If you're thinking about creating a hotel website with a real-time property reservation system, you're probably not thinking about how it can be done without any technical assistance and on a shoestring budget. The hospitality industry is flooded with proprietary software for hotel reservation. And their marketing agencies promote the notion that even simple hotel websites take months of construction to handle complicated booking procedures.

However, many hotel business owners who have been working with WordPress for years can confidently state that it's an ideal content management system not only for commodity sellers but also for clever hotel company owners of all sizes.

A fully working hotel website with direct bookings does not have to take a long time or cost a lot of money. WordPress is an open-source software that is inexpensive, powerful, and secure, and it has made website content management accessible to everyone. So far, it powers 28% of all websites on the internet. Consider this: you can develop a visually appealing hotel website with property listings and enable direct online reservations without any (or little) technical assistance.

As powerful, adaptable and secure as WordPress is, it is suitable for running any sort of website. WordPress powers several well-known websites, including The New York Times, BBC America, and TechCrunch. Furthermore, it is utilized by a large number of countries all around the world. It is completely scalable, and it runs both small and large websites.

Though your hotel is a local business (which makes SEO easier), suitable basic SEO tools are required to assist you populate the site with local keywords and descriptions. Unlike many commercial hotel software packages, WordPress provides you complete control over website optimization, with a package of free plugins for sophisticated SEO. The SEO-friendly feature of WordPress will be your secret weapon to increase your hotel website traffic and make it appear on more search results. Our team also provides an SEO service that will levels up your business with regard to project management, marketing, CRM, etc. With our many years of experience, our SEO products are so gonna help you achieve your dream goals.

When it comes to hospitality-centric businesses and user-friendly technologies, WordPress suppliers provide a plethora of ready-made customizable hotel site designs (both free and premium themes) as well as hotel reservation capabilities (plugins). WordPress plugins are compatible with any WordPress theme. WordPress themes are often completely responsive, meaning they can adjust to different screen widths. This not only gives an equal purchasing experience for consumers on all platforms, but it also boosts SEO scores because mobile-friendliness is a key SEO criterion.

It's worth noting that you may frequently discover a theme with a plugin combo (design + a reservation plugin) in WordPress. In other words, this is your opportunity to drastically reduce your expenditures.

In this post, we are focusing on how to choose a perfect hotel booking WordPress theme for your hotel website, everything you need to pay attention to when installing a wordpress hotel booking theme, and recommending the top 10 best hotel templates for hotel booking wordpress hotel themes.

1. Free VS Premium WordPress Theme: Which You Should Choose?

For many people who are just starting started with WordPress, the decision between free and paid themes (at least in terms of themes) is probably based on the notion that if there is a free choice that works fine, why would anyone pay money for a premium option? This mindset is consistent with standard startup advice, which suggests that people who wish to start a new blog or website keep expenditures minimal in order to avoid having excuses come in the way of launch. This suggestion certainly makes sense, but it does not necessarily represent long-term strategic thinking. There are several benefits to purchasing premium WordPress themes. There wouldn't be a market for them if there weren't already a large number of individuals eager to buy and utilize them.

To prevent confusion while deciding between free and premium WordPress themes, prepare yourself with the essential knowledge and analyze the advantages and drawbacks of each choice to make an informed decision. The topic is straightforward: should you choose free or paid WordPress themes? As you're about to learn, the solution doesn't have to be difficult.

1.1 Free WordPress Theme

• Pros

The most significant advantage of a free WordPress theme is its low cost. It reduces the entrance level for establishing a website and you can start your own site without breaking the bank. Free is usually a wonderful thing for newbie website owners, and excellent for those continuously experimenting or aching for a change every now and again. WordPress premium themes require payment, and many of these may be a little bit pricy! The average cost of a premium theme is $57.54. Some theme providers do not allow refunds, so if you don't like the theme you purchased or it is incompatible with your plugins, you could be left with something you can't use.

Free WordPress themes are actually held to a higher degree of quality. All themes in the official WordPress theme directory have been subjected to a rigorous theme evaluation procedure. The theme evaluation team consists of some extremely competent individuals who evaluate and test these themes before they are placed in the directory. Free WordPress themes have been evaluated for standard compliance code, support for standard WordPress features, quality HTML and CSS, security, privacy, and other factors. As you may expect, it requires skilled developers to create high-quality WordPress themes that are accepted into the official directory.

Because they don't include a lot of premium features and widgets, free themes tend to have a very basic look. If your website does not utilize a lot of plugins, this in turn should make them leaner and therefore quicker to load – thus boosting the speed of your website and improve your technical SEO.

Free WordPress themes are often designed with novices in mind, and as a result, they are basic and easy to use. WordPress developers ensure that the themes in the theme library may be utilized by a novice as part of their testing procedure before approving a theme. Most WordPress plugins are also compatible with these free themes.

Maybe you are interested in Why Is The Hotel Booking WordPress Plugin Important For Your Hotel Website?

Cons

The disadvantages of free or premium WordPress themes can vary greatly. What one considers a disadvantage may be not an inconvenience to many others.

A free theme offers fewer features and no added functionality, which are required by many larger and more professional websites. While free themes support the majority of standard WordPress features, many of them do not include extra features such as generating buttons, using short codes, making landing pages, and so on.

Free WordPress themes also have limited support options as their creators are not required to respond to support inquiries. There are too many Free WordPress theme creators, WordPress is unable to identify the theme's author or developer. You must rely on third-party assistance (WordPress forums, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, or paying a web developer), and there is no assurance that you will receive a prompt (or any) response if you do not pay someone to assist you.

A significant part of the themes on the WordPress repository site are seldom updated, which may make them incompatible with regular WordPress CMS version changes.

Some free themes have had over one million downloads! When compared to premium themes, free themes are hardly distinguishable. Because they may be downloaded by anybody without having to pay money, many comparable sorts of websites will utilize the same theme. Because free themes do not have as many modification possibilities as premium themes, the changes will be minor, and users will likely begin to notice these themes' repeated features. In addition, there are generally few choices for customizing the aesthetic look of free themes.

1.2 Premium WordPress Theme

• Pros

The major reason for using a premium theme is the unique features it provides. Most themes have an admin panel via which you may control anything on the front end in a matter of minutes.

The main draws of any premium theme are custom content sliders, social media support, and SEO capabilities.

Free themes are quite general and simple, and many users wind up utilizing the same free theme for several sites. If you want your site to have a distinct look and feel, you should choose a premium theme. Premium themes have a wider range of design components that are not included with free themes. This makes all the difference when it comes to developing a high-quality website for your customers. All premium themes have a common design element. So, if you intend to brand your website, it is best to choose a premium template. They provide several layouts with a multitude of color schemes, allowing you to quickly modify the vibe and overall design of the website based on your needs.

For those of you who are unclear what responsive web design is or why it is necessary, let me simply say that it is critical to the success of your site! The ability to offer an ideal viewing and interaction experience for your visitors across a range of platforms and devices is referred to as responsive web design. For example, you want your site to appear fantastic on a desktop but also look and operate properly when someone views it on their phone. A responsive website design is required to achieve this aim.

For anyone who is adamantly opposed to paying for a theme, I will warn you straight now...... Most (but not all) free themes come with their own massive dosage of harmful code. Isn't it crazy? Why would someone do such a thing? While we would want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, there are fraudsters, criminals, and plain ol' meanies out there who, for whatever reason, develop themes with harmful code embedded right in them. They then tie these themes together with a flashy silver ribbon that says "free," which many of us can't get enough of. Premium WordPress themes (when acquired from the appropriate source) have protection to combat malicious code.

Paid theme developers usually provide after-sale assistance for their goods. This assistance may be via email or phone consultations for any issues you may have with their themes. Furthermore, many commercial themes include regular security updates, bug patches, or upgrades that keep them up to speed with the most recent versions of WordPress. Individuals are usually the creators of free themes. They may be exceptionally creative and brilliant, yet they may eventually go on to other endeavors. The exception, not the rule, is comprehensive theme support.

Why is WordPress themes support desirable? For starters, it ensures that any issues you may be having are resolved swiftly and accurately. Two, you won't have to waste hours and hours of your valuable time scouring Google and web forums for solutions to topics that engineers know off the top of their heads. Finally, it provides a far better experience for both you, the user, and your customers.

Premium WordPress themes are developed to adhere to the most recent and best SEO practices. Premium WordPress themes may help your site rank higher in search results for better visitor viewing. When it comes to running a successful website, this is critical.

The main advantage of WP premium themes is that they are frequently updated, which means that their features are improved on a regular basis, as are their security aspects. The website construction platform's forums provide significant help to theme users. Only individuals who have purchased the theme will be able to engage on the forum, while the rest of the audience will be able to read their talks.

When the clients you're seeing see that your website is designed with a purchased WordPress theme, your website ratings rise immediately. The web page's dynamic, tech-savvy, interactive, and multifunctional appearance draws the consumer and creates its own selling profile. The website comes in useful and is successfully sold since it can be utilized for any type of small, medium, or large company project.

Is it really that difficult to accept that premium WordPress themes are cost effective, given all I've said thus far? Sure, they aren't free, but with all the difficulty that comes with a free WordPress theme, you'll gladly pay a few dollars in the end to have a smooth operating site with a support staff. On the other end of the scale, engaging a web designer to build your theme will cost you thousands of dollars. This seems a tad extreme to me. I'd rather pay for a superb premium theme with excellent features than hire a web designer to build a totally bespoke web theme for my site.

• Cons

Few themes are pricey and need monthly/yearly licensing payments for a period of time. Wasn't the cost of the theme already exorbitant, and now there's a yearly license charge on top of that? This may be too much for certain people, and they may be unable to endure it. Only those who operate a major business can afford such exquisite circumstances, whereas those who built the website as a hobby may be tempted to modify the theme design.

Another disadvantage of premium themes is that the author who developed it has the power to cancel the product at any time. This would cost you both your money and your time.

With each advanced theme and proposal comes new knowledge and strategies to master. The passionate developers are ready to learn and create, while those who are under job pressure and have a limited time frame may not survive the learning phase. Thus, whichever theme you choose, properly examine its characteristics and determine whether or not you can utilize it. 

1.3 When To Use A Free WordPress Theme Versus A Premium WordPress Theme?

Both free and paid WordPress themes have advantages and disadvantages: there is no one-size-fits-all solution. When faced with the problem of “free vs. premium theme,” attempt to answer these questions honestly:

• What are the requirements for your website? Minimal features or extensive customization?
• Do you have a tight budget or are you willing to invest in your internet presence?
• How essential is the visual aspect of your web project?
• Are you technically aware and capable of handling technological difficulties on your own?

Once you have the answers in mind, you may have a clearer notion of the sort of theme you require. Because not all themes are coded the same way, it is critical that you select the proper themes supplier with all the bells and whistles.

Also, keep in mind that you may always switch to a premium theme later in your online journey. Starting with a free theme and subsequently upgrading to a premium one is a popular route that may help you save money until you've made up your mind about your project. If, on the other hand, you already have all of the materials you need to get started with a bang, then scan over the premium themes carefully and shop around until you find the ideal one for you!

Simply said, choose a free WordPress theme if you:

• just want to create a personal blog
• don't care if your website appears the same as everyone else's.
• are just interested in basic functions
• can work with minimum assistance (for simple blogging functions)

Use a premium WordPress theme instead if you:

• Are planning to utilize WordPress to build a company website? (or thinking of expanding your WordPress website to include complicated functionality like eCommerce in the future)
• Want your website to stand out
• Want your website to be able to accommodate a wide range of features
• Don't know how to repair problems and require a specialized support staff.

To make the selection easier, you must first identify the purpose of your website. If you want a certain feature, such as a photography website, culinary blog, or eCommerce site, you must select a WordPress theme that will work for this unique buy. Understand that the more complicated your website becomes in terms of required functionality, the more difficult it is to maintain and manage. Using a free WordPress theme will make this difficult to accomplish.

2. Best Hotel Booking WordPress Themes With Beautiful Designs - Free and Premium

1. WP Booking Hotel

WP Booking Hotel is a neat and clean hotel booking theme that provides the ideal balance of a user-friendly dashboard for your visitors and a well-designed admin interface.

With a live demo setup accessible through the top button. With a drag and drop editor, you can quickly personalize the booking form to add the precise data in the order that meets your demands.

This WP Hotel Booking theme comes with all the necessary tools for building room listing, room management, and implementing online room booking via the most popular payment gateways such as Paypal and Banktransfer, making it an excellent solution for building and managing an ultimate WordPress hotel booking website.

It is easily scaled and fully featured for many sorts of booking systems such as hotel, hostel, cabin, resort, villas, and apartment rental services. This plugin's functionality includes an online availability calendar, flexible booking room type, custom prices, destination, display on Google Maps, and more services.

You may build as many hotels as you desire based on your business kinds. Furthermore, this plugin allows you to add an infinite number of rooms with appropriate descriptions, photo galleries, amenities for adults and children, supplementary services, and so on. Using a few clicks in the search availability form, guests will be able to discover rooms. Guests can select the kind of accommodation and duration of stay by specifying the start and finish dates. The reservation schedule will show the reservation fee and other pertinent information just beneath the calendar. Prices are computed in a flexible manner to eliminate the possibility of mistake.

The WP Hotel Booking WordPress theme provides the easy management of everything and guarantees that your guests’ booking procedure is handled from beginning to end. Visitors just need to fill out the information and click on the hotel reservation button after picking a room that meets the relevant parameters. And everything will go off without a hitch. Try a demo of WP Booking Hotel to see how the booking functionality works. The Hotel booking WordPress theme, as a specially designed hotel booking plugin, can assist you in managing any online booking activity and make any step in the reservation procedure easy and comfortable.

The hotel booking website templates of WP Booking Hotel include everything you need to operate your websites. They save you a lot of time and work while also providing an abundance of professional business features. The plugins can easily power the commercial features of your hotel website. Premium sliders keep your content fresh and your visitors interested. Fantastic portfolio and gallery choices bring your visual material to life. With WP Booking Hotel, it is simple to wow a large number of potential clients. And, with RTL support, you may reach a wider range of audience by overcoming linguistic hurdles. Unlimited page layouts and adaptable headers and footers result in one-of-a-kind pages.

WP Booking Hotel is a paid hotel booking Wordpress theme with the price of as low as $39 and it is guaranteed to be worth every penny you pay.

2. Hotel Luxe

Given the abundance of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other comparable facilities you'll have to compete with, your success will be determined by your ability to stand out. A strong theme, such as Hotel Luxe, can help to make it happen. Simply reading the demo material will give you an idea of who this theme is intended for. It caters nicely to high-end businesses, but smaller accommodations with lofty goals will still appreciate the elegant layouts accessible.

You can easily modify any layout or create your own with the included Visual Composer plugin. There are also a lot of header designs, colors and fonts, and other adjustments available to assist you in creating a website that is tailored to your specific requirements. The built-in booking system is a vital feature; it's ideal for allowing clients to reserve and pay for their stay through your website.

Hotel Luxe caters to a clearly high-quality audience while being reasonably priced. This theme is excellent if you want to dazzle but don't want to spend a fortune on a website.

3. Hotel Galaxy

Hotel Galaxy is a theme that places a significant emphasis on responsive design. It guarantees that your site looks good and functions well on all devices. This is important since many potential visitors will look you up and even book bookings on their phones. This theme is also very adaptable and has a sleek appearance that promotes cleanliness – an excellent notion to link with your hotel. While it does not have booking functionality out of the box, it does work with the Advanced Booking Calendar plugin.

Having the basic features of a free theme, Hotel Galaxy isn't extravagant, yet it provides all the necessities in a fashionable manner. As such, it's a topic to think about if you want to prioritize mobile adaptability and SEO friendliness.

4. Sailing

Sailing is a stunning combination of HTML5, CSS3, and Bootstrap 3. It provides a gorgeous look as well as an outstanding reservation system for any hotel website. This big boy gives you total control over every important aspect of your hotel business, including reservations/room administration, pricing, reports, payments, client management, and much more. Managing rooms, clients, arrival schedules, room availability, price, coupons, and reporting is simple with the integrated ThimPress signature booking plugin.

The theme also has over five one-click demos, parallax effects, a drag-and-drop page builder, limitless colors/skins, a single or multipage layout, Font Awesome icons, and much more. The many features and handy plugins of Sailing come in one package of $54.

5. Palmeria

The website for your hotel should do more than just give information about your rooms and services. Visitors will anticipate the ability to reserve their accommodations online. However, because WordPress does not have a feature like this by default, it is useful if you can add it to your site through your theme. This is when Palmeria enters the picture. Palmeria is an absolutely and ideally gorgeous and free hotel WordPress theme.

It is marketed as a 'wordpress hotel booking theme' since it has built-in functionality for facilitating reservations. It will allow potential visitors to look for rooms and book their stay using forms. Palmeria also features a sleek and attractive design. This thbeme has a basic design and plenty of white space for you to display photos of your hotel. There is also some demo material to get you started, albeit it is less than what you would get with many other themes.

Palmeria can provide you with a simple, user-friendly booking system for your hotel website. It saves you from having to install an additional plugin for that reason while still looking beautiful.

6. Resortica

Resortica is a fantastic new product for tourism enterprises! It is handmade with the most incredible and unique characteristics. It includes the Opal Hotel plugin, which allows for real organizational activity! You will have access to both reservation and room management features. Resortica is built on the Bootstrap framework and makes use of the API advancements tool customizer. This eliminates the need for coding knowledge and makes the design very flexible. It even has a retina-ready display for high-quality pictures and movies.

Resortica is a site where you may find a variety of budget-friendly lodging options. It is carefully designed to provide all monetary transactions possible online. Carts, checkouts, different currencies, and more features are available. Purchase it with Contact Form 7 integration and SEO included! Resortica makes use of add-ons such as Google Fonts and icons from Font Awesome and IonIcon. Furthermore, it is a theme designed for design freedom, with no difficult choices to deal with. Its layout is generally responsive, with a plethora of pre-built choices. There are also unlimited colors, unique widgets, and numerous headers to customize (even a translucent one!). Get it with a single-click demo installation!

7. Hotello

Hotello is one of the greatest hotel WordPress themes with an outstanding design for your hospitality business. You can't go wrong with this fantastic piece of online art. Hotello may be customized for a variety of companies, including hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, resorts, and flats. Hotello comes with three gorgeous and eye-catching demonstrations that you can use as-is or improve to best fit your needs.

Hotello has three booking modalities, is completely translatable and multilingual, and is GDPR compliant. And there's more. It accepts online and offline payments, has seasonal pricing, and includes email alerts. Enhance the experience with parallax or video backgrounds, a real-time weather widget, and AMP compatibility. Overall, Hotello is a fantastic booking WordPress theme that will keep your rooms filled throughout the year and help your hotel business expand to new heights.

8. Hotel Zante

There is no better method to spread the word about your accommodation company than via Hotel Zante. This is one of the greatest hotel WordPress themes, with an amazing design that will treat all of your potential clients well. Hotel Zante has a plethora of excellent amenities that you can all take advantage of and profit from. There's no need to start from scratch because Hotel Zante offers everything you need. Hotel Zante comes with four outstanding demos right out of the box. With only these, you have a wonderful range of alternatives that will save you a lot of time and work.

With the integrated WPBakery Page Builder, you can change the style and even create your own designs by dragging and dropping. Do your thing, add your unique touch to Hotel Zante, and stand out from the crowd. In terms of bookings, Hotel Zante includes the Eagle Booking plugin, which completely automates the process.

9. Hotel Paradise

This theme may be used for any type of hotel, resort, or hotel-related company because it is designed according to the basic standards of a business theme, such as a clean and professional style and supportive elements for hotel services. The design of Hotel Paradise is adaptable and modern, with fresh and uncomplicated features. The full-width featured slider in the header with a quick transition and the seamless parallax effect in the middle are two of this free theme's standout features.

Hotel Paradise, which was designed responsively, looks fantastic on any device with the parallax effect. This theme allows you to construct a simple hotel service on your site with two slides, a service part, and a room section. You may also include a contact area and social links to make it easier for users to interact with you.

10. BA Hotel light

Let's look at BA Hotel lite, a free wordpress hotel theme designed specifically for mini-hotels, hostels, and rental enterprises. This theme is created in a contemporary, stylish, and open manner. Your site will offer visitors a soft and harmonious feeling if it is decorated with diverse font types and delicate touches. The full-width header picture, in particular, is so noticeable and eye-catching that it draws visitors in from the first glance.

This theme enables you to add promotions to your website, which might assist in the development of your online company. You may build credentials and credibility for your services by using five-star rating sections and achievement sections. And, of course, this theme is already intended to look well and work well across a wide range of devices and screen sizes.

See more: Top 5 WordPress Hotel Booking Plugins In 2021

Conclusion

When working on a new project, the desire to save money by using a free WordPress theme may be overpowering. However, unless you're genuinely broke or have extremely restricted demands, we recommend opening your wallet and investing in a high-quality premium theme instead.

We hope this post has helped you understand the differences between free and paid WordPress themes. And also for those who have been confused about which WordPress hotel theme to choose for their accommodation service, whether paid or free, we hope you have made your decision. But if you're still wondering what is the best hotel booking WordPress for your website, we would like to recommend WP Hotel. WP Hotel comes with special features which are designed for any kind of hotel business needs. Feel free to try the DEMO here for a better experience.

Please let us know your thoughts on which kind of wordpress theme to choose, and what the most ideal WordPress hotel theme.

If you want to know all about WordPress Hotel Booking Solution, including how it can help you manage your hotel business, must have features in a Hotel Booking solution and how to create a hotel booking website effectively, this beginner guide is created for you, check out here for more information: WordPress Hotel Booking - All You Need To Know Is Here.

If you have any questions about the article or the product, feel free to contact us here. We are willing to answer your questions ASAP.

Thank you and best regards.

Rose Helen

Shop Owner

Rose Helen is a highly accomplished Ecommerce Project Consultant with a strong background in managing and guiding successful e-commerce projects. With her exceptional expertise and strategic mindset, she helps businesses achieve their goals in the digital marketplace.
With years of experience, Rose Helen possesses an in-depth understanding of e-commerce platforms, technologies, and best practices. She works closely with clients to analyze their needs, develop tailored strategies, and execute effective project plans that drive growth and success.
As an Ecommerce Project Consultant, Rose Helen excels at overseeing project lifecycles, from inception to completion. She ensures projects are delivered on time, within budget, and with the highest level of quality. Her exceptional project management skills enable her to effectively communicate with stakeholders, manage resources, and mitigate risks throughout the project journey.
Rose Helen is a strategic thinker who leverages her extensive knowledge to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation. She provides valuable insights and recommendations to optimize e-commerce processes, enhance user experiences, and increase online sales.
With her strong communication and collaboration skills, Rose Helen builds strong relationships with clients and key stakeholders. She fosters a collaborative environment, working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless project execution and alignment with business objectives.
Beyond her technical expertise, Rose Helen is dedicated to delivering exceptional client service. She goes above and beyond to understand her clients' unique requirements and provide them with personalized solutions that drive tangible results. Her commitment to client success is evident in her approach and the long-term relationships she builds.
Rose Helen's passion for e-commerce, coupled with her extensive experience and project management skills, makes her a valuable asset for organizations looking to thrive in the digital landscape. With her guidance, businesses can navigate the complexities of e-commerce projects and achieve their objectives with confidence and success.