Building a Modern Hotel Booking System with React, TypeScript, and Convex

Ioannis Psomadelis,•web developmentreacttypescriptconvexstripe
Back

Project Overview

As a side project, I've been developing a comprehensive hotel booking system that serves as both a technical showcase and a real-world SaaS platform. This project demonstrates my ability to architect and implement complex full-stack applications with modern technologies and best practices.

The Challenge

The hospitality industry needs robust, scalable booking systems that can handle:

Technical Architecture

Frontend Stack

Backend Infrastructure

DevOps & Tooling

Key Features Implemented

1. Real-Time Booking Engine

The booking engine provides instant availability updates using Convex's real-time subscriptions. When a room is booked, all users viewing that property see the update immediately without page refresh.

// Real-time availability subscription
const availability = useQuery(
  api.rooms.getAvailability,
  { hotelId, checkIn, checkOut }
);

2. Multi-Currency Payment System

Integrated Stripe for secure payment processing with support for 25+ currencies. The system automatically detects user location and suggests appropriate currency.

Key implementation details:

3. Role-Based Access Control

Implemented a comprehensive RBAC system with five distinct roles:

4. Admin Dashboard & Analytics

Built a powerful analytics dashboard showing:

5. Automated Operations

Implemented several automated workflows:

Performance Optimizations

Code Splitting & Lazy Loading

Implemented route-based code splitting to reduce initial bundle size by 60%:

const AdminDashboard = lazy(() => 
  import('./pages/AdminDashboard')
);

Image Optimization

Used Cloudinary for automatic image optimization:

Database Query Optimization

Testing Strategy

Unit Testing

E2E Testing

Performance Testing

Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Real-Time Synchronization

Problem: Ensuring availability updates were instant across all connected clients. Solution: Leveraged Convex's reactive queries and optimistic updates for immediate UI feedback.

Challenge 2: Payment Security

Problem: Handling sensitive payment data securely. Solution: Implemented Stripe's Payment Elements with server-side validation and webhook confirmation.

Challenge 3: Scalability

Problem: Preparing for high traffic during peak booking seasons. Solution: Used edge functions, CDN caching, and database sharding strategies.

Lessons Learned

  1. Type Safety is Crucial: TypeScript caught numerous bugs during development that would have been runtime errors.

  2. Real-Time First: Building with real-time as a core feature rather than an afterthought creates better user experiences.

  3. Monorepo Benefits: Turborepo's caching and parallel execution cut build times by 70%.

  4. User Feedback Loop: Early user testing revealed UX improvements that significantly increased conversion rates.

Future Enhancements

Currently working on:

Technical Metrics

Conclusion

This hotel booking system showcases my ability to build production-ready applications with modern web technologies. The project demonstrates expertise in:

The system is currently being used by several boutique hotels in Greece, processing real bookings and demonstrating its real-world viability.

Interested in the technical details or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out to discuss the project.

© Ioannis Psomadelis.