Hoteliers today are presented with more opportunities than ever before to maximize revenue at their business - but they are also faced with significant challenges, with many properties still looking for ways to solve them.

The conundrum is two-fold. Firstly, the industry is now more competitive than it's ever been. To combat this, hoteliers must strive to be innovative and take a diverse approach to where they list and sell their rooms to achieve occupancy and revenue targets.

Secondly, COVID-19 and the resulting downturn in travel and the economy as a whole meant that a lot of hotels lost revenue managers and other staff that were never replaced. This increased the time and effort required to connect and maintain online channel connections. Tech solutions such as SiteMinder’s channel manager certainly help automate many previously manual tasks - but there is still the work required to negotiate contracts, configure rooms and rates, manage invoices and more.

Why optimizing channel connection is so important

When hoteliers are able to increase the number and types of channels they connect to, they see immediate benefits including:

• Increased reach to a larger variety of potential guests
• The billboard effect in action - an increase in traffic to direct channels from customers who saw the hotel listed on an OTA
• Increased bookings driven by previously untapped markets
• Maximised revenue from increased reservation volume and high-value travelers
• Flexible strategies that optimize pricing and boost bookings

However, without proper revenue management in place hoteliers struggle to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by a diverse distribution strategy which focuses on a variety of OTAs.

SiteMinder’s Channels Plus fulfills a pressing need

With SiteMinder’s new offering, Channels Plus, hoteliers have a new way to connect more booking channels and reduce workload all in one place.

By centralizing channel connection in SiteMinder’s Smart Platform, Channels Plus removes the need for individual contract negotiation, setup, and reconciliation.

It works by using customer property data already configured in the platform, such as room and rate information, and creating a simple commission structure that is consistent across every channel connection. It also centralizes reconciliation and invoicing into one process.

“We have brought a large variety of compelling channels from around the world to participate and connect to Channels Plus," explained SiteMinder Product Manager, Pratik Venkatesh.

This allows hotels to be more visible than ever before and generate reservations from new markets without the hours of effort required to contract and manage each channel.

“A good example of this is a customer in south-east Asia who was able to join Channels Plus and generate multiple reservations from a European-based channel for Spanish and southern European travelers,” said Pratik.

For SiteMinder customers with Channels Plus activated, any new channel that is made available will be automatically connected to their hotel - growing their reach and visibility without any extra work required.

Hoteliers will still have full control of their inventory though, with the ability to toggle channels on and off as they see fit, along with reports also showing the source and volume of reservations.

Channels Plus is free for existing SiteMinder customers and does not incur a charge for reservations that are canceled or instances where the guest is a no-show. Similarly, if the hotel is overbooked, no commission will be charged on stays that are not completed.

Existing customers are able to self-activate Channels Plus by navigating to the Distribution tab in the SiteMinder platform. New users can visit SiteMinder’s website to get started today with a free trial - which can be canceled anytime.