What exactly is channel management?  How does it work?  How much will it cost?  How many channels are there?  These are questions anyone new to the short-term rental business should ask, however until recently there haven’t been any real definitive answers to raise the curtain on the topic.

Terry Whyte - AKA the Vacation Rental Software Guy - has spent years researching property management software, advising small and large short-term rental operators on the best options for them.  His knowledge spans every aspect of the technical side of reservation management, including that elusive subject of channel management.

In a recent blog post on his website, titled The Future of Distribution & Channel Management Terry wrote:

‘Channel management might be the single biggest confusing and misunderstood topic I come across. Here are a number of the falsehoods I hear often:

“A PMS is not a channel manager”

“Channel Manager integration is superior to a PMS integration”

“You only need one Channel Manager to be successful”

“All Channel Managers are the same”

“The imminent demise of the Channel Manager”

I believe there is only one way to explain and clear up the confusion.

The reason for the confusion is the misunderstanding between the role a property management software (PMS) and a dedicated Channel Manager plays in distribution.’

This episode delves into these misunderstandings and helps to demystify the myths surrounding channel management.

Terry explains:

• What a channel manager can do for your business
• How your PMS could be your most important channel manager
• Why it’s important to have a blend of channel management options
• The benefits and disadvantages of PMS integration
• How to evaluate different PMS and channel managers

Links mentioned:

‍VRS326 - How to Choose Property Management Software