In the hospitality industry, hotel distribution management can be defined as managing and updating certain information, such as room rates and availability, across all distribution channels. Distribution channels include anywhere the customer may go to view and book a hotel room, such as the actual hotel website or online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia, Booking.com, etc.
When it comes to managing each of these distribution channels, a hotelier must manage rates, booking restrictions, and hotel inventory across every channel, which can quickly get both complicated and tedious. Having a distribution management tool incorporated into your hotel PMS, though, can simplify things and be a streamlined way to control which OTAs are selling rooms, and how many are offered. Through this tool, as more rooms sell, channels requiring higher commissions can be switched off automatically, which alone can positively impact your hotel’s bottom line.
Maximize your Success
Today, hoteliers should embrace the OTAs as necessary marketing and distribution partners, and having a good distribution tool is important. When a hotelier lists their guest room inventory and rates on as many of the OTAs as possible, they can help maximize success in securing guest bookings.
With a dynamic hotel property management system (PMS), the automatic rate distribution feature allows hoteliers to focus their efforts on broadening their marketing and distribution reach, without having to make updates manually. The PMS links the central reservation system (CRS) and the revenue management system into the OTAs and any other chosen marketing and booking channels that the hotel chooses to use. Through this link, information can be instantly exchanged between the hotel and the various online channels. Real-time rates, room availability and restrictions are then automatically sent from the PMS to the online marketing and distribution channels, including the OTAs. And, when a guest room is booked through a third-party website, the hotel’s PMS is automatically updated in real time to display the change in availability.
Automation can help you maximize your success. It can enable hoteliers to maximize room inventory and optimize revenue without running the risk of overbooking. And, with a hotel operations platform like SkyTouch, hotels can ensure rate parity across all sites on the internet and manage them all from one convenient place, rather than each channel separately. What are some of the other features you should look for in distribution management?
Top 10 Features of SkyTouch Technology’s Distribution Management:
1. Fast Management: Quickly view and adjust all channels in one place, rather than logging in and out of many different systems.
2. Reduce Mistakes: Automation provides up to date availability, reducing human error and overbooking.
3. Take Control: Operators are in control of which OTAs are selling rooms, and how many rooms are offered.
4. Boost Bookings: Efficiently manage availability, rates, inventory and restrictions across all your OTA channels so you can streamline management and increase conversion opportunities.
5. Maximize Sales: Gain visibility on the world’s top booking sites and sell through your last available room on any OTA channel.
6. Easy Operations: As more rooms sell, channels requiring higher commissions can be switched off automatically.
7. Increase revenue: SkyTouch ensures rate parity across all sites on the internet. Properties of all sizes can maximize their online exposure and efficiently manage inventory.
8. Compete at a higher level: Drive direct bookings via your hotel website, collect customer data, and offer pricing that is competitive so you can increase market-share.
9. Save More: Manage hotel inventory at any time without needing many different systems.
10. Mobility: Since SkyTouch operates on the cloud, our distribution management tool can be accessible on mobile devices, so you can manage and access global and local channels from anywhere.
Ready to see how a partner like SkyTouch can impact your operations and your revenue? Contact us today and book a demo of the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform.
