What is Channel Management for Hotels?

While running a small property, managers understand the necessity of channel management and how important it is to your entire business plan. If used correctly and to its full potential, channel management can grow your RevPAR and help you make more money for your lodging business.

What Is Channel Management?

It is the management of content, price, availability of channel inventory like Vibro, Expedia, Hotwire, Traveloka, TripAdvisor, and even local business partners in the community. It helps to market room availability as a product to direct revenue-paying customers worldwide. The channel manager manages the outreach successfully to international consumers without creating double bookings or booking conflicts for online guests.

How does a Channel Manager Optimize Your Business?

Your channel manager allows you to increase your booking and increase your profits. By empowering various agents to sell your rooms, you will be able to sell all your available assets at any time. This is a very reliable way to continue to increase your income over time.

It lets you have interaction with markets that can be hard to reach. Different OTAs work with different types of travelers. With the use of a channel manager, you are enabled to become partners with various agents and introduce the site you own to visitors globally. 

Using an integrated inventory model means that you are selling as many rooms as possible - through as many channels as possible - without the risk of over-booking.

Channel management enables you to interact with larger agencies, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), and smaller marketing agencies in different markets.

Your to-do list is updated automatically across all your channels so that visitors have accurate information regardless of where they are booking.

What To Consider In a Channel Manager?

You do not want to invest in any channel manager. You need one that fits your small living needs. Be sure to consider the following common concerns:

Reporting & Analytics: A good channel manager will allow you to easily track and evaluate which commercial channels are running online. This gives you the information you need to negotiate with commissions and end a deal that does not work for you. 

Training & Updates: Put money into a channel manager who could have assisted personnel to help you navigate the gadget and connect with a high variety of dealers.

Quality Of Channels: More OTAs do not necessarily mean more revenue through your channel manager. It is better to connect with high-quality OTAs and business partners to optimize market penetration. Make sure you do not overcharge based on how many channels you use.

Compliance: Internet security protocols, payment cards, industry standards, and contactless checking procedures should be in compliance for risk mitigation.

If you are currently looking for the perfect channel manager for your small hotel, check out the best features in PCI.