
- Handling online payments securely while keeping the experience consistent and branded.
- Creating a smoother booking experience that reduced friction between enquiry and confirmed reservation.
- Supporting the operational workflows behind the scenes once a booking had been completed.
- Balancing usability for guests with dependable data synchronisation across systems.

## What we built

A booking platform built around real-time search, integrated payments, and dependable synchronisation with operational systems.

### Custom booking platform

A bespoke booking system was built to give guests a smoother journey through availability search, booking, and payment.

### PMS integration

The platform integrates with property management systems so availability and booking data can move between systems in real time.

### Real-time availability and pricing

Availability is searched live and accurate pricing can be calculated during the booking process.

### Online payment handling

The system supports secure online payment and booking confirmation without sending users away from the main experience.

### Structured booking flow

The booking journey is shaped to reduce friction and make the path from property selection to payment more straightforward.

### Data synchronisation

Reservation details are synchronised between the website and operational systems so bookings can be administered consistently.

### Admin functionality

The platform includes the supporting functionality needed to manage bookings and properties as the operation grows.

### Scalable platform base

The underlying system provides a base that can support future growth in properties, demand, and booking activity.

## User flow

A direct route from browsing a property to a confirmed booking and system update.

1. User selects property  
2. Checks availability  
3. Selects dates  
4. Enters details  
5. Completes payment  
6. Booking confirmed  
7. System updates PMS

## Outcome

A more dependable booking journey for guests and a more workable operational flow behind it.

### Smoother customer booking experience

Guests can move through booking with less friction and fewer disconnected steps.

### Improved conversion

A more coherent booking journey supports better conversion from enquiry to confirmed reservation.

### Clearer availability and pricing

Real-time availability and pricing give users a more accurate view during booking.

### Less manual handling

Operational teams rely less on manual booking administration and disconnected processes.

### Reliable ongoing operation

The system supports the day-to-day operational handling of bookings as the business continues to grow.

## Supporting media

A closer view of the booking platform in use.

## Collaboration

Design delivered in partnership with Fitzpatrick Design.