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Communication is key to keeping projects on schedule. However, a meeting bungled by a double-booked room can quickly blow a team off course. If you’ve ever experienced the complications that arrive with manual meeting room scheduling or sub-par software, you know what sorts of chaos can develop.

Managing rooms with the right help can make your organization more efficient and pleasant for everyone who works there. Mismanaged meeting space can cause delays and interruptions, costing businesses time and money. Then again, the right meeting room booking system can go above and beyond telling people when and where to go. It can help you manage an itinerary and bring remote workers together, allowing your team to focus on where they want the business to go rather than where they should meet.

In this guide, we’ll examine some of the top meeting room booking systems available. We’ll discuss what users liked about them and the attributes that might need improvement.

Criteria for Selecting a Meeting Room Booking System

When choosing a booking system, IT teams and managers are typically looking for four criteria: ease of use, the ability to integrate into existing IT infrastructure, scalability, and security.

Different teams will prioritize different criteria. For instance, if you have a team with remote employees or clients, it’ll be important to choose a booking system that works in tandem with your video conference system. However, an IT team for a business with plans to expand may choose to focus on scalability, preferring a system that will grow with your business, and keeping track of workspaces as your company expands. This is just to say that the criteria each organization chooses to focus on will differ according to their needs rather than the basic four-star rating a quick internet search may provide.

Ease of Use

The best thing a meeting booking software company can do? Make their system easy to use! While some might associate the word “easy” with simple onboarding or accessible troubleshooting should any issues occur, users of booking system software seem to value intuitive, accessible interfaces when leaving their reviews.

Integration Capabilities

Communication is a vital part of planning meetings. Everyone needs to know where to meet. Reminders don’t hurt either. Finding a meeting room booking system that works with the IT infrastructure you already have in place can help simplify your onboarding process and ensure that everyone gets the meeting memo. After all, who wants to train their staff to check yet another messaging app or calendar?

Scalability

What a company needs one year is different from the next. Having to change your meeting room booking system just because you’ve outgrown it can chew up the energy and resources when your company needs it most… during expansion. To choose a scalable software, look for one that’s flexible and customizable. You’ll also want one that can integrate with a range of platforms. Of course, as your business grows, more people will be onboarding. Make that process smooth and efficient by choosing software that's intuitive and easy to understand.

Scalability might also include AI features that help simplify room booking and gather useful data so that businesses can better analyze what space is being used for what purpose, giving them insight into where to invest in the future.

Security

Keep your company’s data safe by choosing software that offers appropriate safety measures such as secure authentication and data encryption. High-quality, trustworthy systems may also apply safety measures such as security audits for ongoing peace of mind.

Top Meeting Room Booking Systems

The search for the right meeting room booking system can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. We’ve gathered a list of five outstanding booking systems including a free meeting room booking system option for small businesses. The list along with information from the users of the systems should help you narrow your search.

Unspot

Toted as an all-in-one platform, the Unspot booking room system offers an intuitive interface with an office map that allows users to see what rooms and desks are available at first glance.

• User-friendly: Reviewers state that the interface is easy to use. The system prompts a reliable automated confirmation email and a reminder once the booking is complete.
• Data Gathering: While users appreciate the system’s analytics, some found that the data analysis was not as detailed as they would have liked.
• Integration: Unspot works with Gmail and Google Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and a handful of other popular office communication platforms.
  

Unspot is among the more affordable Meeting Room Booking System options. Users can sign up for a free trial and there are two payment plans once the trial is through. The basic plan is designed for individuals or small companies. That starts at 50 dollars a year while the option for large companies is 100 dollars a year.

Skedda

An award-winning hybrid work and desk management service, Skedda is feature-rich and integrates a long list of commonly used workplace platforms.

• Scalability: Perfect for growing businesses, this meeting room booking system is customizable, meeting the changing needs of a range of workplaces.
  
• User-friendly: Many users praise Skedda’s visually attractive interface, mentioning that it’s intuitive and easy to use. Users also mention the simple onboarding process and responsive customer service support.
  
• Integration: While this service works with the standard Google Workplace, it also works with many different workplace platforms including Hubspot, Basecamp, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.
  

Skedda offers a free trial period and three payment plans. Payment plans start at 99 dollars a month and go up to 199 dollars a month for the premier plan.

Yarooms

The Yarooms booking system is hybrid work-friendly and easy to use. It’s used for both corporate and educational institutions.

• Ease of Use: This service makes it easy to see who is in the office before scheduling a meeting space. Users also mentioned that the customer service was responsive, quickly helping organizations get back up and running should any hurdles arise.
• AI Technology: AI assistance simplifies complex booking tasks and smooths workflow issues by locating spaces with the required amenities, finding co-workers in the office, and creating recurring reservations.
• Flexibility: Users appreciate the ability to set rules for different groups, allowing an organization to adapt this service for different needs.
  

Yarooms is among the more costly services on this list. It has a 14-day free trial period followed by three different pricing plans. The starter plan costs 200 dollars a month while the most popular plan, the business plan, costs 500 dollars a month. They also offer the Enterprise service level which caters to businesses with more complex needs and has personalized pricing.

Clearooms

The Clearooms booking service simplifies hybrid work with a complete representation of your office space, making it easy for employees to book the right space for their needs.

• Ease of Use: The interactive floor plans and the ability to book in multiple locations inspired users to praise how easy this service is to use. Reviewers also reported that employees enjoy the hot desk system, which shows staff to see what desks are open and what equipment is available in that location.
• Integration: Clearooms works with many work platforms including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Calendars.
  
• Mobile App: This online meeting room booking system is extra flexible as Clearooms allows employees to easily book a workspace through a mobile app.

Pricing for Clearooms is based on the number of desks in your office. Pricing starts at 80 dollars per month for up to 19 desks and ranges to 1355 dollars a month for 499 desks. Conference rooms cost 13 dollars a month. Organizations with more than 500 desks can get personalized pricing at the Enterprise level.

Whatspot

A free meeting room booking system for up to three spaces and 15 users, Whatspot is flexible, making it a great choice for small businesses looking for scalability.

• Ease of use: Users mention that onboarding was easy and that customer service is responsive. The interface is well-designed making it simple to use while the real-time updates limit the chances of over-booking a space.
  
• Versatile: The customizable features make this service a popular choice for alternative room booking such as classrooms or lab space. Users enjoy the ability to assign seating to event attendees.
  
• Online booking: Whatspot offers a mobile booking option that includes a QR code to make finding a workspace simple and quick.

Whatspot may have limited features compared to other meeting room booking systems but organizations enjoy the affordable pricing, paying for only the features they need. Beyond the free tier, there is a 16 and 34-dollar-a-month option as well as an enterprise plan with unlimited spots and personalized pricing.

Time and Space: The Right Booking System May Help You Save Both

The most valuable asset an organization can save is time followed closely by space. Meeting room booking systems can prevent scheduling mistakes that can waste the time of colleagues and clients. Choosing the right system extends beyond looking for the most popular service or the most highly rated system, it’s vital to examine your own unique needs.

Beyond the basic booking features, software can help you understand the role your physical office plays in the evolving workplace landscape. Why are people meeting in person? What tools do they need to get the job done efficiently? Booking software can help your business grow and make the experience smooth for everyone involved. A core tool for organizations that are dealing with the modern-day challenges of a hybrid workforce, these services are a vital way of organizing both space and people for the foreseeable future.

Whether you join us for one of our many educational opportunities or you’re just visiting us today, we hope we’ve helped you find a booking system that can answer questions, prevent issues, and make your organization run more smoothly.

Image credit: Getty images/Porta