Is your PMS enough for distribution?

Channel Managers and Hotel Property Management Systems have been around for quite a few years now. Whether you are a real estate agency, a hotel, a B&B manager or the owner of some family properties, there are chances that you are looking for the type of software that can help you out the best. Here are some differences between Channel Management systems and Property Management Systems, which can let you understand such platforms better and take an informed decision.

Is your PMS enough for distribution

Purpose

Property Management Systems are a type of software system that is created to make daily operations management easier for real estate companies, hotels or rental agencies. The aim is to assign, schedule and organize tasks and these are especially helpful for reporting, accounting and staff management. Channel Managers, on the other hand, specialize in distributing short-term rentals to listing websites, whether it comes to wholesalers, GDS, Metasearch, Vacation Rental sites or OTAs.

Capability

PMS systems are created originally in the form of front desk hotel software, and are made to follow trends in the market and can redirect them to vacation rentals or some other expanding sector. With the use of this type of system, you can spend less time in dealing with business and get more time to concentrate on guest experience and guests.

A PMS channel manager can let you deal with time-consuming operations of managing a vacation rental business. A PMS channel manager updates information automatically across every booking channel and can automate payments and online reservations. Dedicated channel managers, however, are online distribution specialists and can frequently offer much more connections across many channels.

Sophistication

When you choose a property management system integrated with a channel manager, it can help you in online property management and can ensure listing distribution for you across many websites. A PMS or company has several advantages. Property management systems offer automated guest communication services, business performance analytics, in-built accounting services and many more.

PMS coming with an in-built channel manager can be very useful for your own business. A dedicated channel manager is useful in all those cases where there is a drop in the functionality of a property management system. There are more sophisticated capabilities of dedicated channel managers, which can let you create a very complex type of pricing model as per your wish. While PMSes and channel managers tend to vary in nature, the former lacks the sophisticated features that are part of dedicated channel managers – such as pushing right property specs and dealing with a complicated pricing model.

Support

A few property management firms have a team comprising of local employees that care for on-site upkeep and maintenance. But you can expect a built-in expert team with dedicated channel managers, which come with the support of a team comprising of expert distribution professionals. The team of experts of the developer company has a direct communication line with booking websites as well as other channels, due to the fact that a high volume of properties is offered by dedicated channel managers to listing websites.

 

The Week, That Was – November 2019 Week 4

Spanish hotel chain boosts productivity and connectivity with eRevMax

Spanish hospitality chain Actahotels has recommended eRevMax solutions for online distribution. Twenty properties of the group, including the newly opened 313 room Acta Voraport, have been using RateTiger Channel Manager and Connectivity solutions, powered by LiveOS, for updating rates and availability across multiple OTAs and accessing high quality rate data and insights.

https://bit.ly/2XSYgMJ

Hotelbeds claims to drive high value visitors to hotels

Hotelbeds works with over 60,000 travel agents, tour operators, airlines, and loyalty point schemes from 140 source markets. More than half of bookings through global bedbank Hotelbeds are for stays of more than four nights, the company has disclosed.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/113360/hotelbeds-claims-to-drive-high-value-visitors-to-its-hotel-partners

Google Eyes: More and more travelers are looking to Google

Online travel agencies (OTAs) have always been dominant on meta search channels such as Google but advertising your direct hotel website on Google Hotel Ads provides an opportunity for hotels to divert this traffic to their brand websites.

https://www.sabrehospitality.com/blog/google-eyes-more-and-more-travelers-are-looking-to-google/

Travel Statistics to Know About in 2020

Is your hotel ready to take on 2020? Check out key travel statistics & trends that can help you maximise your hotel online bookings and revenue in the coming year-

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/11/travel-statistics-to-know-about-in-2020/

Airbnb tests teaming with Google’s vacation rental business in the U.S.

Google waded into its own vacation rental advertising business on its travel pages early in 2019, and in October began giving vacation rentals hotel-like treatment in Google search.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/airbnb-tests-teaming-google-vacation-200037742.html

Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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The Week, That Was – October 2019 Week 2

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

HospitalityUnited.Club to host Cocktails & Conversations in Singapore

The consortium of travel technology specialists, HospitalityUnited.Club, is ready to host its exclusive ‘Cocktails & Conversations’ evening in Singapore this month, on 16th October 2019. The Club will be hosting the event in partnership with AgentX101, HotelTonight, Ecommpay, LiveOS, RateTiger and WIHP, to present the latest in travel technology.

Register today – https://www.hospitalityunited.club/events-register/singapore-oct19.html

Booking.com’s top travel trends for 2020

The company predicts 2020 will be a year of travel exploration like never before, fueled by technology as well as a growing sense of responsibility and deeper connection with the people and places we visit.

https://travelpredictions2020.com/#5

If you think email is dead, think again

Adobe’s recently released Email Usage Study for 2019 reveals new insights about consumer habits and preferences around receiving marketing emails. The respondents are spending up to five hours a day checking their emails (both work and personal). In fact, they actually feel that the amount of time they are spending is ‘just right.’

https://www.clickz.com/email-usage-study-adobe-2019/255955/

RoomIt by CWT expands channel manager connectivity

RoomIt by CWT the global hotel distribution division of CWT, announces new strategic partnerships with multiple global hotel guest acquisition platforms. The partnerships provide business travelers with more choice and hotels with greater access to customers.

https://news.carlsonwagonlit.com/pressreleases/roomit-by-cwt-expands-hotel-distribution-with-new-strategic-global-partnerships-2924419

Hotels are start, end points of travel experiences

As affluents become more drawn to experiential travel, the role of the hotel has evolved to become more about the destination than simply about hospitality. During a panel at Condé Nast Traveler’s Points of View Summit, industry experts discussed how high-end and boutique hotels are becoming more reflective of their location. Design, sustainability practices and programming are different ways hotels can incorporate local elements.

https://www.luxurydaily.com/hotels-are-start-end-points-of-travel-experiences/

Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

A playground where children’s creativity can run wild – Part 2

It’s time to rejoice as the children of Hatgacha Primary School in Kolkata, India now have their own playground. Further to our last update, the playground is ready and helping bring smile to the faces of young kids.

On one side it has helped reduce absenteeism while on the other, it helps children develop learning and creative skills. By playing together, they learn to get along, agree on rules and resolve conflict – all of which are necessary when building social skills.

If you want to encourage the link between playground equipment and child development, you need playgrounds that are designed to be beneficial for children. We are glad to be able to contribute in a very small way, to help some children get benefited from our CSR initiatives.

Here are some joyful glimpses –

 

 

 

 

 

The Week, That Was – August 2019 Week 1

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

eRevMax expands in the Middle East through technical partnership with Intimus PMS

Hotel connectivity expert, eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with Intimus PMS while offering hotels a wider selection of technical partners in the region. Hotels using Intimus PMS and RateTiger – LiveOS solutions can now manage their online distribution easily from one place removing all manual efforts.

https://bit.ly/2T0M5e2

The true cost of not protecting customer data in travel

For years now, the hospitality business has shared Big Tech’s addiction to customer data. Rather than sell it to advertisers, however, hotels and airlines traditionally use it to personalize travel experiences. Hotels – in particular luxury hotels – collect customer data to build detailed guest profiles, which can include personal preferences, from room, pillow and favorite cocktails, to potentially more explicit guest information.

https://www.phocuswire.com/GDPR-hotel-customer-data

What every hotelier must know about EU’s payment rules

Just as hoteliers have become used to GDPR, another piece of European Union legislation, the Payment Services Directive regulations, known as PSD2, is set to go into effect.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/297360/What-every-hotelier-must-know-about-EUs-payment-rules

Rise in Mobile Bookings in Middle East Creates New Online Travel Competition

The Middle East traveler has been going digital across all touchpoints of the travel journey, fueling a surge in the online travel market that is projected to reach $15 billion by 2023 across the region. That will mark an increase of 140 percent from current levels, according to research company Mena Research Partners.

https://skift.com/2019/07/23/rise-in-mobile-bookings-in-middle-east-creates-new-online-travel-competition/

Hotel chains demonstrate common B2B eCommerce website blunders

Hotels can earn customers’ loyalty by providing better personalized recommendations that understand their individual price/value tradeoff.

https://go.forrester.com/blogs/hotel-chains-demonstrate-common-b2b-ecommerce-website-blunders/

Amex GBT forecasts modest hotel rate increases for 2020

The Hotel Monitor 2020, published by American Express Global Business Travel, predicts that hotel prices in most key cities will experience only modest rises in 2020.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4094362.html

Online presence high priority with independent hotels

Trends in how people, and brands, consume and process information online are driving digital marketing strategies for independent hotels. It’s important not only to have an online presence but also to have the proper digital footprint, sources said.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/297313/Online-presence-a-high-priority-at-independent-hotels

What you need to know about Google Ads’ “Store / Hotel Visits”

Google came out with another way marketers and hoteliers can measure the performance of campaigns through Store Visits or for hotels, Hotel Visits. Hotel Visits can measure whether or not users actually visited your property. Google uses cell towers, wifi signals and more to tell whether or not you’ve actually visited a property and you aren’t just staying next door or across the street.

https://screenpilot.com/2019/07/what-you-need-to-know-about-google-ads-store-visits/

How San Francisco boosted Chinese bookings by 30 percent

Outbound Chinese visitors represent an increasingly important part of San Francisco’s tourist model, constituting 23 percent of international tourist spending in 2018.

https://jingtravel.com/san-francisco-grew-chinese-bookings-30-percent/

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue-https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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Checklist for your next hotel channel manager

A hotel channel manager is a must have for hoteliers today. If you are planning to add or change your existing channel manager, here is a quick checklist of things you need for assessment.

  • That the solution has seamless XML connectivity with multiple online channels to publish live rates and inventory and deliver reservations seamlessly back into the PMS.
  • It has integration with your hotel PMS, RMS, Booking Engine and other technology tools for real-time data transfer between your system and OTAs. If they do not have it, are they flexible enough to develop it for you?
  • It can sync OTA data with hotel system all the time to minimize overbooking and identify mismatches.
  • It can update rates and availability of different room categories for future dates as well.
  • It can automatically inform the user and update the availability to all connected channels for any modification or cancellation happened on any channel.
  • It can allocate different inventory to different online channels or switch off a channel for a certain period if required.
  • It allows users to set restrictions like Minimum length of stay (MLOS), Blackout dates, Closed to Arrival (CTA) and Closed to Departure (CTD), among others, to optimize revenue.
  • It is PCI and GDPR compliant to safeguard digital data of your guests.

Improve your hotel revenue with better room rate and yield management – all from a smart single interface. Take complete control of your revenue and channel management strategy to control distribution costs and drive more direct bookings.

Grow your revenue with the best hotel channel manager!

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

 

The Week, That Was – July 2019 Week 3

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

ARABSOFT completes technical connectivity with eRevMax

eRevMax, the leading travel technology provider, has certified Tunisian PMS developer ARABSOFT after having completed 2-way technical integration. Mutual hotel clients can now leverage the interface to benefit from direct rate and inventory updates to online sales channels and receive reservations seamlessly into their hotel management System, Xlia by ARABSOFT.

https://bit.ly/2M085nW

Deep dive into APAC online travel agencies – Part 2

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, five of the world’s ten fastest growing tourism cities are in Asia, making it the hot spot for the travel marketers. Propelled by high penetration of mobile, the region has been witnessing double digit growth in online booking, making it a priority region for global OTAs. However, the market is still dominated by local and regional players, even as global OTAs make strategic investments to make inroads.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/07/deep-dive-into-apac-online-travel-agencies-part-2/

Google downplays dominant role in travel

If you run a hotel, airline, or online travel agency, and you thought you needed to buy advertisements in Google search or Google Trips, then guess again — it’s probably not as essential as you have long believed because consumers begin their travel searches with “specialist competitors.”

https://skift.com/2019/07/16/google-to-congress-were-not-a-travel-monopoly/

Travelport optimistic about constructing a customer-centric future

The Internet of Things, mobile, Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics and cloud computing are combining, to forge a future that’s more customer-centric than anything that’s gone before.

The next generation of systems are not going to own the system of record, but will own the system of intelligence, using data analytics to intelligently connect supply with demand.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/111958/big-interview-the-travelport-architect-optimistic-about-constructing-a-customer-centric-future

TripAdvisor: How reviews impact bookings

The global study, conducted in partnership with Ipsos MORI, polled over 23,000 TripAdvisor users across 12 markets on the use of online reviews and their role when booking hotels, restaurants and experiences.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/tripadvisor-how-reviews-impact-bookings/

The basics of keyword research for Search Engine Optimization: a guide for hotels

There are a lot of factors that contribute to SEO success. But in short, search engines make it a priority to provide the best content for users based on a given query. This is often referred to as “intent-based search” and it’s at the heart of Google’s machine learning algorithm.

https://bit.ly/2GkMzqx

Could your hotel’s channel strategy be costing you direct bookings?

Hotels of the past faced serious challenges in driving occupancy, with static and siloed inventories spread across a number of third-party partners. A solution to this was to use wholesalers, whose objective was to give travel agents competitive B2B inventory and provide reach all over the world to facilitate bookings.

https://triptease.com/blog/could-your-hotels-channel-strategy-be-costing-you-direct-bookings/

BCD Travel unveils new version of TripSource app

The app will now include self-service features, pre-trip planning and booking, improved design and navigation and will be made available to all travellers in mid-July 2019 in over 113 countries and in five languages.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/bcd-travel-unveils-new-version-of-tripsource-app/

How hotels should adapt to Google Travel and intent-based search

Today, if you want your hotel website to move up through the search results, you need to give travelers what they’re really looking for. You need to match their intent. There’s another reason why Google has stopped rewarding keyword-focused content. PPC and display ads convert at a higher rate when they match a person’s intent.

https://www.traveltripper.com/blog/how-hotels-should-adapt-to-google-travel-and-intent-based-search/

Google experiments with hotel room booking module placement

Changes could be coming soon to the layout of Google’s hotel search as the company tests some modification on its room booking module. According to Koddi, if Google pushes this change live to a wider set of traffic and device types, this would allow travelers to see a greater variety of information and options for hotels within the same view.

https://koddi.com/google-experiments-room-booking-module-placement/

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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7 Steps to Increase Repeat Business for Your Hotels by 200%

Having loyal customers is one of the most essential steps to ensure the success of hotels. Today, travelers can choose from many options in the hotel industry – leading to intense competition between hotel owners. Thus, as a hotel property owner, you have to try various strategies to transform new visitors into repeat customers and keep your present guest list intact as well.

Strive to make the best ‘first impressions’

With a great first impression, you can make a wonderful lasting impression. When you have a new customer coming into your property, you have to try various ways to transform them into loyalty card members. Offer a valuable loyalty program, which can be useful to guests who come in. Track the requirements and preferences of guests, have a smooth check-in process and strive to communicate well online and offer impeccable services.

Exploit Technology

Use mobile apps, keyless entries, online confirmation, self check-in and other technologies to make the booking process smoother. Avoid keeping customers waiting.

Lend a personal touch

The modern age is all about personalization, and you should try to store guest record in your hotel management software in order to provide present and new guests with a personalized service. You can find unique ways to encourage customers to book your property for the following visits.

Offer Hotel Loyalty Programs of value

In customer loyalty programs, hotel loyalty cards play a vital role. When you manage to be successful in registering new customers into your loyalty programs, it should act as a strong foundation for your business in making guests your long-term customers.

Get immediate feedback

Negative reviews arise due to the fact that guests do not always find ways to express their dissatisfaction with your services. You can avoid negative reviews for your business by seeking constant feedback from customers. Hand out a small questionnaire or send SMS etc to know whether the guests are satisfied with the room service, if they want a custom menu etc. When you ask the right questions, you can get the right answers and improve your services to enjoy repeat business.

Give Incentives

Move over complimentary breakfast, and offer complimentary trip to attractions nearby. Have the option for flexible timings for check-in, and provide new visitors with direct bookings.

Make guests your first priority

Start even before they check in, and connect with them through every stage of their association with your hotel. Address all their needs personally, and find out whether they need any special assistance.

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

 

The Week, That Was – June 2019 Week 4

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Swedish hotel recommends RateTiger for online distribution

Karstorp Hotel, a Swedish midscale property has recommended RateTiger for effective channel management and online distribution. The hotel has been using RateTiger Channel Manager and Shopper for a couple of years now and has experienced improved occupancy and revenue by streamlining its distribution.

https://bit.ly/2WYhiz2

10 Tips for Hotels to Improve Operational Productivity by 60%

It can be quite an ordeal to run hotels, especially small hotel businesses which have limited staff but various functions to manage. You may be looking to improve the operational productivity to boost your hotel revenue, but don’t know how. Here are 10 tips that can help you boost the productivity of your hotel operations by as much as 60%.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/06/10-tips-for-hotels-to-improve-operational-productivity-by-60/

RoomIt by CWT: Key differences in business traveler hotel preferences by country

According to research commissioned by RoomIt by CWT, business travelers want different hotel experiences based on the country they are from.

The results revealed that globally, having access to Wi-Fi (84%), room rate (81%), distance from business site (81%) and breakfast (79%) are the most important influences.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4093995.html

Expedia connects travelers with hotels when their flights are delayed

Expedia Group is actively working on repurposing its Expedia Partner Central Conversations tools to enable Expedia and guests, with permission, to communicate directly with hotels if flights are delayed or plans otherwise change.

https://skift.com/2019/06/27/expedia-to-connect-travelers-with-hotels-when-their-flights-are-delayed/

Solving the hotel tech puzzle: The importance of smart integrations

But with so many different pieces of a puzzle, it can be hard to make sure that they all perfectly fit together and you have a clear overview of the bigger picture. This is why smart integrations are crucial; because while any scalable software is useful on its own, its capabilities are boosted when connected to another corresponding technology.

https://www.trustyou.com/blog/technology/solving-the-hotel-tech-puzzle

Why Google ratings might just be your hotel’s most important quality metric

Google has revamped its review product, increased review volume exponentially, and made Google ratings more prominent in search, maps and hotel listings.

https://reknown.com/2019/06/why-google-ratings-might-just-be-your-hotels-most-important-quality-metric/

The new era of hospitality tech

Would you rather partner with a SaaS provider which is kicking ass as the best PMS, or a PMS provider the provides a fruit-basket of solutions?

https://blog.apaleo.com/hotels/new-era-hospitality-tech

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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Swedish hotel recommends RateTiger for online distribution

Karstorp Hotel, a Swedish midscale property has recommended RateTiger for effective channel management and online distribution. The hotel has been using RateTiger Channel Manager and Shopper for a couple of years now and has experienced improved occupancy and revenue by streamlining its distribution.

Located in Skovde, Karstorp Hotel is a 32-room property. MiWell Nordic, a Scandinavia based hospitality management firm is helping the hotel with advanced analytics driven Revenue Management for improving efficiency. Through Miwell Nordic, the hotel is leveraging eRevMax’s seamless connectivity with global and regional OTAs, and niche channels to publish room rate and availability in real time and receive reservations directly into its PMS. Hosted on LiveOS, RateTiger’s pool inventory model allows the revenue management team to continuously distribute live rates and inventory to multiple booking channels and deliver updates back into its property management system (PMS) in real-time, without worrying about overbooking. The in-built booking trends and business analytics data combined with competitor benchmarking reports give them key market insights to make informed decision.

With RateTiger, we only need to make updates on one platform instead of multiple OTAs. The channels get automatically populated immediately once we submit the data from our end. Similarly, all bookings generated on the different sales channels are entered in our PMS automatically. RateTiger is easy to use and their support team is very helpful, you always get a quick response on any query,” said Elin Svensson, Revenue Activator, MiWell Nordic.

MiWell has been our long-standing partner trusting RateTiger to manage online sales for its client hotels. This recommendation is a testimony to our commitment to make online distribution management easy for hoteliers. We have invested in building stable connectivity with over 400 OTAs and technology providers. Our solutions simplify operations, improve efficiencies and give hoteliers time to focus on strategy,” said Alin Lazar, Regional Sales Director – EMEA, eRevMax.