Top 15 most-used features of Lighthouse’s platform for independents (and how they solve your daily challenges)

This article covers the top 15 most-used Lighthouse features independent hoteliers rely on every single day to keep their property running smoothly, based on real customer usage. It’s written for owner-run hotels and small B&Bs, where one person is often responsible for pricing, check-ins, housekeeping, invoicing, and more.

While these functions receive the most clicks, some of our most impactful features actually don’t require much action from your side at all. Instead, they do the tedious work for you:

• Optimize prices based on occupancy, market demand and competitors

• Centralize your distribution strategy to save time, boost revenue and prevent overbookings

• Facilitate direct bookings via your own website to minimize OTA commission costs

• Securely capture guest payments to reduce your workload and protect your income

• Simplify your reservation management to eliminate repetitive admin tasks

These are the platform’s true superpowers that maximize your revenue, minimize commission and streamline operations every day. Thanks to Lighthouse, the majority of your hotel management happens quietly in the background, automatically, while you keep a clear overview and stay in the driver’s seat.

This blog will give you a glimpse into your day-to-day routine when working with Lighthouse.

Feature #1: Change date range in calendar (Channel Management)

Lighthouse’s calendar view is the beating heart of your channel management, and user research confirms this. The calendar is where our users spend the most time and where many of the other most-used features live.

The problem: Without a clear overview of the weeks and months ahead, maintaining your online distribution strategy can be hard. Many independent hoteliers still try to manually piece together availability and occupancy trends in their paper agendas or manage their rates and restrictions in spreadsheets.

The fix: Lighthouse’s channel management calendar is a central hub that shows rates, availability and restrictions on all distribution channels, i.e. what's still bookable, where, at which price and on which conditions. In this color-coded overview, you can quickly modify price, availability, minimum length of stay, closed periods and so on. By changing the selected date range in the calendar, users can instantly jump to any desired period to see rates and availability patterns as well as applied restrictions for each booking channel. The overview also visualizes any overrides or mapping issues for quick troubleshooting.

The result: The calendar replaces multiple tools like your mailbox, OTA extranets and spreadsheets with one customizable overview. That means:

• No scrolling through spreadsheets or flipping through pages

• No double-checking settings on various OTAs

• Better forward planning, with much less time and effort

Feature #2: Room status update (Reservation Management)

One of the most important tasks in a hotel? Getting guests checked into their rooms and checked out smoothly. Hoteliers using Lighthouse’s complete platform clearly agree, because they use the room status feature daily.

The problem: Chaotic check-in procedures are not the kind of first impression hoteliers want to give their guests. They expect a frictionless online experience. However, when room status, guest information and booking-related notes live on paper, mix-ups and confusion can arise fast. Guests arrive for early check-in before a room is ready, housekeeping works off outdated information or check-outs aren’t visible quickly enough. This way of working leads to bottlenecks, unnecessary back-and-forth, longer waiting times and frustration.

The fix: Lighthouse’s Reservation Management capabilities allow front desk and housekeeping staff to update the room status directly from the same convenient planboard, using a tablet or laptop instead of a paper list. Via a simple dropdown, they can indicate whether reservations are ready for check in, checked in or checked out. One click instantly reflects the room’s real-time status across the system. For maximum efficiency, the reservation dropdown also shows outstanding balances and customizable color-coded labels attached to the booking (e.g., “late check-out”). Provided that the previous guest has checked out and the room is clean, the system allows you to check in new guests and groups with ease. And when guest details are already collected in advance through the online check-in feature, the whole process becomes smoother than ever.

The result: Lighthouse users trade paper notes and endlessly chasing updates for simple operational clarity. Front desk and housekeeping stay aligned, rooms are released at the right moment, and check-ins feel professional for everyone involved. Shared room status and important memos remove constant hold-up and interruptions, which is exactly what independent hoteliers need working with a small team.

Feature #3: Opening the calendar view (Channel Management)

Helping hoteliers manage multiple booking channels successfully is what Lighthouse is all about. That’s why, for our clients, the centralized calendar in channel management takes home the bronze.

The problem: Not having a synchronized channel overview often means logging into multiple OTA extranets or risking inconsistencies across channels. That’s not only time-consuming, but also risky. One missed update can lead to overbookings, incorrect prices and lost revenue.

The fix: Lighthouse allows users to view their rates, length-of-stay restrictions and availability across all channels in one simple calendar view. Everything is synchronized automatically, so any updates are immediately visible here. By centralizing pricing and distribution, our platform makes it easy to react to sudden changes like walk-ins, cancellations via email, out-of-orders, local events or weather-driven demand shifts.

The result: Say goodbye to the ‘did I update all channels?’ anxiety. You’ll always have a complete overview of your strategy across all booking channels. Customers typically see fewer errors and far less manual work, saving them an average of 10 hours a week.

Feature #4: Competitor rates preview (Pricing Optimization)

What if you could instantly see how your own hotel rates compare to your main competitors’ for any given day, simply by hovering over a clean calendar? That’s an everyday reality for users of Lighthouse Pricing Optimization, our solution for automated dynamic pricing.

The problem: Manually checking competitor rates usually means opening multiple OTA tabs, comparing apples to oranges, entering prices in a spreadsheet, and repeating the process whenever you finally find the time (not nearly as often as you should). The entire process is labor-intensive, and still, you’re forced to replace missing puzzle pieces with gut feeling and guesswork.

The fix: With competitor rates previewed directly in the pricing calendar, you can see the exact comparisons you need by hovering over a date. Lighthouse’s dynamic pricing feature automatically suggests the ideal price for your rooms for the next 365 days, refreshed hourly. Calculations are based on much more than just competitor prices: booking trends, pick-up, occupancy rates and demand are all factored in. The preview on hovering shows key data points and competitor rates to help you instantly understand the logic behind each price recommendation – giving you full transparency and control.

The result: Faster, easier and more confident pricing. Hoteliers can quickly validate whether they’re underpriced, overpriced or well-positioned, even without any revenue management expertise. Because we know analyzing competitor pricing can be way too complex for busy independent hoteliers, this feature simplifies it. You don’t need reports or charts, just clear context when you’re checking and adjusting prices.

Feature #5: Manual price recommendation push (Pricing Optimization)

Lighthouse doesn’t stop at recommending the most profitable prices for your hotel. The next step is getting those optimized prices live on all your booking channels, as efficiently as possible.

The problem: Manually reviewing and updating prices can be one of the biggest time drains for independent hoteliers – at least, if your goal is to increase bookings and revenue. Hoteliers either spend too much time second-guessing decisions or avoid updates altogether to play it safe, missing demand peaks and leaving revenue on the table. And without pricing automation in place, there’s also a risk of accidentally undercutting your direct rates, eating into your profits.

The fix: Lighthouse pairs each price recommendation with transparent, easy-to-understand reasoning to help you move fast, with or without the Autopilot activated. From the pricing calendar, users can quickly learn why a rate is suggested, review, approve and edit if needed. With one click, you can then push the new prices live to all connected channels, for individual days or in bulk for longer periods. And in Autopilot mode, overrides are done just as easily, automatically disabling new recommendations for that date. Define your desired OTA offsets once (e.g. + €10 on Booking.com) and new prices are automatically calculated for each channel.

The result: Pricing Optimization users see 21% more revenue on average, while saving around 16 minutes per updated price. That's equivalent to hiring a revenue manager for 10 hours a day to optimize your prices, but at a fraction of the cost. If your concern is “I don’t want prices changing without my knowledge,” Lighthouse’s solution is designed to offer flexibility, control and peace of mind. You stay in charge, but you’re no longer starting from scratch every time. The manual price push feature is especially valuable if you’re transitioning from a static to a dynamic pricing strategy. Once our solution has earned your trust, you can explore Autopilot mode step by step with customizable settings. The fact that this feature is the 5th most-used one in the platform says a lot: our customers trust the recommendations enough to act on them, again and again.

Feature #6: Reservation created (Reservation Management)

Walk-ins, phone bookings, last-minute changes. Even in a world of OTAs, sometimes you still have to create a reservation manually, and it needs to be fast and mistake-proof.

The problem: Without the right system, adding new reservations manually can be messy, and the smallest errors can become big operational issues. Details get lost, overbookings happen or guest information ends up incomplete. That only creates extra work at reception later, leading to friction and longer waiting times for guests. Not to mention, it can make reporting and billing more difficult, interrupting your flow.

The fix: Lighthouse makes manual reservation creation straightforward. You can create a reservation in a few clicks and save it directly into the same workflow as all your OTA and direct bookings. That way, the reservation immediately appears on the planboard, in arrival and departure lists, and in the guest profile, ready for payments, invoicing and communication. Plus, availability is updated on all channels right away, so no overbookings can occur.

The result: Cleaner data and smoother operations. Reservations created this way behave exactly like all other bookings inside the system, so they don’t interfere with your usual workflow and everything stays accurate, complete and consistent.

Feature #7: Synchronization to all channels (Channel Management)

The eternal dilemma for hoteliers: more channels but more work, or fewer channels but fewer bookings? Good news: With Lighthouse, you no longer have to choose.

The problem: Many independent hotel owners question whether using more than one big OTA like Booking.com is actually worth the effort. Keeping multiple booking channels aligned is one of their biggest stress points when managing them manually.

The fix: The channel synchronization feature in the Lighthouse platform lets users easily push changes made in the calendar view from one channel or group to another in a highly controlled way. You choose exactly what data you want to synchronize and where. Instead of applying changes for each OTA individually, like a room out-of-order or a closing day, this feature allows you to manage channels consistently with much less effort.

The result: Simplified channel management with fewer discrepancies and far less manual work. Synchronization ensures updates are executed accurately across channels, without constant double-checking. That way, you can spend more time actually improving your performance, with the help of other Lighthouse capabilities.

Feature #8: Planboard saved (Reservation Management)

For our customers, the Reservation Management Planboard is the operational backbone of their property that’s truly ingrained in their daily routine. The high frequency with which users save changes shows just how much action is happening in the planboard.

The problem: Making any changes to your rooms or bookings can be a hassle without the right tool. Having to shift rooms around because of an unexpected problem? A client requesting to extend their stay? All these adjustments can take up time or lead to mistakes if you don’t have a clear overview of your rooms and reservations.

The fix: Re-allocating rooms, indicating out-of-orders, moving reservations to different dates … Saving the planboard in Lighthouse locks in all changes to reservations in one action. It’s a simple click, but it gives users a chance to double-check everything and reassurance that what they see is what’s actually applied after saving.

The result: Quick edits, clear confirmation, smooth collaboration. With all rooms and bookings visible in one view, team members can immediately update reservations, room assignments or statuses without worrying about conflicts or errors. For hoteliers juggling a million tasks, peace of mind about successfully saved changes is essential, especially when the planboard is the heart of your day-to-day operations.

Feature #9: Invoice creation (Reservation Management)

We hear all the time from hoteliers that invoicing is where they lose hours. Creating the final bill at check-out often feels like making a puzzle, but all the pieces are scattered.

The problem: The billing and invoicing process is often where small to medium hotels lose time and professionalism, because they lack an automated process. Creating invoices or reconstructing charges by hand is not only tedious, but it increases the risk of errors. And then there are the “special cases” that can cause even more headaches at the front desk. For example, when friend groups ask to split the bill, or when the main costs should be invoiced to the company but drinks are on the guest. Real time-suckers, right?

The fix: With Lighthouse, invoices are created directly from the reservation detail page using a convenient template. See at a glance what’s already paid for and what’s still outstanding. All relevant information, tourist taxes and any additional charges are neatly stored there, ready to be combined into a correct document. The “split folio” function offers a quick and easy way to accommodate any non-standard billing requests from guests.

The result: Customers see faster check-outs, cleaner reconciliation and easier accounting. You may have become so used to your current billing and invoicing process that you take the flaws as simply “part of the job”, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Implementing an efficient digital workflow adds up to real time savings and a more professional guest experience.

Feature #10: Change date range in pricing calendar (Pricing Optimization)

Lighthouse users move through the pricing calendar like they’re flipping through a good book – one that drives revenue.

The problem: Deciding on something as important as room prices without context is pure guesswork. When hoteliers don’t have a visual monthly overview of their pricing strategy, it’s hard to see patterns or understand how a certain day fits into the bigger picture.

The fix: Changing the date range in the pricing calendar lets users quickly navigate through time, whether they want to review prices for the upcoming weekend or plan months ahead.

The result: An optimized pricing strategy and fewer missed opportunities. Users spend less time switching between views and more time understanding their pricing. Whereas some pricing tools for hotels can feel overwhelming, our color-coded pricing calendar is easy to read and navigate, designed to show you just what you need.

Feature #11: View reservation (Channel Management)

When a guest reaches out to you about their reservation or you simply need to verify something, you want to have accurate answers as fast as possible.

The problem: If reservation details are scattered across booking channels, spreadsheets or paper filing systems, simple questions take too long to answer. Hoteliers end up looking through old emails, logging into extranets or even searching their paper agenda to find key information.

The fix: Lighthouse centralizes reservations from all channels and shows key details at a glance: guest name, source, booking details, price, stay dates, contact info, payment status and additional notes. Reservations are easy to retrieve and information is accessible in one click. Viewing a reservation also opens all relevant next actions, like charging a card, editing contact details or reporting an issue to the OTA.

The result: Channel Management users benefit from higher efficiency and fewer mistakes. Team collaboration and guest communication also improve, because the right information is always at hand.

Feature #12: Notifications overview opened (Reservation Management)

Notifications. They follow us everywhere nowadays and can sometimes drive us crazy. But when it comes to your business or your guests, you don’t want to miss any important updates.

The problem: Reservation changes, cancellations, payment events and system messages easily go unnoticed when they’re buried in your inbox. For hotels, any missed changes can result in real-life operational problems and affect guest experiences.

The fix: Lighthouse’s notification center keeps you informed and saves you time by delivering key updates on reservations, payments and system changes in one easy-to-access place. Configurable preferences ensure each user only receives the most relevant updates. Clicking on a notification takes you directly to the relevant item within the platform, so you can take action swiftly. Our customers heavily use this functionality to help them prioritize and make sure they haven’t overlooked anything.

The result: No more missed updates that require action, without information overload. Hoteliers using Lighthouse Reservation Management don’t waste time searching for what changed or why. Everything that needs their attention is at their fingertips.

Feature #13: Add manual payment (Reservation Management)

If unpaid reservations and chaotic reconciliation are keeping you up at night, your way of working might need updating.

The problem: Even with modern tech solutions in place, in hotels, not every payment follows the standard procedure perfectly. Cash, bank transfers or on-the-spot adjustments are still common, especially in smaller properties. When these transactions are tracked outside the reservation system, folios don’t match reality, outstanding balances look wrong and reconciliation becomes a nightmare.

The fix: Lighthouse allows users to add manual payments directly to a reservation folio, so it’s tied to the correct guest and stay. That keeps the financial record complete and visible to anyone who needs it.

The result: Customers enjoy always-accurate folios, payment flexibility and fewer accounting questions later. Our solution also reduces the risk of forgetting or misrecording payments. Your front desk knows what’s paid and what’s due, making the check-out process infinitely smoother.

Feature #14: Bulk update (Channel Management)

Bulk updates are one of those features you don’t appreciate until you’ve done the alternative: applying changes day by day, channel by channel.

The problem: Making the same changes repeatedly across multiple distribution channels and double-checking those changes is both time consuming and error prone. For busy independent hoteliers, this task feels impossible when you have more than one booking channel to manage.

The fix: Remember the channel management calendar we addressed earlier? The bulk update feature lets users apply changes across selected periods, channels or groups in one action. It’s designed to prevent any changes from getting lost and you can even save regularly repeated updates to eliminate double work. Updating your rates and restrictions across channels is easily done from the pricing calendar.

The result: Significant time savings and fewer mistakes. Users stay consistent across channels without repetitive work. Not to mention, you reduce the risk of overbookings or incorrect information caused by manual updates across different channels.

Feature #15: Initiate guest check-out (Reservation Management)

What better way to close out this list of most-used Lighthouse platform features than with the last step of guests’ stay: check-out.

The problem: It’s 10 AM on a Sunday – for many hotels one of the busiest moments of the week, because a lot of departing guests flock to the front desk for check-out. When this process isn’t streamlined, guests end their stay with a stressful or frustrating experience.

The fix: With Reservation Management by Lighthouse, selecting the check-out option instantly updates the reservation and room status, and triggers a hassle-free operational flow, personalized for your property’s needs. The feature facilitates the final billing, flagging any outstanding balances. Through our built-in payment solution, you can quickly charge the guest in person or send them a secure payment request after check-out.

The result: Smooth departures that staff and guests love. Lighthouse makes checking guests in and out extremely straightforward. Every step is streamlined, reducing stress about waiting lines, payments, housekeeping and so much more.

Discover the power of Lighthouse for your independent hotel or B&B

The features covered in this blog are the ones Lighthouse customers actively use the most every day. They are the clicks that save time, prevent mistakes and help independent hoteliers stay in control of pricing, distribution and operations.

But, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes. While you focus on your guests, the Lighthouse’s platform for independents works quietly in the background to improve your efficiency and bottom line, combining:

• Pricing Optimization with hourly-updated, data-driven price recommendations

• Channel Management with smart distribution across 200+ booking channels

• Direct Bookings through a commission-free booking module on your website

• Payments that are streamlined and secure to protect your revenue

• Reservation Management that simplifies daily operational tasks

Want to see our features in action? Reach out to our team below and see what a real day with Lighthouse would look like for your property – no commitment, just a friendly chat about your current challenges and how we can help.