A channel manager is a software tool that enables achieving multichannel inventory distribution with instant updates of prices and availability. In other words, it allows you to simultaneously sell your inventory across several websites and provide customers with actual information on prices and a property occupancy.

A channel manager can be a stand-alone solution or part of a hotel’s property management system (PMS)

Below are the 5 Points which Emphasizes why Every Hotel must have a Channel Manager.

• (1)Inventory and Distribution Management:-

Needless to say, managing and diversifying the hotel’s distribution is as crucial as promoting your property through a variety of channels, increases visibility, drives occupancy, and consequently, increases profit. Developing a successful distribution strategy is about choosing the right number and mix of channels. Revenue Managers need to think and apply how they want to distribute the inventory among OTA’s, Meta Sites, GDS, Corporate Sales, Having a Channel Manager eases the life of a Revenue Manager where he can check and decide how to distribute his Inventories. This is the reason a Channel Manager is very important for a hotel for Proper Inventory and Distribution Management.

• (2) Seamless and Integrated Tech Stack:-

Manual data entry is time-consuming and frustrating, we all know that, also there are chances of making errors. If you were to use a channel manager and remove this friction, you’d realize just how much more productive you can be, just at one single click bulk updates can happen.

(a) Reduces Time and efforts :- If one has to update inventory or rates, doing it individually from each extranet will take time, at a critical moment it may happen when you are about to update Sold out,suddenly from no where you ll see a booking pops up and then you realize you had forget to update the Sold Out on that portal, this is where Channel Manager comes into picture, which ensures once the OTA’s are mapped, everything can be updated from one Single place.

(b) Chances of making Error is less:- Here we have to keep in mind that Chances of making Error is less not Zero, many times while updating the rates on different platform for different rates it may happen that the Revenue Manager makes mistake, because of updating it at so many places, but Once all the OTA’s are mapped, the rates for an entire year, including Peak Season and Lean Season can be uploaded within minutes.The Revenue Manager should double check if all the OTA’s are mapped to the Channel Manager, if there is unmapped channels the updates won’t go through.

• (3) Dashboard to Strategise Rates and Inventory:-

One gets a single Dashboard in Channel Manager, where he can see an insightful overview of all the Channels connected and their Contribution for the day

The Dashboard helps the Revenue Managers to take a quick decision regarding the rates and inventory allocation, again all this happens with very less Human Intervention

There is a series of Channel Manager which provides the Monthly sales and the source right on the Dashboard to check which portal is contributing. This helps the Revenue Managers to focus and drive business from channels which are lacking

• (4) Bulk Update and Rate Parity:-

Channel manager systems are developed to automatically maintain efficient rates to ensure that any changes you make on a system are unanimously updated across all platforms in real-time, leaving no room for errors. Thus, you can avoid rate disparity and enhance your hotel’s online reputation. Also one can update the rate for the entire 365 days at one go, the latest feature in many Channel Managers are that once the peak dates rates are updated, it can be blocked so that in future when we do bulk Update those rates won’t override.

• (5)Analytics and Reports capabilities:-

Informed is forearmed. Opt for a channel manager providing detailed analytics and reporting. Insights on revenue per channel, booking volume, total revenue for a specific amount of time, competitor analysis, or parity rate will help you develop your distribution strategy.