Case Study: Ross Cottages
From manual invoices to automation: Integrating a booking system with Xero
Client: Ross Cottages
Industry: Holiday cottage accommodation providers
Location: Northumberland
Project: Reducing admin with a booking system, Stripe and Xero integration
Website: https://rosscottages.uk
The Challenge
The website booking system already handled reservations efficiently, allowing guests to book their stay and make payments online.
However, each booking still required manual entry into Xero. This meant:
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creating invoices manually
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copying guest details across
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ensuring the correct accommodation and pricing were recorded
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checking that deposits and balances matched the booking system
As bookings increased, this process became time-consuming and created the risk of small errors creeping into the accounts.
Another challenge was ensuring that payments made through Stripe were reflected correctly in the accounting system, particularly where bookings involved deposits followed by balance payments at a later date.
What Sue needed was a way for the booking system and accounting system to communicate directly, removing the need for repetitive manual data entry.
The Solution
I implemented an integration that connects the website booking system directly with Xero.
When a guest books a cottage through the website, the payment is processed securely via Stripe and the booking is confirmed within the booking system. The integration then automatically creates the corresponding invoice in Xero using the booking information.
This ensures that key information such as the guest name and booking value are transferred automatically into Xero, allowing invoices to be created without needing to manually re-enter booking details.
Customer records can also be created automatically if they do not already exist in Xero, ensuring that all bookings are recorded consistently.
The result is a smooth workflow where booking information and financial records are created at the same time without the need for manual entry.
The Impact on Ross Cottages
Before the integration
Managing bookings and accounts involved manually creating invoices in Xero and copying information from the booking system. As bookings increased, this became time-consuming and created the risk of small errors in the accounts.
After the integration
Now, when a guest books a cottage and pays online via Stripe, the booking automatically generates the corresponding invoice in Xero. The key financial information is recorded instantly, without manual entry.
The result
The integration has significantly reduced the amount of administrative work required to manage bookings and accounts.
Invoices are now created automatically, removing the need to manually enter booking information into Xero. This saves time and greatly reduces the risk of errors caused by copying information between systems.
Because bookings and invoices are now synchronised, Sue can clearly see revenue, outstanding balances and financial reports directly within Xero without needing to cross-check multiple systems.
Most importantly, this automation allows more time to be spent focusing on guests and running the business rather than dealing with repetitive admin tasks.
If your website, booking system or online shop is creating more administration than it should, it may be possible to connect it directly with your accounting software.
If you’d like to explore whether something similar could work for your business, feel free to get in touch.
The integration of the invoices is just magic!
Sue – Owner of Ross Cottages