Of the many software used by the hospitality industry, a Channel Manager is a crucial one as it plays the role of directly managing reservations from all corners of the web. A Channel Manager demo could give you an exact idea of this.
To thrive and succeed in the hospitality sector as well as to keep up with all the industry trends, you must adopt cutting-edge technological solutions designed exclusively for hotel businesses.
They not only lead to increased efficiency and streamline everyday tasks but also save time, cut costs, and reduce human error.
A channel manager is an incredible software to use in the hospitality industry. But what exactly is this software, and how can it benefit you to boost your online visibility and occupancy rates?
Let’s find out!
What Is a Hotel Channel Manager Software?
A hotel channel manager is a solution that enables you to sell all of your hotel rooms on all of your integrated booking sites at the same time.
When a reservation is made, a room is closed for sale, or you want to make substantial updates to your inventory, it will update your availability automatically in real-time on all platforms.
Are you marketing your hotel rooms through several online channels, including online travel agents and your own website?
Do you find the task of updating and adjusting your listings constantly a pain in the neck?
Such issues can be fixed with the help of a channel manager system.
With the dramatic rise in tourists preferring to book their stays online and the advent of online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Travelocity and Booking.com, channel management software was developed.
It was designed to assist hoteliers in navigating the hotel industry without losing guests or revenue. In fact, a channel manager can significantly boost a hotel’s ability to acquire reservations and maximize revenue.
What Is a Channel Management System?
In the hotel industry, channel management can refer to the streamlined process of listing and managing your inventory on several booking channels using a hotel channel manager system.
It could also refer to the strategic approach of:
- Managing the channels you chose to list your inventories on
- How you analyze the best performing channels
- how you can optimize your connections and networking to generate more revenue at your hotel
In a nutshell, channel management in the hotel industry is the process of selling your inventory through online distribution channels all over the world.
How Does a Channel Manager Work?
A channel manager’s primary goal, as explained previously, is to deliver real-time updates across the various online distribution platforms where your inventories are listed.
A channel manager’s functionalities are similar to those of other pipeline management tools in several ways. Hoteliers will be provided with a single dashboard that allows them to access a range of features, such as:
- Live room rates
- Availability
- Vacancies
Hotel owners and managers can then make adjustments using this centralized system.
While this is undoubtedly beneficial for smaller boutique hotels, it will also enable more focused solutions for larger hotels and franchised chains with a strong presence across many OTAs.
Importance of Channel Management in Marketing
Large-scale hotel chains can spend a huge amount of their marketing budget on various channels to create a brand identity and online visibility to attract more guests. However, as an entrepreneur hotel owner or owner of a small hotel business, your limited budget might stop you from doing the same.
Nevertheless, you can absolutely sign up with multiple OTAs (since signing up is free) to boost your online footprint.
Without a doubt, this is a cost-effective approach; but you must have a channel manager software in place to update those OTAs with real-time rates and availability to receive more reservations.
Benefits of Channel Management Software for Hotels
Online channel manager software has made it easier for hotels to thrive in the hospitality industry. It assists in the minimization of operational costs and optimization of management efficiency.
Hoteliers can monitor all the elements of their hotel operations, including occupancy, cost and revenue of each vacant room, and total revenue, thanks to this software’s comprehensive dashboard.
Below’s a list of benefits that a channel manager can provide you with:
Multi-Channel Integration for Improved Hotel Reach
The term “distribution channel” refers to several approaches and platforms used to make hotel reservations. A channel can be a direct phone reservation, a third-party website, a hotel’s booking engine, or an online travel agency.
It doesn’t matter what day or season it is when you have a hotel distribution channel manager because it is always profitable. If you have a multichannel reservation strategy, you will not have to depend on a limited number of booking sources.
For your hotel business to succeed, You need a range of booking channels. Therefore, you must incorporate as many channels as you need and integrate them all together with a channel manager. If you have multiple channels, you will get greater exposure and, as a direct consequence, more reservations and revenues.
If you are a small business hotel owner, requesting a channel manager demo from a provider of the best channel manager for small b&b can prove beneficial.
Automation of operations reduce errors
When bookings from multiple channels have to be done manually, the chances of human error generally increase. However, an easy channel manager saves you hours of manually updating rates and inventory.
It eliminates the possibilities of errors, maintains updated logs, manages overbookings and double bookings, and inventory and rate updates. If you get the best channel manager for small hotels, it will also alert you of any updates or upgrades from the OTAs to implement accordingly.
The fewer inaccuracies or errors you make, the better your reviews and ratings will be, contributing to an improved occupancy rate. You can go for a channel manager demo and see how efficient your hotel operations become.
Save On Commission with Direct Bookings
A robust channel manager can drive direct reservations, which are more profitable for small hotel businesses, in addition to reducing overbookings and double bookings.
Online travel agencies, without a question, are efficient at attracting potential guests; however, reservations from existing customers are the most profitable.
Of course, a channel manager can assist a hotel in catching a traveler’s attention, but it is up to the hotel and their services to convince the visitor to book directly with them and revisit.
Channel management enables hotels to grow their presence while also enabling guests to book directly on the hotel’s website. For instance, you could register them up for a newsletter that sends them weekly updates on various promotional deals your hotel may be offering, enticing them to make a reservation with you directly rather than an OTA.
These benefits are surely enough to convince you to hop on the proven trend of investing in a quality channel manager.
Take AxisRoom’s Channel Manager Demo and Experience the Wonders It Can Do for Your Hotel
AxisRooms channel manager is a brilliant software that can assist you not only in managing your hotel’s inventory but also in optimizing its profitability.
With a few clicks, our channel manager software can update your hotel’s inventory and room rates. It enables you to see all of your bookings listed at different channels at the same time. You can easily confirm, cancel, and track all of your bookings from various online travel agents in one place.
You no longer have to deal with blunders of double bookings and overbooking, and rest assured knowing that our efficient channel manager can automate and optimize all your manual tasks and boost your sales too.
Additionally, with our channel manager accepting over 29 currencies, you will never have to lose or cancel a reservation from anywhere in the world.
Go ahead and request for our channel manager demo – https://www.axisrooms.com/products/channel-manager/ , experience its various advantages, and decide accordingly.
