Welcome to the feature comparison guide between our Legacy Booking Engine and the new, improved Booking Engine 4.0. This article highlights the key differences, so you can understand the benefits and updates included in the new version.
đź› Technology & Infrastructure
Booking Engine 4.0 is built on modern infrastructure. It's now an app that communicates via API with the rest of the system—making it faster, more secure, and more reliable than the legacy version.
| Feature | Legacy Booking Engine | Booking Engine 4.0 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Architecture | Based on older infrastructure with limitations | Built as a modern web app using API communication | Faster, more secure, and reliable |
🎨 Design & User Experience
When it comes to design, Booking Engine 4.0 brings a cleaner, more modern look.
While the Legacy Engine offered more visual customisation—like changing background images, button colors, and banners—the new version simplifies this. You can choose one primary colour for buttons and banners, and upload a banner image. The goal? A better, more consistent experience for your guests.
And yes—language and currency still adapt based on the user’s location, just like before.
The booking process is now even smoother.
The Legacy Engine had a 3-step process followed by confirmation. Booking Engine 4.0 also follows a similar flow, but sometimes includes an additional step to make navigation easier.
One big improvement: Guests can now enter coupon codes earlier in the process, directly from the property page. And the overall layout is cleaner—fewer distractions, but still detailed. Room rates are now explained via popups, and the list view isn’t overcrowded.
Guests can also sort rooms by price or type, giving them more control—while you still get to set the default order.
And for bookings with more guests than the room's max capacity, both engines offer room recommendations, with future improvements planned.
Now, some differences to keep in mind.
- Promotions are currently not supported in Booking Engine 4.0, but we’re looking into bringing this back.
- Service bookings now happen in a popup, which helps streamline the page.
- Guest data forms have also been redesigned with better usability in mind, like improved phone number validation and easier country selection.
On the confirmation page and email, Booking Engine 4.0 uses a modular design, which can be enhanced further in future versions.
We’ve also added something new: social media links. These now appear in the BE footer and confirmation emails, based on your account settings.
| Feature | Legacy Booking Engine | Booking Engine 4.0 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Customisation | Highly customisable (backgrounds, banners, button colors) | Modern design with limited customisation (1 banner image, 1 colour for banner and buttons) | Simpler, cleaner design |
| Language & Currency (IP-based) | Supported | Supported | Automatically adapts based on user location |
| Booking Steps | 3 steps + confirmation | 3 or 4 steps + confirmation | Streamlined flow |
| Coupon Code Entry | Entered after items are added to cart | Can be entered on the property page | Improved user experience |
| Room List Display | Includes detailed rate and service info (can appear crowded) | Clean layout, less visible info; detailed info shown via popup | Optimised for clarity |
| Room Sorting | Set by provider (e.g. cheapest first) | Defaults to provider settings, but guests can change order | More flexibility for the user |
| Multi-guest Recommendations | Supported | Supported | Enhanced options planned |
| Promotions | Supported (basic implementation) | Not currently available | May return in future updates |
| Service Booking | Done directly on the page | Done via a popup window | Cleaner process |
| Guest Info Collection | Basic form | Improved fields (country selector, phone validation, separate booker and other information sections) | Based on user feedback |
| Confirmation Page & Email | Fixed format | Modular and visually aligned with the new design | Customisation possible in future versions |
| Social Media Links | Not available | Displayed in the footer and confirmation email | New feature |
đź’ł Payments & Invoicing
Payment handling has seen some big improvements too.
In Booking Engine 4.0, the payment schedule and methods are separated, making it clearer for guests. And yes—all the major payment options like Stripe, SEPA, and QnBPay are still supported through SabeePay.
Some payment methods, like semi-flexible payments or PayPal, are currently in testing.
Auto-invoicing continues to work the same in both versions.
| Feature | Legacy Booking Engine | Booking Engine 4.0 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment Schedule & Methods | All information shown together | Payment schedule and methods separated for clarity | Easier to understand |
| Auto-invoicing | Supported | Supported | |
| SabeePay – Stripe | Supported | Supported | |
| SabeePay – SEPA | Supported | Supported | |
| SabeePay – QnBPay | Supported | Supported | |
| SabeePay – Semi-flexible | Supported | Supported | Final testing stage |
| PayPal | Supported | Supported | Final testing stage |
| Paystack | Supported but unused | Not supported | Low demand |
đź“Š Integrations & Analytics
- Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and custom code support is included in both versions—though some features in Booking Engine 4.0 are still being tested for full compatibility.
- Google Hotel Ads is supported in both.
- Tripadvisor TripConnect is available but currently in final validation.
- Bonomi chatbot is no longer available in the new version, but we can explore adding it again if needed.
| Feature | Legacy Booking Engine | Booking Engine 4.0 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics / GTM / Custom Code | Supported | Supported | Currently being validated |
| Google Hotel Ads | Supported | Supported | |
| Tripadvisor TripConnect | Supported | Supported | Final testing in progress |
| Bonomi Chatbot | Supported | Not available | Can be reintroduced upon request |
đź—ş Extra Features & Improvements
If you manage multiple properties, you’ll love the improved Multi-property Booking Engine (MIBE). It now has a cleaner layout and a “Show on Map” button that lets guests view property locations directly in Google Maps.
And lastly, we’ve built cookie consent handling directly into Booking Engine 4.0. It won’t block the booking process, even if the user declines cookies.
| Feature | Legacy Booking Engine | Booking Engine 4.0 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Show on Map" (Multi-property setup) | Not available | Available | Displays location in Google Maps |
| Multi-property Booking Engine (MIBE) | Limited experience | Enhanced support | Cleaner layout, better navigation |
| Cookie Consent (Cookiebot) | Can be added via custom code | Built-in, non-blocking popup | Improved usability |
âś… Summary
The Booking Engine 4.0 is a major step forward in speed, usability, and modern design. It introduces:
- A more intuitive and responsive booking process
- Better compatibility with modern integrations
- Cleaner layout and faster performance
Some legacy features (like promotions and chatbot integration) are currently unavailable in 4.0 but may be added in future updates based on demand.
Still using the Legacy Booking Engine?
We recommend switching to Booking Engine 4.0 to take advantage of the latest improvements and deliver the best experience to your guests.