Contents

Introduction
Rankings
Benefits
Features
Pricing
Implementation
Latest Developments
Free Downloads
FAQs
Further Reading
Methodology

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7 Best Hotel Channel Management Software: My Honest Review

Jordan Hollander

| Last updated May 14, 2025

112 PRODUCTS REVIEWED

6524 HOTELIERS SURVEYED

QUICK SUMMARY

A hotel channel manager is a type of distribution software that syncs rates, availability and inventory across 3rd party channels such as OTAs (i.e. Booking and Expedia). Rather than managing your hotel's content through the extranet of each 3rd party, hotel channel manager software enables you to manage from one streamlined location and set rules to ensure you don't experience overbooking issues.

As an investor in several boutique hotels in the 10-25 room range that rely pretty significantly on OTA bookings (especially during shoulder periods), I can tell you that a good channel manager is like the plumbing in your house - if you have a good one you shouldn't have to think about it too much. On the flipside, if you've ever had a bad channel manager you know the pains of overbooking, lost bookings and bad connections.

My team demoed the products below and conducted digital interviews with 6524 hoteliers across 136 countries to create this in-depth guide and help you find the best fit channel management software for your hotel business. Inside you’ll find everything you need to know including product rankings, feature comparisons, price benchmarking, integration interoperability and more.

Hotel Channel Manager Shortlist

Here are 7 of top Hotel Channel Managers that are covered in this in-depth guide:

1. eviivo — Best for a user-friendly interface suitable for all skill levels
2. SiteMinder — Best for automating tasks to save time and reduce errors
3. RateGain — Best for optimizing pricing strategies with dynamic revenue management
4. roomMaster — Best for managing multiple distribution channels effortlessly
5. Cloudbeds — Best for integrating with over 300 distribution channels
6. Yanolja — Best for managing multi-property operations effortlessly
7. Profitroom — Best for expanding property reach through broad connectivity

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BENEFITS

What are the benefits of a hotel channel manager for hotel distribution?

A channel manager simplifies selling hotel rooms and managing inventory while providing key performance reports to guide marketing and sales strategies. Not only that, it offers a comprehensive toolset to optimize operations, streamline distribution, and make data-driven decisions that enhance your hotel's business performance.

Here's what a channel manager can do for your hotel business:

Increase occupancy: Hotels can list on multiple channels at once which is an opportunity to broaden their reach across business, domestic and international travelers and increase the chance of being booked.
Stay in control and save time: Rooms listings and availability are automatically updated on direct and indirect sales channels. Hotels can leverage yield management to maximize occupancy rates and reduce over bookings.
Maximize profits: Reputable channel manager technology can be integrated with a hotel’s booking engine, which promotes direct bookings. This ensures the hotel is kept at the forefront of the guest acquisition strategy and customer acquisition costs are kept under control. Rate automation and rules can maintain the pricing strategy with little effort in real-time.
Increased total reservations and revenue: With more visibility on more channels, the hotel should attract more reservations than ever before. Even a small increase in occupancy rate from the channel manager should have a very positive effect on monthly and annual revenue. Results will vary according to occupancy rate and average daily rate of the hotel.
Growth in occupancy rate: It depends on the size of the property and the amount of connected channels. An increase of 10% or more is very achievable.
Drives more profits: By setting direct pricing rules in the channel manager, hotels ensure direct bookings always offer the best value. Other approaches to improve profits include stop-selling rooms and packages, setting a minimum number of days per stay, or creating discounted rates.

FEATURES

What are the most important features of a channel manager?

Here are key features of a channel manager that enable hotels to operate and manage their financial flows more efficiently:

Kill Switch: A kill switch is a feature that allows hotels to instantly suspend sales on all or specific distribution channels in the event of an emergency, such as system errors, changes in room availability, or unforeseen circumstances
Dynamic Pricing: This enables automatic pricing based on demand, occupancy and current trends to drive competitive pricing strategies to maximize revenue
Analytics: Channel analytics allows hotels to track metrics and activity performance based on metrics such as booking volume, revenue and conversion rates for each channel. The goal is to recognize which channels bring them the most profit, how to improve strategies and allocate resources more efficiently
Third Party Integrations: API integrations allow the channel management software to connect with property management systems (PMS), central reservation systems (CRS) and other third-party platforms to synchronize real-time data such as rates, availability and bookings
iCal Integration: This feature allows channel managers to collect booking information which is particularly suitable for smaller accommodation capacities and helps prevent double bookings
Automatic Rate Management: This feature allows hotels to pre-set parameters to automatically adjust room prices. Prices may be affected by competitive pricing and market trends.

PRICING

How much does a hotel channel manager cost?

A hotel channel manager costs as little as $59 per month for small properties with 1-5 rooms, scaling up to $669 per month for properties with 751+ rooms. Popular options like SiteMinder and myallocator (Cloudbeds) start at around $75 per month. Costs may increase with added features like booking engine integration, website services or integration with OTAs like Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb, and VRBO.

IMPLEMENTATION

How to choose a channel manager for your hotel

Choosing the best channel management solution for your hotel involves evaluating key factors to ensure the software aligns with your business needs.

Here’s what you need to consider when choosing a channel manager for your hotel property:

It should be user-friendly and have advanced functionality like real-time inventory management, two-way integrations with online distribution channels like OTAs, GDS and metasearch sites, as well as CRS, PMS and booking engine
A good hotel channel manager must have price parity across all booking channels, provide a unified inventory model and prevent double bookings and overbooking
It should support different room types and manage cancellations and check-ins
It should have a strong support team to help with any issues or updates and offer partnerships with providers such as Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb and VRBO
It must provide revenue management tools, help increase direct bookings and offer a mobile app to update rates and check occupancy in real time. Cloudbeds, Siteminder and Rategain are some examples of hotel channel management software
The best channel manager for a hotel depends on its needs, but ultimately it should improve the guest experience, increase online sales and connect with multiple sales channels

FAQs

Hoteliers Also Ask

Is there a Free Channel Manager Software?

Free channel manager software options exist but often come with limitations, such as fewer integrations or restricted features. Some providers, like WuBook or eZee Absolute, offer free versions with basic functionality. These are suitable for small properties testing channel management but may require upgrades for advanced features or scalability.

What are the key integrations that every channel manager should have?

Key integrations for a channel manager include property management systems (PMS) for centralizing operations, online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia for distribution, and global distribution systems (GDS) for access to corporate bookings. Other important integrations include booking engines for direct reservations and metasearch platforms like Google Hotel Ads for improved visibility.

What is the difference between channel manager and OTA?

The main difference between a channel manager and an OTA is their function. A channel manager is software that synchronizes a hotel's room inventory and rates across multiple booking platforms, while an OTA (Online Travel Agency) like Booking.com is a platform where guests can book accommodations. Channel managers connect hotels to OTAs for streamlined distribution.

What is the best channel manager for small hotels?

The best channel manager for small hotels is often myallocator (Cloudbeds) due to its affordability, ease of use, and integration options. It supports small-scale operations with robust OTA connections and essential features. Other popular options for small hotels include Little Hotelier, which combines channel management with property management system tools.

What does the typical implementation timeline and process look like to go live?

Most channel managers can be quickly integrated in 1-2 weeks. There are five key steps to run through on the path to beginning a channel manager demo account. These include an introduction, group training, setup, private follow-up, and set live. Demo account trials typically last about 2-weeks where the hotelier can test out the full feature set and upon completion can immediately activate their subscription or choose not to invest at no further cost.

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7 Best Hotel Channel Management Software: My Honest Review

What is a hotel channel manager?

Channel Manager Vendor Shortlist

Hotel Channel Manager Recommendations

Find the Best Channel Manager for Your Hotel

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RateGain

Profitroom

Seekda

SiteMinder

freetobook

Exely

HotelRunner

Lighthouse

Shiji Group

Sabre

What are the benefits of a hotel channel manager for hotel distribution?

What are the most important features of a channel manager?

How much does a hotel channel manager cost?

How to choose a channel manager for your hotel

Hoteliers Also Ask

Is there a Free Channel Manager Software?

What are the key integrations that every channel manager should have?

What is the difference between channel manager and OTA?

What is the best channel manager for small hotels?

What does the typical implementation timeline and process look like to go live?

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7 Best Hotel Channel Management Software: My Honest Review

What is a hotel channel manager?

Channel Manager Vendor Shortlist

Hotel Channel Manager Recommendations

Find the Best Channel Manager for Your Hotel

Change your location

Change your hotel size

Change your PMS

Applying filters will disable personalization

RateGain

Profitroom

Seekda

SiteMinder

freetobook

Exely

HotelRunner

Lighthouse

Shiji Group

Sabre

What are the benefits of a hotel channel manager for hotel distribution?

What are the most important features of a channel manager?

How much does a hotel channel manager cost?

How to choose a channel manager for your hotel

Hoteliers Also Ask

Is there a Free Channel Manager Software?

What are the key integrations that every channel manager should have?

What is the difference between channel manager and OTA?

What is the best channel manager for small hotels?

What does the typical implementation timeline and process look like to go live?

Get personalized product recommendations