Channel Manager

A Channel Manager is a software tool that distributes a property's availability and rates to online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia and Vrbo, and pulls the resulting reservations back into the PMS.

Key functions

• Real-time inventory sync — prevents double bookings by updating availability across all channels the moment a booking lands
• Rate distribution — pushes rate plans, restrictions and promotions to each channel
• Reservation delivery — imports bookings, modifications and cancellations into the PMS

Built-in or standalone

Most modern PMS vendors bundle a channel manager into the platform (Cloudbeds, Guesty, Hostaway). Others, like Apaleo, leave it to partners such as SiteMinder. The bundled route is simpler; the standalone route makes it easier to switch one piece without switching everything.