Comfy Hotel Reservation for Windows

Busy hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts require reservation systems that are both easy to use and powerful. Comfy Hotel Reservation, though not terrible, didn't really impress us on either front. It works fine, but we suspect that there are better programs out there for this purpose.

The program's interface is attractive, reminding us of more recent versions of Microsoft Office applications. We got the sense that the program was originally meant for another purpose--just a generic scheduler, perhaps--and that it was tweaked slightly so that it could be passed off as a reservation system. Rooms--which are referred to as "resources" throughout the program--must be entered manually, including their numbers and descriptions, and they're listed in a drop-down menu in the reservation screen. This might be OK for a small inn with a proprietor who's intimately familiar with each room, but for larger motels and hotels, we can't see how this could possibly work efficiently; there's no way to search for rooms by bed configuration, smoking permission, or any other characteristic. Curiously, the program also lacks a mechanism to prevent double booking of the same room; users will only be able to tell that a room is already booked by looking at the calendar. The fact that the program does not include any billing features--not even so much as calculating a total charge for a stay, let alone invoicing--is also a significant drawback. The built-in Help file explains the basics of using the program, but does not seem particularly geared toward hotel owners. Overall, Comfy Hotel Reservation functions fine, but its features leave a lot to be desired.

Comfy Hotel Reservation installs a desktop icon without asking and leaves a folder behind upon removal. We recommend this program with reservations.

Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of Comfy Hotel Reservation 3.4. The trial version is limited to 14 days.