Short-term rentals17 October 20264 min read

Channel manager: what it is and why vacation rentals need one

Owners of apartments, guest houses and hotels list their properties on several channels at once: occupancy is higher and they depend less on a single source of guests. But every channel keeps its own calendar, and keeping them identical by hand is hard. A channel manager solves this. Here is how it works, what types of connection exist and what to look for when choosing one.

What a channel manager is

A channel manager connects your booking system to the channels where your properties are listed. Bookings from channels arrive in one calendar, and occupied dates are blocked automatically on your other sales channels.

Without a channel manager, the owner copies every booking into the shared calendar and blocks dates in each channel’s dashboard by hand. As properties and channels multiply, this takes hours and leads to mistakes.

How a channel manager works

A guest books a property on one of the channels.
The booking arrives in the system’s shared calendar.
The system sends the occupancy to the other connected channels.
The dates are blocked, and the same period can no longer be sold.

Changes and cancellations work the same way: moving dates updates occupancy, and a cancellation frees the dates on every channel.

Two types of connection

Direct API connection. The system exchanges data with the channel directly. The full booking is transferred: dates, guest details and amount. Exchanges are frequent, usually every few minutes and right after a booking changes.

Calendar sync (iCal). The channel publishes its availability calendar at a link, and the system fetches it on a schedule and shares its own. Only occupied dates are transferred, without guest details or amounts. Updates are less frequent, for example every half hour.

Calendar sync is available on almost every channel and is fine to start with. For the channel that brings the most bookings, a direct connection is more reliable: less delay and lower risk of double bookings.

What a channel manager gives you

Less manual work. Bookings no longer have to be copied from channel dashboards into the shared calendar.
Protection from double bookings. Dates are blocked automatically right after a booking. Read more about the causes of double bookings in the article “Double bookings in vacation rentals”.
A single view of occupancy. All channel bookings and direct enquiries are visible in one calendar.
Insight into sales channels. The source of every booking is kept, so you can see which channels bring the most guests and revenue.

What to look for when choosing

The channels you need. Check which of your channels can be connected and how: via API or through calendar sync.
Exchange frequency. The less often data is updated, the wider the window in which a double booking can happen.
Handling overlaps. The system should refuse to save an overlapping booking and show the conflict to a manager right away.
What is transferred. Only occupancy, or the full booking with the guest, amount and channel commission.
Prices and restrictions. Some systems manage prices on the channels, others only transfer bookings and occupancy. Check this in advance.
Connection to the rest of your work. It helps when channel bookings go straight into the cleaning schedule, the guest database and analytics.

How to connect channels without mistakes

Link each listing on a channel to the right property or room in the system.
Before the first sync, compare upcoming bookings in the system and on the channel.
Do not create bookings by hand that will arrive from the channel automatically: this leads to a duplicate or a conflict.
After connecting, check that a new booking’s dates were blocked on the other channels.
Monitor the exchange results and resolve conflicts straight away, before the guest arrives.

The channel manager in Glavbook

The channel manager is built into Glavbook and connected to the booking calendar, cleaning, the guest database and analytics.

Avito connects directly: bookings and cancellations arrive in the calendar with guest details and the amount, plus the prepayment and channel commission if Avito shares them. Exchanges run about every five minutes and right after a booking changes in Glavbook.
Sutochno.ru and CIAN connect through calendar sync: Glavbook fetches their calendars every 30 minutes, and the channels refresh the Glavbook calendar on their own schedule. More channels are on the way.
The system does not save overlapping periods and flags them as a conflict for a manager to review.
The source of every booking is visible in the calendar, in the booking card and in revenue and occupancy analytics by channel.
For now, the channel manager transfers bookings and occupied dates. Prices are set in each channel’s own account.

FAQ

Do I need a channel manager for a single property?

If a property is listed on two or more channels, a channel manager saves time and reduces the risk of double bookings even for one apartment.

How is a channel manager different from a PMS?

A PMS manages bookings, guests, cleaning and finances inside the business. A channel manager handles data exchange with channels. In modern systems they work together: channel bookings go straight into the shared calendar.

Can I sell on a channel the system does not support?

Yes, but you will have to block dates there by hand. For such channels, it is important to add bookings to the shared calendar right away and check availability before confirming.

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