Why your property needs a channel manager?

What is a channel manager?

Integrated within your hotel software (Property Management Software), your reservation management software ensures your different online reservation platforms are connected. It also ensures that your rates, your availability in terms of accommodation, your packages and even your property’s information are synchronized, regardless of the OTAs (Online Tourism Agencies) used to make the reservation.

Accurate and simplified management

By connecting a channel manager to your PMS, your front desk staff will not have to deal with overbooking and the resulting guest dissatisfaction. Moreover, they will not have to make any changes in case of unavailability since the system will have automatically updated the capacity and availability of your hotel. With your reservation management software, you make sure your customers are satisfied and their pre-stay experience is enjoyable. 
To avoid any errors related to the management of your property’s availability, it is preferable to use new and efficient technologies. You should set up the initial quantities available for each offer and service and let the system update these figures in real time. By automating the administrative tasks related to reservation management, you allow your staff to be readily available for your guests. This ensures your customers have a successful and enjoyable stay experience.

Immediate synchronization of information between your softwares

In addition to the immediate synchronization of your property’s availability, several other relevant information are transferred to your hotel PMS to ease your operations. For example, booking and customer information will be directly forwarded from the OTA to your PMS hotel. Since data is essential, you can be sure that no matter which reservation platform you use, your PMS will collect your customers’ data. Moreover, this data can be used to personalize your property’s guest experience by offering them special in-room options on special occasions. It can also be used to adjust your marketing communications by offering special promotions to guests who have stayed in your hotel more than three times, for example.

A diverse source of revenue

The channel management software is the solution you need to be present on OTAs for your customers without adding complexity to your operations. The channel manager allows you to increase your revenue from various sources by being present on several external reservation platforms such as Expedia, Hotel.com, Booking.com, Airbnb. You gain visibility with travelers and potentially increase your number of online reservations.

By integrating a channel manager to your PMS, you increase your property’s visibility while allowing it to be compared to its competitors. It is therefore essential to showcase your best rooms, facilities and services on all your online booking platforms. You may also use authentic content created by your guests to promote your establishment.