In the dynamic realm of hotel management, the connection between a Channel Manager and a Property Management System (PMS) plays a pivotal role in ensuring efficient operations. While a PMS focuses on the internal facets of hotel management, a Channel Manager extends its reach to external platforms, such as online travel agencies (OTAs), the Booking Engine, and global distribution systems (GDS).
The Dynamics of an integrated system
The PMS is responsible for essential tasks like room allocation, guest check-ins, and billing. Simultaneously, the Channel Manager effectively manages inventory distribution across various booking channels, keeps room availability up to date in real-time, and ensures that bookings from different sources are synchronized with the PMS. This collaborative approach minimizes the risk of overbooking, maximizes revenue by optimizing room rates based on demand, and expands the hotel’s online presence.
The Perks of Integrating PMS and Channel Manager:
Without seamless integration, the two systems can leave room for errors and customer dissatisfaction, including overbooking, misinformation, or delayed communication. Here are some advantages of combining a PMS with a Channel Manager for your hotel business:
1. Optimize Online Booking Opportunities
In today’s digital world, online bookings are on the rise. A Channel Manager allows you to tap into huge opportunities presented by the various online booking sites preferred by modern travelers,For which a small inventory property can not afford to loose a single room in the peak period for the inability of their technology integration.As channel manager is connected with nos of OTAs,it need to be feed the live inventory in real time for better optimisation of a channel manager.
2. Reduce Booking Errors
Overbooking, double bookings, and room booking errors become a thing of the past, when you work with up-to-date, real-time information, technology does not have the scope of error. Now a channel Manager & Pms integration ensures that the last 5 % of your rooms get booked at the best ARR.
3. Enhance Staff Efficiency
Without integration, every detail obtained from the channel manager would require manual input by the staff into the PMS. However, once integration is in place, booking data from OTAs will seamlessly and automatically update within the PMS, eliminating the need for manual data entry and ensuring a smoother guest experience with reduced errors and service delays.
4. A Unified and Seamless Solution
Instead of juggling separate software vendors that demand separate updates and manual intervention, a single vendor integrated system allows you to handle operations just once, reducing the risk of errors. This also offers transparency of data across your business, providing a clearer performance overview.
5. Total Transparency
Is your vendor is PCI certified? All employees can access and update the most up-to-date information regarding availability and bookings. As a hotel owner/operator, you can set different user permissions to have visibility over all your operational functions in one place.
6. Data optimisation & Security
Imagine having the online bookers data, travel agents booking data and OTA’s booking data in a click through the integrated system will help you to do a push marketing at a go whenever required.
Given that sensitive guest information is stored within the system, data security is of outmost importance. PMS providers must have robust security measures to safeguard guest data from potential cyber threats.
7. Reports
What if an integrated system will give you today’s occupancy data, month to date data, future reservation data, future sold out data, ARR, ADR and lot more, it will definitely help you to take a data driven decisions and optimizing the revenue will be much easier than working with two different vendors.
In conclusion, collaboration between a Channel Manager and a Property Management System (PMS) is essential for modern hotel success. It streamlines operations, enhances transparency, and boosts revenue. However, addressing integration, staff training, and data security are vital.
In essence, the relationship between a Channel Manager and a PMS is symbiotic, with the PMS managing daily operations, while the Channel Manager connects the hotel to a global audience, increasing revenue potential. Together, they create a potent alliance for hotel success.
