Channel manager and online distribution
Resort Manager connects to your online channels through a channel manager rather than integrating with each online travel agent separately.
The channel manager we work with primarily is SiteMinder.
How it works
Your property management system holds the truth about what is available and at what price. The channel manager's job is to keep every place you sell in step with that truth, and to bring reservations back the other way.
Resort Manager's channel manager interface synchronises three things continuously:
- Availability
- what is free, updated as bookings arrive from any source
- Rates and restrictions
- including minimum stays and closed-to-arrival
- Reservations
- bookings from any connected channel arrive in Resort Manager without anyone retyping them
The practical result is that a booking taken at reception closes the same inventory everywhere you sell, in both directions, without a person in the middle.
Why one connection rather than many
This is the part worth understanding before you compare us with anyone else, because it is a genuine difference in approach.
We do not build direct integrations to individual online travel agents. Resort Manager talks to a channel manager, and the channel manager talks to Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia, Airbnb and the rest.
That is a deliberate choice:
- One thing to understand
- A dozen direct integrations means a dozen different failure modes, a dozen sets of credentials, and a dozen conversations when something stops working.
- Channel coverage is not our job to chase
- OTAs change their APIs and new channels appear constantly. A specialist channel manager keeps up with that full time; a PMS vendor maintaining direct connections is always slightly behind.
- You keep the relationship
- Your channel manager account is yours, and it is portable.
The honest trade-off: you need a channel manager, and it is a separate subscription. For most properties that is the arrangement they already have.
Which channels you can reach
Channel coverage is determined by your channel manager, not by Resort Manager. SiteMinder connects to several hundred booking channels including the major international OTAs and regional platforms.
We deliberately do not publish a channel list here. It would be out of date within months, and the authoritative list is the one your channel manager maintains. Ask us about a specific channel and we will check it with you against the current one rather than against a page written last year.
What this means when you are comparing systems
If a competitor advertises direct Booking.com integration, they are describing a different architecture, not necessarily a better outcome. The questions that actually separate them:
- How quickly do availability changes propagate, in both directions?
- What happens to a reservation that arrives while the connection is down?
- Who do you call when rates disagree between two channels — the PMS vendor or the channel manager?
- What does the channel manager subscription cost on top of the PMS?
We are happy to answer all four about our own setup.
Getting set up
Connecting a channel manager is part of implementation, not something you are left to work out afterwards. It is covered in our services and backed by after-sales support once you are live.
Talk to us about the channels your property sells through and we will tell you how they fit.
Common questions
Does Resort Manager connect directly to Booking.com?
No, and that is deliberate. Resort Manager connects to a channel manager, and the channel manager connects to Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia and the rest. One integration to understand instead of a dozen.
Which channel manager do you work with?
Primarily SiteMinder.
Do I need a separate channel manager subscription?
Yes. That is the honest trade-off of this approach — the channel manager is a separate product with its own subscription. Most properties selling through OTAs already have one, and the account stays yours and portable.
Which booking channels can I reach?
That is determined by your channel manager rather than by Resort Manager, and SiteMinder connects to several hundred. We deliberately do not publish a list, because it would be out of date within months — ask us about a specific channel and we will check the current one with you.
Ready to experience the benefits of Resort Manager for yourself?
Contact us today to schedule a demo or learn more about our software.