BY SHOAIB ALI, NATIONAL HEAD – INDIA, STAAH
NEW DELHI, 29 NOVEMBER 2024:
Over the past few years, India has quickly and seamlessly transitioned into the digital world as is evident in the increasing mobile penetration we see across our urban spaces and rural by-lanes. Like most other sectors, for players in tourism and hospitality too, the shift to technology is imperative if they want to keep up with dynamically-evolving consumer preferences in a highly competitive market and avoid the risk of being left behind.
Why Channel Manager is a ‘star tech’ for hotels?
A Channel Manager expertly navigates the complex web of online booking platforms and distribution channels and are invaluable for hotels that are looking forward to maximize their visibility and increase direct bookings. They simplify the complex task of managing availability and rates across multiple online travel agencies (OTAs) and booking channels.
Platforms like OTAs and Metasearch Engines boost visibility through promotions and deals, while CRM tools personalize offers such as loyalty discounts, ensuring targeted and effective marketing. Through a Channel Manager, hotels can release inventory in real time based on demand in a system-controlled way optimising revenue for clients. Together, these elements create a cohesive ecosystem that drives seamless service delivery and operational efficiency.
Through these seamless automated processes, not only do these tech solutions enable hotels to update their availability at ease, but they also manage dynamic pricing while preventing the risk of double bookings through features like ‘Stop Sell Limit’ that allow pre- planned inventory distribution. Dynamic pricing, powered by RMS (Revenue Management Systems) and GDS (Global Distribution Systems), enables real-time price adjustments based on demand, trends, and seasonality, optimising revenue.
Key Benefits of a Channel Manager:
Centralised Management: Channel manager allows the hoteliers to manage all their distribution channels from a single source, with an intuitive dashboard that optimizes performance and revenue, while reducing the likelihood of human error.
Instant updates: When a room is booked through one channel, availability is automatically updated across all platforms in real-time. This instant synchronization is crucial in preventing double bookings and ensuring accurate inventory management.
Wider Distribution: With a channel manager, hotels can easily expand their reach by connecting to more channels. This wider distribution increases visibility and potential bookings from various sources.
Streamlined Distribution and Revenue Optimization:
An advanced Channel Manager like STAAH Max can connect properties to over 500+ channels worldwide. It streamlines operational processes to optimise pricing strategies and increase revenue for hoteliers. It also manages the inventory release for multiple properties, thereby maximising profitability. The Central Reservation System (CRS) enables seamless reservation management allowing for instant confirmations.
Flexibility and Data Analytics: Channel manager provides detailed insights and reporting on channel performance, enabling hotels to make informed data-driven decisions about their pricing strategy and marketing efforts. With a Mobile App, hoteliers can manage their rates and availability anytime, anywhere, providing more flexibility.
Channel manager plays a key role in this transition by providing the necessary tools for efficient inventory management and wider distribution across multiple platforms. By investing in these technologies, accommodation providers can enhance their operational efficiency and ultimately improve guest satisfaction – ensuring they remain competitive in an ever-evolving hospitality space.
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