Understanding a Channel Manager
A channel manager is a system that allows you to synchronize all your pricing and availability across various booking platforms, streamlining the process of managing reservations. Whether you’re receiving bookings from Viator, GetYourGuide, your website, or other sources, a channel manager consolidates these into a single platform—your booking system—reducing the manual tasks required after each booking.
If you’re not using a channel manager, handling incoming bookings can be tedious. Typically, for every new booking, you need to log in to each OTA and adjust your inventory. While this may seem like just a few minutes of work, it can become overwhelming, especially during peak season.
By implementing a channel manager, these repetitive tasks become a thing of the past. Once your OTAs and other booking sources are connected, the system automatically updates availability across all channels as soon as a booking is made, eliminating the risk of overbooking.
Beyond Calendar Synchronization
Many users view a channel manager as simply a tool for syncing calendars, but its potential goes far beyond that. Depending on the features offered by your channel manager, you can implement various strategies to optimize revenue and maintain your brand’s reputation on OTAs.
For example, by utilizing different rate plans, you can create specific pricing strategies—such as the EZ Booker rate plan—that are synced with OTAs. This allows you to keep your calendars synchronized while still applying distinct sales conditions to different channels, ensuring better revenue optimization and brand protection.
Enhancing Your OTA Presence
Connecting to a channel manager can also improve your visibility and booking rates on OTAs. For instance, when your tours are linked through a channel manager, they often achieve an “Excellent” status due to guaranteed availability, as these tours must be set to instant booking mode.
This may seem like an invitation for a flood of bookings, but with the right settings in place, you can manage your sales channels effectively. Here are some tips and strategies you can implement using the EZ Booker channel manager:
- Adjustable Minimum Notice: Set different minimum notice periods on OTAs to ensure your operations run smoothly, especially when offering exclusive deals through these platforms.
- Differentiated Pricing for OTAs: Although rate parity isn’t strictly enforced by OTA regulations, EZ Booker’s Link Manager allows you to offer different prices on OTAs—either nominally or by percentage—ensuring your revenue aligns with your commission structure.
- Dedicated Inventory: With EZ Booker’s inventory manager, you can allocate specific inventory to certain OTAs or groups of partners. This is particularly useful during periods when you anticipate high demand from OTAs, allowing you to reserve a portion of your inventory for direct bookings on your website.
EZ Tip: Optimize Your Channel Connections
It’s important to evaluate whether you need to connect to numerous channels, especially during your peak season. Managing invoicing and financial reporting for a single booking from multiple channels can be time-consuming and inefficient. Instead, consider investing your time more wisely by focusing on building your official website into a powerful sales channel.
By leveraging the advanced features of a channel manager like EZ Booker, you can streamline your operations, enhance your OTA presence, and ultimately boost your sales.
