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Building an MVP for a Motel Booking System
Book a Motel needed to modernize their Australian motel booking platform. Their existing system relied on manual updates and couldn’t process direct bookings. They sought our expertise to implement their phased development plan, receive guidance on best practices, and have us take control of the technical implementation.
- Development Time: 3 months from discovery to MVP launch
- User Stories Implemented: 35+ for initial release
- Integration Points: 3 major systems (SiteMinder, rating API)
- Planned Enhancements: 20+ features scheduled for future releases
- No way for BookaMotel to communicate directly with travelers
- Travelers could find motels on the website but were redirected to Booking.com or Wotif (which often returned error 500) to complete bookings
- No visibility into booking history or customer transactions
- No user profiles or booking history to keep travelers returning to the platform
- All data updates were performed manually with no automated connections
Their goal was to create a self-contained platform where travelers could search, book, and manage their stays directly while giving BookaMotel better visibility into customer behavior.
- Project Infrastructure: We established a project management framework including Jira/Confluence workspaces, Slack channels for communication, and regular weekly status meetings with the client.
- Development Environment: We configured development and demo environments with the domain demo.bookamotel.com.au for ongoing testing and client review.
- Integration Planning: Early on, we identified critical third-party systems requiring integration and established timelines for API access to the Property Management System.
- Phased Development Strategy: We created a clear roadmap focusing first on the user interface and core booking functionality, with backend integrations to follow.
- Collaborated with domain experts to understand the motel booking industry
- Reviewed competitor websites to identify best practices and opportunities
- Created user journey maps for both customer and admin perspectives
- Developed a detailed StoryMap to visualize the user flow
- Prioritized features into three release phases
- MVP features (Release V1) – essential for initial launch
- Release V2 features – planned for the next phase
- Release V3 features – future enhancements
- Two-week sprints with regular client check-ins
- Continuous integration and deployment
- Regular testing and quality assurance
- Iterative refinement based on feedback
Customer Portal (Release V1)
- Location-based motel search with filters for dates and guest count
- Interactive map view showing motel locations and landmarks
- Filtering by price, rating, amenities, and distance from city center
- Sorting options for optimized results
- Pagination for navigating large result sets
- Comprehensive motel information with photos and amenities
- Room-specific details including bed types, maximum occupancy, and policies
- Price breakdown with taxes and additional fees
- Real-time availability from SiteMinder integration
- Authentic ratings from partner API
- Streamlined booking flow
- Guest information collection
- Secure payment processing
- Booking confirmation with sharing options
- PDF download and email functionality
- Account creation and authentication
- Booking history and management
- Cancellation capabilities
- Invoice access and downloads
Admin Portal (Release V1)
- Comprehensive reservation listing
- Advanced filtering by date, status, and other parameters
- Excel export for reporting
- Summary statistics including revenue and commission
- Customer database with booking history
- Detailed view of customer interactions
The booking process we implemented follows a streamlined, user-friendly flow entirely within the BookaMotel platform – with no redirections to third-party sites:
- User searches for motels by entering location, dates, and number of guests
- System displays search results with filtering and sorting options
- User selects a motel from the results list
- User browses available rooms with detailed information and pricing
- User selects their preferred room
- User enters guest details and any special requests
- User completes payment using a credit/debit card directly on the platform
- System confirms the booking and provides options to download a PDF or share via email
- Booking details are stored in the registered user’s profile for future reference
This end-to-end process keeps users on the BookaMotel site throughout their entire journey, eliminating the previous dependency on external booking platforms and creating a seamless experience.
We integrated SiteMinder for real-time inventory updates and booking synchronization, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring accurate availability information.
The system now automatically updates motel information, room availability, and pricing, reducing administrative overhead and improving accuracy.
We utilized ready-made design templates for React to accelerate development while maintaining a professional appearance.
- Automated Operations: Eliminated manual data entry through SiteMinder integration
- Direct Revenue: Enabled direct bookings without affiliate fees
- User Empowerment: Provided users with self-service booking management
- Business Intelligence: Delivered insights into customer preferences and booking patterns
- Scalable Platform: Built a foundation for future enhancements
The successful MVP launch has positioned Book a Motel for growth in the competitive Australian travel market, with a clear roadmap for continued development and feature expansion.