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Backpack Online Speed

Front Desk Operations

stozza started this discussion 15 years 3 months ago

I guess there must be a lot of hostels on here using Backpack Online, so I was just wondering if anyone else is getting frustrated with the speed of it.

I have tested to be sure the problem isn't my end and am pretty sure that it is with hostelworld's servers. BPO would be pretty intensive on the servers, I must admit, but then I look at how much money they made from my property so far this year and so I think its time to kick up.

But first I wanted confirmation that it isn't just my system.

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uktrail

15 years

I keep hearing of people having problems with Backpack Online, and sometimes wonder why so many people use it. People may think of it as "free", but is it really so when you pay commission on every booking?

If you have problems with Backpack Online, please take a look at Open Door
at www.uktrail.com/opendoor/ which is designed for small and medium hostels. I am also looking into enabling hostels to display their vacancies on their own website, and guests can then book directly with the hostel either through your own booking system or by email.

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stozza

15 years

BackpackOnline itself is great. I love using it, and so do my staff. It is as easy as it could be to use, and it doesn't create errors.

I just went through the busiest period of the year, and because of BPO we made more money than usual, as there were less staff errors, every bed was booked every day.

Of course, I do wish I didn't have to spend so much time allocating beds to other engines, and I do wish it was faster. For these reasons I will continue to look at other systems, but I am a huge fan of "The Cloud" and I don't think I would consider an option that uses sql on my servers these days. I like to let someone else look after that side of it.

As for the cost, I allocate all my beds to HW anyways, so it costs me very little, and the small amount I pay for the bookings from my own site is worth the convenience, data protection and offsite storage.

Wow, so my complaint turned into an advertisement. woops.

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Scotch Argus

15 years

I use BPO too, and it's great - everything happens in real time and it's very easy to use. A lot more so than other systems I've used anyway. There could always be improvements of course, but one of the things I like about is it's being constantly developed, and they will implement changes if you suggest them and they make sense. Some of the larger hostels seem to use software mainly aimed at hotels - I can never understand that, perhaps it's inertia, or maybe they are better. Seems like very different needs though to me. The only commission we pay on bookings on our site is the surcharge for credit card payments - but whatever system you use, you pay the banks their cut - there's no avoiding that. If the booking is made on the HW site itself -we lose the full 10% then, but that would be true if we used BPO or not.

In reply to the original point - I have noticed it being slower than normal at the moment, not to make it unusable, but it does seem a bit slow - no idea why though.

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wavesporter

15 years

I sell hostel software! Its a really good one that is not well known...

All the booking engines book directly into it, and then it adjusts the beds in all of the engines...

SO...

If I get a hostelbookers reservation it shows up already in the room ready to go, and then blocks that room on hostelworld,times, etc...
Another component of it plugs into your website and again, updates availiblility between all the engines.

I dont know how fast backpacker is but this one is pretty fast... but the main thing about it is it dosn't have to be, everything is done automatically...
staff mistakes are virtually non existant... as it even takes care of payments, checkins/outs, deposits, etc... and theres 24hour phone support! It's amazing how much work it does for you...

It also has like a million features to it... anywho if you want to learn more let me know cause I just recently became a sales rep for it!! :D

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hostelworld

15 years

This thread is a couple of weeks old but if either property would like to contact the backpack online team directly [email][email protected][/email] and we can run a speed check to ensure it is all in working order. We always encourage direct feedback from properties. Our servers are stored in a large data centre and monitored 24 hours a day, alongside the Hostelworld.com servers. This gives peace of mind to both us and you the user, that any discrepancies can be identified and dealt with immediately.

It is great to read such positive comments from current users in terms of increased bookings and easy to use. However, it's hard to comment further on the speed without specific information so please do contact us if there are queries relating to your database

backpack online is a free property management system offering joint allocation between the property reception, Hostelworld.com and 3,000+ other affiliate sites. Operating in real time it ensures maximum sales with minimum effort as mentioned by 'Stozza' . We pride ourselves on the capabilities of backpack online and continuous updates to ensure it meets the needs of properties worldwide. Functionality includes extensive reports, yield management tools, multi-lingual and an enterprise version is available for large property groups. Proving our success, last week in London we were awarded 'Best Online/Desktop Application' at the Travolution Awards 2009

If you would like more information about the system visit www.backpackonline.com

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gordo

15 years

you can thank me for that one later stozza ;)

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vimbivouac

5 years

Hostelworld

You said, 'Hostelworld.com and 3,000+ other affiliate sites'. Who are your 3000 affiliates?

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