Improve Hotel Bookings with A Hotel Channel Manager

Your hotel marketing strategy plays a pivotal role to improve direct hotel bookings, for which an appropriate distribution network has to be created. The network will involve agents and partners that will help to sell your property to gusts. For this to be accomplished successfully the booking must be automated for inventory and rates.

Digital marketing for hotels has been around for quite some time and has seen a steady increase since the past few years. The best way to ensure that multiple distribution channels are managed effectively and efficiently is to use a hotel channel manager.

A hotels channel manager is a critical part of hotel digital marketing strategy for marketing and sales. It serves as a tool that connects the inventory and rates with online booking websites. It permits the distribution of rooms across various channels to prospective customers across the world.

Features to look for when selecting a channel manager

When you decide to opt for a hotel channel manager for your hotel business you need to find one that offers two-way integration. It should effectively link your PMS with the booking channels of distribution. Having dual way integration helps to share information in real time about availability and rates across all booking channels. When choosing a channel manager it should have regular updates and upgrades its features automatically. The hotel business is constantly evolving and the channel manager must be able to adapt and evolve as per the existing scenario. A suitable channel manager for a hotel would have a host of innovative features to successfully link with the channels of distribution, apart from numerous other additional benefits.

Some of the top benefits you will receive when selecting a hotel channel manager for your hotel business are:

• A hotel business utilises a variety of systems to manage business. The primary benefit of using a channel manager is that it links with the booking engine and the PMS system. This ensures that all data present across channels is up-to-date and reliable.
• While the inventory is managed automatically it also helps to increase bookings. When you buy hotel channel management software it offers the facility to connect with a variety of distribution channels, all of which assist in selling your hotel rooms. However complex and large the distribution network might be, the hotel channel management system makes it easy to manage all bookings.
• It saves on valuable time that would be needed for administrative tasks. This is so because the entire hotel channel management software is automated, which updates availability, prices and the inventory simultaneously. An added advantage is that all of the booking information is directly sent to your PMS system. There is no need to have staff spend valuable time to manually update the PMS and it diminishes the risk of overbooking rooms.
• It offers a hotel business to build on and improve existing brand recognition across the market. Brand building is done among the largest distribution partners that include OTAs and enhances brand recognition.