What is channel management in the hotel industry?

Channel management in the hotel industry refers to the process of managing and distributing room inventory and rate to various online travel agencies (OTAs) and other demand partners. This includes setting different room rates and inventory levels on each channel, as well as monitoring and updating prices in real-time to ensure the best occupancy and revenue for the hotel. Channel manager is commonly used to automate and streamline this process.

Why do you need a channel manager?

A channel manager is needed in the hotel industry to efficiently manage and distribute room inventory and pricing across multiple booking channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), demand partners and the hotel's own website. Without a channel manager, a hotel would need to manually update room availability and pricing on each individual channel, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. Additionally, managing inventory and pricing across multiple channels can be challenging, as it requires keeping track of multiple rates and availability calendars. A channel manager automates and streamlines this process by allowing hotels to update rates and availability in real-time across all channels, ensuring that the hotel's inventory is always up-to-date and that the best rates are being offered. This can help RevPAR for the revenue manager of a hotel or a brand.

What does a channel manager do?

A channel manager is a software that helps hotels manage and distribute room inventory and pricing across multiple booking channels. A channel manager typically performs the following functions: - Synchronization of inventory: A channel manager synchronizes a hotel's room inventory and availability across all channels, ensuring that the hotel's room availability is always up-to-date and that overbooking is avoided. - Pricing management: A channel manager allows hotels to set different room rates for different channels and manage special promotions and packages. It also helps to monitor and adjust rates in real-time to ensure the best occupancy and revenue for the hotel. - Channel distribution: A channel manager distributes a hotel's room inventory and pricing to various online travel agencies (OTAs) and other booking channels. - Booking management: It allows hotels to view, accept, and manage bookings from all channels in a single platform. - Reporting and analytics: A channel manager provides detailed reporting and analytics on bookings and revenue, helping hotels to track their performance and make informed business decisions.

What is a channel manager hotel booking?

A channel manager hotel booking is a feature of a channel management software that allows hotels to view, accept, and manage bookings from all channels in a single platform. This means that a hotel can see all the reservations that are coming from different channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), their own website, or the hotel's central reservation system, in one place. A channel manager hotel booking feature typically includes functionalities like: - Viewing all bookings from all channels in one place - Accepting or rejecting reservations from all channels - Updating guest information and special requests - Managing room assignments - Creating and sending confirmations and invoices By having all the bookings from different channels in one place, hotels can better manage their inventory, avoid overbooking, and improve their overall operations. Additionally, it allows hotels to have a better overview of their booking sources and be able to make more informed business decisions.

What is the best channel manager software?

There are many channel management software options available on the market, and the best one for a hotel will depend on its specific needs and budget. Some popular channel management software options include: RezGain: RezGain is a popular channel management software that offers inventory and rate synchronization, real-time booking management, and revenue management tools.

What is channel management in the hotel industry?

Channel management in the hotel industry refers to the process of managing and distributing room inventory and rate to various online travel agencies (OTAs) and other demand partners. This includes setting different room rates and inventory levels on each channel, as well as monitoring and updating prices in real-time to ensure the best occupancy and revenue for the hotel. Channel manager is commonly used to automate and streamline this process.

Why do you need a channel manager?

A channel manager is needed in the hotel industry to efficiently manage and distribute room inventory and pricing across multiple booking channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), demand partners and the hotel's own website. Without a channel manager, a hotel would need to manually update room availability and pricing on each individual channel, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. Additionally, managing inventory and pricing across multiple channels can be challenging, as it requires keeping track of multiple rates and availability calendars. A channel manager automates and streamlines this process by allowing hotels to update rates and availability in real-time across all channels, ensuring that the hotel's inventory is always up-to-date and that the best rates are being offered. This can help RevPAR for the revenue manager of a hotel or a brand.

What does a channel manager do?

A channel manager is a software that helps hotels manage and distribute room inventory and pricing across multiple booking channels. A channel manager typically performs the following functions: - Synchronization of inventory: A channel manager synchronizes a hotel's room inventory and availability across all channels, ensuring that the hotel's room availability is always up-to-date and that overbooking is avoided. - Pricing management: A channel manager allows hotels to set different room rates for different channels and manage special promotions and packages. It also helps to monitor and adjust rates in real-time to ensure the best occupancy and revenue for the hotel. - Channel distribution: A channel manager distributes a hotel's room inventory and pricing to various online travel agencies (OTAs) and other booking channels. - Booking management: It allows hotels to view, accept, and manage bookings from all channels in a single platform. - Reporting and analytics: A channel manager provides detailed reporting and analytics on bookings and revenue, helping hotels to track their performance and make informed business decisions.

What is a channel manager hotel booking?

A channel manager hotel booking is a feature of a channel management software that allows hotels to view, accept, and manage bookings from all channels in a single platform. This means that a hotel can see all the reservations that are coming from different channels, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), their own website, or the hotel's central reservation system, in one place. A channel manager hotel booking feature typically includes functionalities like: - Viewing all bookings from all channels in one place - Accepting or rejecting reservations from all channels - Updating guest information and special requests - Managing room assignments - Creating and sending confirmations and invoices By having all the bookings from different channels in one place, hotels can better manage their inventory, avoid overbooking, and improve their overall operations. Additionally, it allows hotels to have a better overview of their booking sources and be able to make more informed business decisions.

What is the best channel manager software?

There are many channel management software options available on the market, and the best one for a hotel will depend on its specific needs and budget. Some popular channel management software options include: RezGain: RezGain is a popular channel management software that offers inventory and rate synchronization, real-time booking management, and revenue management tools.

Best Hotel Channel Manager | Channel Management Software

Smart Hotel Channel Manager Software

RateGain’s channel manager software helps distribute rates and inventory with speed and efficiency and unlocks new revenue generation opportunities. It is a one-stop channel manager for online distribution, providing the largest connectivity covering big & long-tail channels worldwide with end-to-end two-way integration with PMS / CRS/ RMS/ Tour Operators/ GDS/ Bed-Banks/ Wholesalers & OTA’s.Further, as one of the best rated hotel software, has been connecting demand partners to supply partners for over a decade, processing billions of ARI updates and millions of reservations. Maximize your visibility on global and local OTAs and other channels to ensure you attract travellers no matter where they shop and book accommodation.

Key Features of Hotel Channel Manager Software

Two-way Channel Connections

End-to-End two-way integration with seamless flow between PMS / CRS/ RMS and demand channels with success rate of more than 99.9% for both ARI and Reservation Delivery

Common Pool
Inventory

Share inventory across channels, Real-time updates as inventory is sold

Automated
Yielding Rules

Helps you configure appropriate rules basis occupancy, closeouts, etc. to maximize revenue

Automated Currency Conversion

Faster response to exchange rate fluctuations, Improved rate accuracy

Productivity
Reporting

Measure your success in real-time with powerful, easy to use dashboard

Enterprise Analytics
& Dashboards

Understand your channel productivity, Length of stay from each channel, booking window / pace for each channel with just a click of a button

Smart
Distribution

Simplify distribution by automating mapping and customer support
Unlock new revenue by discovering new demand sources, expediting contracting and new channel setup, seamlessly connecting to tour operators and benchmarking against similar properties

Stop
Sell

Quick “Stop Sell’ option helps you avoid overbooking

How RateGain provides the World's Best Channel Manager

Features		Other Channel Managers	Description
Insights on Similar Hotels			Benchmarking with Similar Hotels on key metrics like ADR, LoS and Booking Window
Channel Recommendations & Enabling Connectivity			Demand discovery in terms of source market & channels; End to end facilitation of channel connectivity
Automated Mapping powered by AI			Mapping Recommender that mapping effort…
Tour Operator Connectivity			Connect to 100s of Tour Operators & manage them in an automated manner through RateGain's Channel Manager
Automated Yielding Rules			Rule based Automated Inventory Management
Productivity Analytics			Intuitive Dashboard on key productivity metrics
Enterprise Analytics			Chain level analytics & Insights Dashboard
Long Tail Channel Connectivity			Connectivity with local channels including the likes of Airbnb
End to end product suite			Rate shopping, Brand Management, Content Distribution, GDS, OTA & TO Distribution
Common pool inventory			Maintain common pool for all channels with ease
Training & 24X7 Support			Webinars, In-person training & Dedicated RM
Automated Reservation Delivery			Automatics Delivery of Reservations & Auto-resubmit
Automated Currency Conversion			Real-time currency conversion powered by XE.com
Key channel connectivity			All major OTAs integrated with RateGain's Channel Manager
Multi-Lingual			Provides support in multiple languages
GDS Connectivity			GDS connectivity with lowest setup time & low setup fee

Simplifying Distribution

Simplify Distribution with our latest innovation “Smart Distribution” which is a disruptive platform that leverages AI to:

Provide Market Insights and Discover New Demand
Bring 80% reduction in New Contracting and Onboarding Time
Bring 80% reduction in Manual Effort of Content Setup
Bring 80% reduction of Manual Effort for Room Rate Mapping
Benchmark against similar hotels on parameters like LoS, ADR, Booking Window, Occupancy %
Provide Seamless connectivity to 900+ Tour Operators

To know more about Smart Distribution and Unlock New Revenue visit our Smart Distribution description page.

distribution timeline- channel management tools

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Customer Speak

Having worked with RateGain for more than two years, IHG utilizes RateGain’s tools to support its rate parity initiatives. As we continue to focus on rate parity, we will be leveraging RateGain’s new tool Rate Parity +, to directly communicate with IHG hotels on rate parity violations, offering an enhanced way for us to work with our hotels as they improve rate parity.

Jason Willet - Manager, Distribution & Revenue Management Strategy - IHG

The support that we´ve gotten from Rategain has been phenomenal. We want to distribute our hotels correctly and efficiently, and without RateGain we would not only have a hard time, it would be impossible.

Tenaiya Brookfield - Group VP Sales & Marketing - Archipelago International Hotels

RateGain is easy to use and able to consolidate a lot of distribution platforms. Not only is the tool easy to understand and intuitive, the customer service is very professional and prompt in resolving any of our issue.

Rini Anggraini - Corporate Director of Revenue and Distribution at Tauzia Hotels

RateGain has continuously proven to be a strategic partner and delivers precise and insightful data. The user friendly features increases productivity and more importantly helps Revenue Managers to make the right decision at the right time. We are looking forward to further develop an already win-win partnership and extending the application to newly opened properties.

Ganesh Rajagopal - Director of Revenue Management at Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts

RateGAIN's team and solutions is more like a part of our family than just a business partner. We have been working with them in developing efficient solutions to enhance and strengthen the company's distribution network for our hotels in MENA region. Their professionalism & expertise help us connect with new partners and reach new markets which leads to attracting new guests to our hotels. I personally appreciate their attentiveness to details and commitments for superior results, which in return strengthen the partnership and deliver profits.

Sathis M Aravinda - Regional Director of Revenue – MEA Millennium Hotels

RezGain has helped us enhance our efficiency by putting in place a platform that helps us manage all the OTAs we are connected to. Also, we have been delighted by RezGain’s capability of providing real-time updates which keep us on top of our distribution business. We feel that the management of our inventory has improved because of the common pool inventory functionality that RezGain provides. So far it has been a very delightful journey with RateGain and we look forward to a stronger future together.

Janet Leong - Operations Manager at Tan'Yaa Hotel Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Resources

View all Resources

Image	Title	URL
	5 Ways to Choose the Best Channels for Your Hotel?	Download Now
	A Guide On Channel Manager Comparison & Selection	Download Now
	Customer Success Story of RedDoorz Hotels	Download Now
	Customer Success of Story 1589 Hotels	Download Now
	Customer Success Story of Theme Resorts & Spas, Sri Lanka	Download Now

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Smart Hotel Channel Manager Software

Key Features of Hotel Channel Manager Software