Phone system for hospitality
The best phone system for a restaurant, hotel, bar or venue is a cloud (VoIP) one, because staff are serving guests and every missed booking is lost covers or a lost room. It lets a booking call ring reception and the floor together, holds callers in a queue with on-hold music when the service rush hits, and takes a clear booking request out of hours. There are no new phone lines or hardware to install, you keep your existing number, and it is unaffected by the 2027 switch-off.
Incoming call
07700 900 142
One booking call, reaching reception and the floor at the same time so a guest is never left ringing out.
The calls a hospitality venue can't afford to miss
Missed bookings
A guest ringing to book a table or a room will try the next venue if no one answers. Every missed call is lost covers or a lost room, so these calls need to reach someone fast.
Peak-time call floods
During the lunch and evening service rush, the phone rings off the hook while the team is plating up and seating guests. Several calls land together and one handset can only hold one line.
Staff on the floor, not the phone
Front-of-house are with guests, behind the bar or in the kitchen, not stood by a fixed phone. A call that only rings one handset by the till is easily left unanswered.
Out-of-hours enquiries
Guests ring to book long after the kitchen closes and before you open. They need a clear message and their booking request captured, rather than lost to a dead tone overnight.
Multi-venue routing
A group with more than one site needs each number pointed at the right venue, with calls shared to a central reservations desk or a sister site when one venue is mid-service.
Capturing every booking
When a call cannot be answered live, the caller's name, number and the booking they wanted still need to land somewhere the team will see and confirm, not vanish.
Recommended setup for a hospitality venue
You do not need a complicated system. A handful of well-chosen building blocks covers almost every restaurant, hotel, bar or venue, and you can switch any of them on without new lines or an engineer visit. Here is the setup we would recommend, with the reason each one earns its place during service.
- Ring groups - a booking call rings reception and a second handset on the floor together, so it is answered by whoever is free.
- Call queues - during the service rush callers hold in order instead of hearing a busy tone.
- On-hold music - waiting guests hear your music or a short message rather than silence while the team finishes serving.
- Voicemail to email - any booking request left after hours or mid-service lands in an inbox for a prompt callback.
- Auto attendant - an optional menu can split bookings, events and accounts so each reaches the right place first time.
- Business-hours routing - calls follow your opening times automatically, switching to an out-of-hours message when the kitchen closes.
- Number porting - keep your existing number so guests carry on dialling exactly as your listing and website show.
Staff answer on a web browser or the mobile app as well as a desk phone, which suits a venue where reception, front-of-house and a manager all move around the building. See the full feature set for everything that comes in the box.
An example booking call, step by step
An illustrative call flow for a typical venue. Yours is set up to match how your front of house actually works.
They ring the main venue number to reserve a table for the weekend.
A ring group means whoever is free picks up, rather than the call landing on one busy phone by the till.
They hear your music or a short, friendly message instead of a busy tone while the team finishes serving.
The table is reserved and the guest's details are confirmed there and then.
Business-hours routing plays an after-hours greeting with your opening times and a prompt to leave a booking request.
To voicemail, or to the AI receptionist if enabled. It is emailed to the venue and logged, so the team confirms the booking when you reopen.
AI receptionist for hospitality
When the venue is closed or every line is busy during service, the optional AI receptionist answers in a natural voice, takes the caller's name, number and the booking they wanted, and emails it to the venue so the team can ring back. It is there to cover out-of-hours and overflow - a safety net so a late-night booking enquiry or a peak-time overflow call is captured rather than lost, not a replacement for your front of house. You decide when it picks up: only when you are closed, only when all your lines are busy, or both.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best phone system for a restaurant or hotel?
The best phone system for a restaurant, hotel, bar or venue is a cloud (VoIP) one. It lets a booking call ring reception and the floor at the same time, holds callers in a queue with on-hold music when the service rush hits, and takes a clear booking request out of hours. There are no new phone lines or hardware, you keep your existing number, and it is unaffected by the 2027 PSTN switch-off.
How do we stop missing bookings at peak times?
Use a ring group so a booking call rings reception and a second handset on the floor together rather than one phone, then a call queue so callers hold in order with on-hold music when staff are serving guests. If no one can pick up, voicemail to email or an AI receptionist captures the caller name, number and the booking they wanted so you can call straight back. Every missed booking is lost covers or a lost room, so the aim is that no call rings out to nothing.
Can we keep our existing venue phone number?
Yes. You move your existing number to Voxora through number porting and keep it exactly as it is. Porting is normally free, your number does not change, and your calls simply start ringing on the new system once the transfer completes. Guests carry on dialling the same number from your listing, website and booking platforms.
Can it route calls across more than one venue?
Yes. A group with more than one site can point each number to the right venue, share calls between sites when one is in the middle of service, and route by time of day. Because the system is in the cloud, staff at any venue, or a central reservations desk, answer on a desk phone, the mobile app or a web browser.
How much does a hospitality phone system cost?
Voxora is priced per user per month, so you only pay for the people who need a phone. The Standard plan is £6.95 per user per month and Pro is £9.95 per user per month, both before VAT, with UK call handling included. The AI receptionist is an optional add-on for out-of-hours and overflow cover. See the pricing page for what each plan includes.
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