Channel manager
Our channel manager comes as part of our Premium service and automatically updates all the key accommodation websites such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Trip Advisor, Airbnb and many others.
As with all of our services, our channel manager system is suitable for all commercial accommodation properties ranging from large hotels, motels, holiday parks and backpackers to smaller B&Bs, vacation rentals, homestays and self-catering properties.
As our system is cloud-based you can use it from any device and from virtually anywhere. All our services are really easy to use and are designed to be flexible to suit your business needs and most importantly, help you maximise your profit.
Channel Manager - Sell your rooms via all of the key online booking websites & systems
Our channel manager is integrated within our property management system and automatically updates all the key accommodation booking websites.
We are constantly adding new websites/booking systems to the list of supported channels, and have a policy of adding any channel that generates reasonable numbers of bookings for our customers.
Unlike some of our competitors we do not charge any additional booking fee or commission on top of those charged by the channel.
You get full control over which channels you wish to use and can even setup different rates for each channel if you require.
Stay firmly in control
With freeonlinebooking you have full control of which rooms and rates are sold online. You can easily set different rates for different channels, you don't have to offer rate parity.
Our innovative commission management feature in particular makes it super simple for you to control when and where your rooms are sold online direct from your booking sheet and is a must-see feature. A few clicks can save your business considerable sums of money on commission.
Plus many more online booking websites and reservation systems..
New channels recently added
Using Reconline you can sell your rooms to travel agents, wholesalers, corporates and other OTAs via the GDS (Global Distribution Systems). This includes systems such as Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, Worldspan and other booking engines that use GDS systems for bookings.
Our integration with AirBnB is now a full 2-way link. Availability, rates, minimum stay, rate plans etc are automatically sysnchronised. New and modified reservations are now automatically updated into the system.
We now fully link with Simpleview which run the regional destination booking systems for many UK tourism authorities.
This includes VisitIsleOfMan.com, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Christchurch, Cotswolds DMO, Cumbria, East Yorkshire, Eastbourne, English Riviera, Essex, Exeter, Forest of Dean & Wye Valley, Great Yarmouth, Isles of Scilly, Maidstone, Marketing Manchester, Poole, Scarborough, Sidmouth, This Is Durham, Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Devon, Visit Dorset, York.
Pitchup.com is one of the leading UK online booking sites for campsites.
We now are fully integrated with Google FREE Hotel Links. Customers searching on Google will now be able to see your availability/rates and click through to your own website to complete the booking - note that this is commission-free.
Mitchell Corp provides a CRS platform for Golden Chain, Mainstay Hotels, Oceana Resorts and apartments and the Go Kiwi and Ezibed booking websites.
More details & pricing
Please book a demo for more details about this service. In just 20-30 minutes we can give you a full tour of our services and answer any questions you may have.
Pricing is dependent on the location, type and size of your property. At the end of the demo we can give you a customised quote for your property.
Please note that as our channel manager is tightly integrated with our property management system it can only be used as part of our Premium service; it cannot be purchased separately.
How does a channel manager work?
A channel manager keeps the Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and other booking systems that you choose to sell your rooms through fully synchronised, so that they always have up to date information.
Whenever you make any changes in your property management system (PMS) then your channel manager will automatically make the required updates.
Whenever a reservation is made or changed/cancelled on any of your channels then it is automatically updated into your system, with guests allocated directly to the room(s) that they have selected.
Your channel manager then updates all of your channels to reflect changes to your room availability.
Channel managers make updates to your channels as soon as possible otherwise information about your availability may be out of date. This may in turn result in overbooking (often called double booking).
Benefits of using a channel manager
Using a channel manager is essential for most accommodation businesses, unless of course they enjoy very high rates of direct bookings.
Manually updating online travel agents / booking systems can be very time consuming especially if your property is anything more than a couple of rooms and/or you make frequent updates to your room rates, minimum stays and other booking restrictions.
If a booking comes through in the middle of the night, you won't be able to make manual updates until the morning (unless you have staff working 24 hours a day!). This greatly increases the risk of overbooking.
The other problem with manual updating is that you can easily make mistakes; this can prove costly for your business.
Using a channel manager will market your business to a much wider audience and result in a lot of additional bookings that you might not otherwise get.
The large online travel agent websites (such as Booking.com and Expedia) spend vast amounts on advertising and marketing so they are difficult for many of your customers to avoid.
In addition they regularly offer promotions, loyalty programs and many other incentives to generate bookings.
What are the downsides of using online travel agents?
The number one downside of course is that online travel agents are expensive. Most want between 15 and 25% commission, which can take a huge chunk out of your profits.
The other problem is that they control the relationship with the customer. With some channels they will not give you the direct contact details of the guest; all communication is forced through them.
Without direct contact with your customers it makes it difficult for you to do your own email marketing and limits opportunities to upsell.
Most online travel agents want you to give them the same rates that you charge your customers for direct bookings. This is known as rate parity and is particular bug-bear for many in the accommodation industry.
They will also take every opportunity to get you to offer promotional, discounted rates exclusively to them. This can greatly undermine your direct bookings.