As the hospitality industry evolves, the need for effective channel management solutions for hotels and Airbnb hosts has become more pressing than ever.
According to the Global Online Accommodation Booking Market report, as of June 2022, Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and Agoda.com were the top 5 accommodation and hotel booking websites. As per a survey mentioned in the report, approximately 50% of the participants preferred using a single website to make their travel arrangements, which included bookings for flights, hotels, car rentals, and additional services.
From the report, hotels should consider having their own booking engine on their website and listing their rooms on online travel agencies (OTAs). This article will discuss how hotels can list their rooms on OTAs to capitalize on clients who prefer this reservation method.
A channel manager is a software tool used by hotels and other accommodation providers to manage their room inventory and rates across multiple online distribution channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), hotel booking engines, and global distribution systems (GDS).
Hotels that don't use a channel manager to distribute their inventory across multiple online channels may find it challenging to reach a broader audience and keep their occupancy rates high. This can limit the hotel's visibility on different channels and result in missed opportunities to attract potential guests.
When selecting a channel manager for your hotel, various factors must be considered. While personal preference may play a role, most of the decision-making process should be based on the unique characteristics of your property. Therefore, to choose the best channel manager for your hotel, you need to consider several factors, such as:
Multi-Platform Integration: Pesapal's channel manager integrates with various online booking platforms, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor. This integration allows hoteliers to manage their listings and bookings on all these platforms from a single dashboard,eliminating the need for manual updates on each platform. This saves you time and reduces the risk of overbooking or double bookings.
Real-Time Availability and Pricing Updates: Pesapal’s channel manager provides real-time updates on availability and pricing across all integrated platforms. Hoteliers can set their prices and availability on one platform, and it will be reflected on all other platforms. This eliminates the risk of overbooking or underpricing, ensuring that hosts are always up-to-date with their bookings and revenue.
Automatic Inventory Management: Pesapal’s channel manager automatically manages inventory across all platforms. This means that when a booking is made on one platform, the availability is automatically updated on all other platforms ensuring that hoteliers are always aware of their available rooms and can manage their bookings effectively.
Efficient Payment Processing: Pesapal’s channel manager allows hoteliers to accept payments from various platforms through a single payment gateway. Hosts can receive payments from different platforms into a single account, making it easier to manage finances and reduce transaction fees. The payment gateway also supports multiple currencies, making it convenient for hosts with international guests.
Detailed Analytics and Reporting: Pesapal’s channel manager provides detailed analytics and reporting that allows hoteliers to monitor their bookings and revenue across all platforms. This information can be used to make informed decisions about pricing and marketing strategies, helping hosts to maximize their occupancy and revenue.
User-Friendly Interface: Pesapal’s channel manager has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for hoteliers to manage their online bookings. The dashboard is easy to navigate, and the platform is designed to be intuitive, reducing the need for extensive training or technical support.
Using a channel manager can help hotels to improve their online visibility, streamline their operations, and increase their revenue potential by efficiently managing their inventory and pricing across multiple channels. The benefits of a channel manager include:
Increased Online Visibility: By connecting with multiple online distribution channels, such as OTAs, GDS, and metasearch engines, hotels can expand their reach and attract a broader audience, resulting in increased bookings and revenue.
Real-time Inventory Management: A channel manager allows hotels to update their room inventory and rates in real-time across all connected channels, reducing the risk of overbooking or underbooking and improving operational efficiency.
Rate Parity Management: A channel manager helps hotels maintain rate parity across different distribution channels, ensuring that the same rate is available across all channels, avoiding rate discrepancies, and preserving customer trust.
Analytics and Reporting: Channel managers provide comprehensive analytics and reporting tools that allow hotels to track their performance across different channels, monitor their revenue, and make data-driven decisions.
Streamlined Operations: By automating the distribution process, a channel manager can help hotels to streamline their operations and reduce the time and resources required to manage their distribution channels manually.
If you're managing vacation rental properties or hosting on Airbnb, implementing a channel manager is an effective way to streamline, automate, and scale your business. However, with many options available, selecting the most suitable channel manager for your specific needs can take time and effort.
Pesapal's channel manager can be a suitable option for small hotels and Airbnb hosts looking for an affordable and user-friendly solution to manage their online distribution channels and payments.
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