Understanding the Basics – What is a Channel Manager?

If you’re looking to incorporate some easy, up-to-date technology into your service and gain all the benefits from it, then using a channel manager will be an excellent place to start. A channel manager is a tool that will help you to increase your brand recognition globally, as well as bringing you higher revenue. The best way to make sure your bookings are maximised, regardless of season, is to make sure your establishment has the appropriate reach in the global travel industry. As you specialise in offering intimate, first class, personal service, it can be difficult to achieve these extra goals without the correct technology in place. Here’s a number of benefits you can get from using a channel manager.

Connections With a Diversity of Far Reaching Travel Agents

A channel manager will allow you to connect with multiple reputed platforms to attain bookings- from ‘Online Travel Agents’ to independent retail travel agents and alternative tourism agencies, the key is in the forming of effective business relationships with these wide-reaching operatives. You will want to make use of the broadest possible network, in order to catch customers from the highest number of search channels. The optimal way to manage this network and to expand it is to use a channel manager.

Frees Up Your Administration Time and Costs

Using a technology platform like a channel manager means that the admin work of dealing with third-party sites, as well as building the relationships with them is taken care of. Therefore, you have more time to apply your admin team to much more relevant tasks, such as taking care of the needs of your customers and organising the internal economy of your establishment. It will also reduce the potential cost of having a dedicated staff member for third-party relationships.

Increase of Bookings and Revenue

As your network increases with greater reach, and connections with online platforms grow, you will also see an increase in organic booking and further growth. Not only will this create a higher revenue for you, but the greater demands allow for you to raise prices in peak season without compromising closure rate. It also will lead to increased bookings in low season, making sure your rooms do not go empty and customers can enjoy your best service.

Elimination of Logistical and Allocation Difficulties

Your channel manager will automatically connect with your hotel’s property management system, and therefore be able to efficiently deal with the most up to date information on availability, transmitting it to customers, third-parties and online travel agents alike, making sure that no opportunities for fulfilled bookings are lost. Not only does this reduce staff hours for allocations, but it also eliminates the risk of over-booking.

Once you have integrated channel manager technology into your overall strategy, if you haven’t already, why not take a second step and integrate our transfer service at Welcome Pickups with your channel manager. We can seamlessly connect our platform with yours, integrating collective customer information and providing, together, top quality service to our customers from when they arrive at the airport. We can create a win-win-win situation and help one another to do what we do best.

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