Despite the dominance of online booking resources, phone reservations are far from obsolete. The State of Distribution 2025 report shows that voice bookings still account for around 18% of all reservations. Importantly, voice bookings are also more common among high-value guests who want to speak with someone before making a purchase. In other words, the pressure is high for reservation agents!
That’s because every unanswered call or slow response is a missed opportunity to close a direct booking. To turn phone inquiries into confirmed stays, the process has to be seamless, guest-centric and powered by the right tools. Let’s explore 11 practical strategies to help improve hotel voice reservation conversions, from investing in modern tech to improving team coaching.
Key highlights:
If it’s hard to find your hotel’s phone number, you’re losing conversions before the call even starts. Revinate’s 2024 North America Hospitality Benchmark Report (based on 4.6 million calls) shows that the conversion rate for inbound voice calls is roughly 50%. That means these unmade calls add up fast.
How to increase hotel bookings through the phone:
Travelers book at all hours. If no one’s available to answer late-night or early morning calls, that revenue is routed elsewhere. Whether it’s hiring an overnight reservations agent or implementing an AI voice assistant, 24/7 availability ensures you don’t miss bookings regardless of the hour.
Round-the-clock coverage works best when it follows demand. Hotels that staff key time zones based on guest demographics, reroute overflow calls after-hours or lean on an AI-based solution keep conversion rates high. When you track call volume and schedule accordingly, you’ll always have a line available for direct hotel bookings.
Not every hotel can staff phones 24/7, but a hospitality-specific AI reception solution fills availability gaps with ease. Modern AI tools engage in real-time conversations, answer questions, manage bookings, intelligently route inquiries and integrate with your PMS.
This reduces missed opportunities and keeps bookings flowing no matter when guests decide to call. They can even offer upsells throughout the process to increase your ancillary revenue at the same time.
If a guest isn’t already intent on booking, answering the phone won’t be enough to get that reservation finalized. Agents should be equipped to guide callers toward booking, which requires training in sales (not just service).
Teach your team how to identify buying signals, upsell room types and handle rate objections with confidence. Role-playing exercises and recorded call reviews can sharpen these skills over time.
How to empower your booking agents:
Rigid call scripts turn guests off. Instead, coach your team to use open-ended questions and natural conversation to uncover guest needs and guide them to the right booking.
Conversational selling feels more personal and builds trust faster. By focusing on the guest’s intent rather than just listing room features, your team will connect more authentically and close more sales.
Use conversational techniques such as:
Even with great rapport, guests may hesitate to book. Equip your team with clear responses to common objections from price to cancellation policy. With the right language, you’ll turn hesitation into commitment.
Instead of writing out a stilted script, equip your team with talking points so they have a reliable path forward. Whether a caller wants to check with someone else, feels unsure about the location or wonders what happens if plans change, a thoughtful response reassures them and keeps the reservation within reach.
Guests don’t want to repeat themselves. If someone calls after browsing your site or is a repeat guest, your team should know it. Integrated guest data facilitates warmer, more tailored conversations.
Access to CRM or PMS data lets agents greet returning guests by name, reference past stays from the hotel room reservation system and make recommendations based on preferences. It’s a small touch that drives loyalty and trust.
Use guest data to:
Too many calls end without a direct ask. Train your team to always move toward closing the sale. If a guest sounds interested, the agent should invite them to book clearly and confidently.
Many guests are just waiting for a nudge. A simple request could make all the difference between an inquiry and a confirmed reservation.
Encourage bookings by:
Don’t wait for guests to call back. If someone inquires but doesn’t book, follow up with a timely outbound call. It shows you care and often nudges the guest toward completing their booking.
Follow-ups work best when they land fast and stay relevant. A simple return call within a few hours of a missed inquiry keeps the conversation warm. If the guest doesn’t pick up, a voicemail with clear contact details can bring the lead back to life.
Many hotels also pair the call with a short text or email that includes booking information. When staff note personal details from the original conversation, the follow-up feels thoughtful and creates momentum toward a confirmed reservation.
Without call recordings, it’s hard to know where your team shines or slips. Reviewing past conversations helps identify patterns, coach for improvement and celebrate wins.
Use recordings during one-on-ones or team workshops to analyze tone, objection handling and close attempts. Continuous feedback sharpens skills over time.
Maximize call reviews by:
What gets measured gets managed — and improved. Tracking call volume, conversion rates, average call length and booking outcomes can reveal gaps and wins.
Use a call analytics platform to identify top performers, underperforming shifts or marketing campaigns that drive the most high-intent calls. These insights directly inform staffing, training and marketing decisions.
Whether you're looking to support after-hours calls, reduce missed inquiries or convert more conversations into direct bookings, Canary’s AI voice for hotels is purpose-built for hospitality teams that want to grow revenue without increasing workload.
Key features include:
Book a demo today and see for yourself how Canary helps improve hotel voice reservation conversions.
Some guests prefer to call the hotel directly because it gives them immediate answers, personalized service and peace of mind. This is especially true for travelers with specific requests, questions about amenities or those booking for special occasions. Speaking with a real person helps them confirm details and feel more confident in their decision.
Some guests also call to negotiate rates, inquire about promotions or ask about accommodations that aren’t easily found online. Voice reservations are often used by high-value guests, meaning they represent a key opportunity for revenue.
AI voice assistants increase hotel phone reservations by answering every call, capturing leads and guiding guests through the booking process. Instead of sending callers to voicemail or letting them hang up when the front desk is unavailable, AI assistants engage them in real time, handle routine questions and collect contact information for follow-up.
Canary AI also personalizes guest conversations by syncing with your PMS or CRM, making it easy to recognize repeat visitors and tailor upsell offers. Whether it's helping guests find the right room or resolving simple inquiries, AI assistants make the booking process faster and more seamless, which ultimately boosts conversions and revenue.
Implementing an AI voice reservation system from Canary is fast, seamless and works with your existing hotel tech stack. The system integrates easily with your property management system (PMS) and reservation processes so your team won’t need to overhaul their workflows or learn a new platform from scratch. And if you’d like to add guest management software, it’ll integrate seamlessly with that, too.
Most hotels can get up and running in a matter of days. Canary’s onboarding team handles the setup and customizes it to your brand’s voice and guest journey. Minimal training is required and the system continues to learn and improve over time, driving more bookings with less lift from your staff.
