Managing a hotel is rewarding and fulfilling, but it's always difficult. In today's world, hotels that don't embrace technology risk being overtaken by more forward-thinking competitors.
Tech, when wielded correctly, allows hotel owners to save time, make their budgets stretch further, and deliver better experiences to their guests.
One of the most useful pieces of technology for hoteliers is the channel manager. Used right, a channel manager can help you save costs, boost revenue, and delight your guests — all while improving overall efficiency.
We’d even go as far as to say that a channel manager is a necessary piece of software for a modern hotel.
In this article, we’ll talk about why channel managers are so important, the key benefits they deliver, and how to choose the right one for you.
The Importance of Channel Managers for Hotels
So, what exactly is a channel manager?
Essentially, it’s a piece of software that connects your hotel to third-party distribution platforms like OTAs, synchronizing your offers, prices, vacancy information, and listings across all sites. This way, you can boost your hotel’s online presence and connect with more guests than ever before.
Since so many guests go directly to third-party booking sites to book hotels, it’s essential that you have a solid, up-to-date presence on all the relevant sites. Managing this kind of thing manually is enormously time-consuming, or impossible, depending on the size of your team. A channel manager makes it happen — ensuring your properties are listed with all the most recent and correct information like room availability and pricing.
Benefits of Using a Channel Manager
Here are some of the key benefits of using a channel manager:
- Improved efficiency — a channel manager allows you to automatically manage inventory and update rates, reducing the risk of things like overbookings and double bookings
- Increased revenue — by maximizing your online visibility and helping you tap into the huge traffic source of third-party sites, along with dynamic pricing strategies, channel managers give you the best chance of connecting with a large, global audience and making more sales
- A better experience for guess — channel managers allow you to provide accurate, up-to-date information across all your channels, so your guests don’t get misled and have the smoothest possible booking experience
- Less stress for your team — by automating so many key tasks, channel managers save a ton of time and resources, reducing the pressure on your human staff and allowing them to focus on more human work like engaging with customers
What to Consider When Choosing a Channel Manager
There are many choices out there when it comes to picking a channel manager. Which one is right for you? Here are some key points to consider.
- Compatibility with your existing tech setup — will your channel manager work well alongside your other tools like your property management system? It’s a good idea to play around with different options to see how they integrate with what you already have.
- User-friendliness — your future channel manager should be easy to use for all your staff, complete with training and support options
- Channel network quality — how many connected OTAs does your channel support? And are they the OTAs you want to target? Think about your niche, geographical region, price point, and business goals.
- Support and customer service — when things go wrong or you get stuck, having a reliable customer support team on hand makes all the difference. Find out if your chosen channel manager can offer this — consider reading reviews from previous and current users.
- Scalability — will your channel manager be able to grow with your hotel’s needs? As well as your current situation, think about where you plan to be in a year or two. Will your chosen channel manager still be up to the task? You should also factor in seasonal fluctuations.
Why Hotel-Spider’s channel manager is the perfect choice for mid-sized hotels
If you’re a mid-sized hotel looking to tap into the many benefits of a channel manager, Hotel-Spider could be the perfect fit.
Our cloud-based solution is built to help hotels automate their distribution process, saving time and money while connecting with more potential guests across all the relevant channels. By integrating all your sales channels with one platform, you can centralize your operations and reduce the risk of overbooking.
Get in touch with us to learn more and get started.
