Is your channel manager costing you money?

 

Your channel manager is the key that connects you to online travel agents (OTAs), maximising your exposure, increasing your reach and boosting occupancy. Many operators connect to OTAS via a third-party channel manager, however, there is a more efficient and cost-effective way and that is through your property management system (PMS).

RMS' inbuilt channel manager is native to the PMS and a much more reliable solution that:

  • Eliminates the middle-man (third-party channel manager)
  • Runs OTA performance reports from a single system 
  • Directly connects your inventory to leading OTAs
  • Reduces your distribution and online booking acquisition costs
  • Automatically adds reservations to your PMS
  • Reduces overselling with real-time inventory updates
  • Synchronises seamlessly with your reservation data
  • Enables you to self-connect to a new OTA rather than having to contact an agent
“An inbuilt channel manager simplifies distribution, doesn’t cost extra and means we don’t have managers wasting time logging in and out of a separate system to manage rates and inventory - it can all be done in the one place.”

Brett Salter

National Accommodation Manager at ALH Group

Cut down your distribution costs

 

If your channel manager is externally interfaced, chances are you’re doubling up on commission fees by paying OTA costs per booking as well as third-party channel manager fees. Not to mention the hassle of managing multiple systems, which adds an extra layer of complexity when trying to manage OTA bookings. 

RMS’ native channel manager allows you to efficiently distribute your inventory and regulate your rates from one location. You can also save time, as each booking made via an OTA automatically creates a reservation in RMS. 

At RMS, we cut out the middle-man, saving you money and giving you complete visibility from one central system.

Maximise revenue at every opportunity

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Compare your performance across OTAs

 
Run pre-configured reports in RMS to see which OTAs are contributing the most towards bookings.

- Compare against the previous year to analyse YOY performance
- Run reports on commission expenses and compare against individual OTAs
- Optimise expenses on OTA to understand where to invest for best ROI

Cyan Reports


Compare OTA and direct bookings


Alongside the channel manager, we recommend utilising the RMS internet booking engine (IBE) to further trim distribution costs. Using the reports in RMS, you can:

- Break down bookings across OTAs and those made directly via your IBE
- Compare performance and make data-driven business decisions

Seamlessly connect to over 100 OTAs

 

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Google HPA2 Lastminute2 GoldenChain2 Staah2

See more OTA integrations.

 

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Embrace digital marketing

Drive direct bookings by utilising digital marketing tools that encourage users to book via your website. 

  • Update your website and IBE with high-quality images, appealing content and timely offers
  • Optimise your website for mobile so that your guests can comfortably browse from any device
  • Stand out among competitors by utilising SEO to boost local search rankings
  • Encourage guests to leave reviews to increase your search engine ranking and create trust

Leverage social media

There's a high chance that your guests are on social media, so having a presence on the main channels is crucial for exposure as well as brand building.

Use social media to:

  • Craft your brand story and showcase your human side
  • Increase social proof by responding to reviews and engaging with guests (both past and potential)
  • Share timely content, such as events, holiday posts and recent guest experiences
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Introduce a loyalty program

Turn your first-timers into regular returners by creating a bespoke loyalty scheme using the RMS Rewards module. 

  • Boost revenue by offering personalised promotions that encourage guests to stay again
  • Utilise RMS’ email marketing tools to send tailored offers based on the rich guest data in your PMS
  • Save on OTA commission costs by using button links in your marketing that lead guests to your IBE

Offer incentives

Incentivise guests to share their experiences on social media to:

  • Maintain communication and continue delivering guest satisfaction, even after they’ve stayed
  • Build brand trust by sharing their posts on your social channels
  • Create brand advocates and referrals through organic word-of-mouth marketing
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Channel manager comparison

RMS’ native channel manager

  • Save time - avoid managing the same information multiple times on different systems
  • Cost-effective - channel manager functionality included in PMS subscription
  • User-friendly - UI is consistent with other PMS features
  • Everything in one place- no need to train staff on multiple systems

External third-party

  • Extra costs - pay OTA commission plus third-party channel manager fees
  • Less efficient - log in and out of systems to switch between PMS and channel manager
  • More training - additional system to learn and train staff on
  • Higher potential for overbookings - updates rarely sync with PMS in real-time