How to manage bookings through Expedia Channel Manager

If you are looking to increase your hotel’s occupancy then using a channel manager for Expedia can be a good choice. 

As a hotelier, you must know the importance of having a good relationship with the Online Travel Agencies. 

However, managing your inventories across multiple channels is a hectic task. Our channel manager can help you to streamline your inventories across Expedia. 

You can link your property management system with OTAs such as Expedia to manage your inventory with ease from a central point.

This saves your time so that you can better use it in more important aspects of your business. 

Our informative blog is here to guide you to get more bookings on Expedia through the channel manager.

Expedia Channel Manager is an online software solution for hotels that connects your hotel reservation system with Expedia.

It automates your essential tasks such as updating room rates and inventories and optimizes your Expedia bookings. It also combines your reservations from Expedia into your property management system.

By using Expedia channel manager API you can manage Expedia listings more efficiently and hassle-free. 

Now, let’s understand Expedia Channel Manager API.

If you have sound technical knowledge, you must be familiar with the term API. 

The API stands for an application programming interface. It is a way in which two or more programs can communicate with each other.

Similarly, an Expedia Channel Manager API allows hotel owners to connect their hotel reservation system with Expedia. 

With this integration, you can ensure that any updates that are made to room availability room rates and other related information are automatically synced.

With this channel manager API, you can save your time and effort by eliminating the work of manually updating and minimizing the chance of error. 

Connecting your hotel to Expedia can be very valuable. Expedia is a trusted online travel agency that holds over a million properties.

It helps you increase your hotel’s visibility which leads to more direct bookings.

Think about using a channel manager to connect with your Expedia account.

This will prevent the case of double bookings, and make sure to update your inventories in real-time. 

Moreover, it provides insight into your hotel’s performance and helps you to monitor your business growth. 

Consider these factors before connecting your PMS with the Expedia channel manager. 

Consider connecting a channel manager that can two-way sync with your PMS. This will save you time and effort by eliminating the manual data updation step. 

While connecting your channel manager with PMS, you may experience a delay of some days when syncing.

To prevent this, you need to connect a channel manager that offers two-way connectivity with Expedia. 

The room rates and room availability will be sent from your PMS to the channel manager for Expedia and updates will be made automatically across all the connected booking sites. 

Keep in mind that the frequency of your bookings and the size of your property can impact this.

There’s no need to worry as your PMS provider will give you recommendations for a compatible channel manager. 

Whenever you receive a booking through Expedia or any other Online Travel agency, a commission charge of 15-18% is deducted. 

Some channel manager providers can charge you additionally for OTA bookings.  

Moreover, some providers can charge additional fees based on room size and or for adding new channels. 

So, it makes sense to go for a channel manager that offers a subscription-based model such as QloApps Channel Manager. 

With our channel manager, you can subscribe on a per-property basis on a monthly or yearly period. So, there is no need to pay unnecessary fees for the services that you won’t even utilize.

You can follow our simple guide to set up your Expedia Channel Manager.

When it comes to distribution models for hotels, there are generally two types: 

Pooled Inventory: This is the preferred method by the hotel. In this model, your inventory is evenly distributed across all the booking sites, which also includes your hotel booking website.  

Allocated Inventory: In this model, each channel is given a certain number of rooms. Also, the number of rooms a certain channel can sell is limited.

Due to this model, one channel sells all of its rooms while another channel is left with unsold rooms.

This method also leads to overbooking.

So, this was all about my article on how to manage bookings through Expedia Channel Manager. I hope you enjoyed the reading.

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your hotel, Try QloApps – free hotel management software

You can check our free reservation system guide to learn more about QloApps

Moreover, connect with us on QloApps Forum to share suggestions with us. 

Kindly raise a ticket for any technical assistance.