What is a Channel Manager?

As the name suggests, the channel manager system allows accommodations (apartments, hotels, rooms, villas, cottages, hostels…) to efficiently and easily manage their sales channels, on which they advertise their accommodation units.

In addition to facilitating management, the channel manager system gives facility managers the ability to simultaneously update their prices and availability on booking sites (booking, airbnb, expedia, tripadvisor, trivago, hostelworld, ostrovok…). For owners of facilities or agencies, who manage multiple units (apartments, rooms…), this creates an ideal chance to save their time and prevent overbooking.

In addition to the ability to manage prices and availability, owners and managers have the ability to control restrictions as well. Minimum stay, maximum stay, the formation of packages, price lists, etc., these are all advantages of simpler management of sales channels, which are provided by channel manager systems

What is the overbooking and how to prevent it? There is a fairly simple answer to this question. Thanks to the channel manager system, overbooking can be prevented, and then there is no inconvenience for the hosts and guests. Overbooking is a situation where there is a double booking for the same dates, due to carelessness and poor updating of availability on the sites.

Accommodation owners receive this system, among other things, these two benefits:

• Possibility to rent accommodation (apartment, room…) on as many sites as possible, without overbooking
• Reduction of administrative and time costs, because all units are managed from one central system

Without a channel manager system, owners and managers spend hours updating availability and prices, on sites. And that is not an easy job at all, because in the periods when the season is pronounced, this means almost continuous spending of time due to a large number of reservations and cancellations.

If you use the channel manager system, all your sales channels (booking, airbnb, expedia.com, trivago…) will display the exact prices and free dates, so that guests can have timely information without error.

When you are advertised on a large number of sites, your chances of getting a reservation are constantly growing. Every professional in the publishing business wants to keep their occupancy and earnings to the maximum. That’s why channel manager is the best decision you can make, to improve your business, increase bookings and avoid bad situations like overbooking.

Advertising on a large number of sites helps to reach guests from countries that find it difficult to find accommodation online because they often have special preferences for certain booking sites. Thus, in some countries, Booking.com is very popular, while in others it is AirBnB.com, in other Tripadvisor.com, and in Russia, it is, for example, Ostrovok.ru. The larger the number of sites, the higher are your chances of being booked.

The OTA Sync channel manager system provides you with all the previously mentioned possibilities, and in addition you get the opportunity to track all your income from one administration, you have a direct overview of all reservations. Ability to form your net prices and thus control your earnings after deducting sales channel commissions. Track gross prices on sites and manage stocks (last minute, early bird…). By using this system, your business opportunities expand and earnings grow.