Importance of channel manager during Covid-19
The pandemic has not reduced the importance of channel manager during Covid-19.
It will sail out your property through Covid-19 smoothly. It will help your hotel to gain a competitive edge and serve guests in a better way.
Further, you can stay profitable in this unprecedented time.
Nowadays, people are slowly starting to travel again, so its the best time for you to grab their attention towards your hotel.
And the channel manager will do the same amid the pandemic.
You will enjoy the ease of managing your inventory and prices through multiple channels with efficient, hotel PMS and channel manager integration.
And start receiving bookings on your front desk in real-time.
Below are the reasons which show why it is important to have channel manager during Covid-19.
Moreover, I will discuss in this blog the elements you can consider before selecting a channel manager.
Reasons to have channel manager during COVID-19
Rates and availability
Hotels must use channel manager to match the preferences of travellers post-Covid-19.
Nowadays, travellers are more concern about their safety and want proper sanitization of hotels.
Further, covid-19 not only slow down the economy, but people are also facing financial crises due to pay cuts or job loss.
Hence, in this situation, the channel manager comes for your hotel rescue.
With the help of channel manager, on all your distribution platforms, you can change your forward-looking rates and availability.
It strengthens the position of the hotel within the booking platforms. Thus increase sales post-pandemic.
Moreover, you will also be prepared for the post-coronavirus cycle and will therefore draw visitors who want to schedule a potential trip.
Cancellations are easier
During COVID-19, when booking cancellations are so high because people are afraid to travel during this pandemic.
Thus, it leads to a large number of cancellations. It is where the channel manager can help you out.
Channel manager can effectively handle your cancellations, rebook them for a later date or provide multiple alternatives.
It integrates with the front desk and works in sync with it.
Every time hotelier update inventory on the front desk, the information is updated across all integrated channels.
Hence, it reduces the chances of manual error by and making it easier to perform duties.
Eliminate manual errors
Performing tasks manually can be unreliable and consume a lot of time and energy.
In this time of the pandemic, when the majority of the hotel staff are working from home chances of errors are high.
So, if you have invested in channel manager, then you don’t have to worry about the issue of manual errors.
Hotel channel manager can automate the process of upgrading your dashboard & OTAs- concurrently.
Moreover, it will boost online bookings by offering reliable booking and rate-related details for your digital prospects.
All these will save time and eliminate manual errors.
Enhance visibility and avoid double-booking
People around the world are facing a lot of disturbance and trouble due to pandemic.
Customers want assurance of their safety and fulfilment of their needs before visiting any hotel.
Hence, to increase the visibility of your hotel and increasing the chances of occupancy, you have to show them you are doing every bit to meet their expectations.
And this is possible with the channel manager. It maximizes hotel visibility.
In this way, the likelihood of raising the occupancy rate of hotels in the slow season increases dramatically with greater exposure.
Double-booking is something that may be a factor impacting the business and brand of your hotel.
It can happen either when you overbook because of inefficient channel management system.
An efficient channel management system updates on inventory and rates on real-time, avoiding the problem of double-booking.
Expanding their reach
Hotels can’t focus on a few outlets because there’s still a revenue crunch in the middle of the COVID-19 turmoil.
To drive sales and become successful, they must expand their reach.
A good channel manager opens your door to connect with global travellers by enabling you to connects with as many hotel OTA channels as you want.
Identify locations you wish to target globally and connect with those locations hotel OTA channels, agencies, meta-search platforms.
You can manage them smoothly with efficient channel manager so that your business survives to compete in this time of crisis.
Elements to consider before selecting a channel manager during Covid-19
- The number of OTAs channel manager is connected with. The larger the number, the higher your chances of reaching various markets.
- The support team is reliable and efficient who can answer your query within a limited time.
- A cloud-based platform manages rates and inventory in real-time. So choose a cloud-based channel manager.
- Try a free trial of channel manager to check whether it matches your hotel needs or not.
- To avoid recording information manually, choose a channel manager that provides two-way connectivity that can coordinate with a Property Management System ( PMS).
- Pooled inventory is a feature that helps you concurrently have all your rooms viewed across all your platforms (your websites and other websites).
- Check if it is possible to integrate the Channel Manager with various payment gateway and how to handle Credit & Debit Card data.
- Select a channel manager with a simple and easy interface. It has to be user friendly and support your language.
- There are many different models of pricing and probably many hidden costs as well.
- Go in details and find out any hidden cost, various charging costs and when they will charge. Whether you have to pay in instalment or at a single time.
Conclusion
From the blog, we can say that channel manager updates rates and availability among different platforms.
It helps you reach a large number of potential guests globally.
Further, you can avoid double-booking and manual errors with an efficient channel manager.
Please share views in the comment box.
If you want to learn about the functionality of QloApps then you can visit this link: QLO Reservation System – Free Open-Source Hotel Booking & Reservation System
In case of any query, issue or requirement please feel free to raise it on QloApps Forum