How to gain more control
Last week I attended a training session for a Channel Control system and it struck me as odd that many of the hotel representatives there were still using a channel management system that didn’t interface with their PMS system.
A channel manager is internet hosted software that allows hoteliers to distribute availability and rates across multiple third party websites. It increases a hotels exposure, allowing distribution from one point of input across multiple national and international sites across the web. They take minimal training to understand and minimal staff to operate them. So their main selling feature… ..this can all be done at minimal expense to the operator, especiially if the 2 systems can be interfaced together.
So why change your old habits? Why combine 2 systems in one? Well it comes down to how this is effecting your bottom line. Poor time management and staffing equals bad productivity, control and reduced profits. Buy doing this you will reduce the money you are spending on employing that additional person to key third party emails into your PMS and the additional team training you need to provide so they know how to use 2 systems when they could just be learning one.
If you do decide to investigate a channel manager further I suggest looking for one that will interface with your current PMS, Levart does this with a few different systems, or one that also incorporates PMS such as Seekom. One that is a flat monthly fee with no lock in contracts and that is backed by a top support team. One that distributes to both local and international channels and that has distribution control which allows you to set sell limits with a buffer for each different third party site. It helps too if it has the ability to set derived rates from a base rate, counter attacking the need to go in and adjust all rates individually, reducing administration time dramatically. Lastly look into one that gives you booking statistics so you know which third party site is working the hardest for you.
