OTA channel management
OTA channel management: clean setup, visibility and parity on every channel
Being live on Booking.com, Expedia or Agoda doesn't mean your hotel is selling. When mappings, rate plans, discounts and content aren't set up properly, the hotel slips in search results or sells at the wrong price.
In channel management I open the channels, connect them correctly through your channel manager and check the extranets regularly myself.
Author: Semih Daban · Nuitask
The channels I work with
We choose the channel mix together, based on your source markets. The main channels:
- OTAs: Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Trip.com, Airbnb, HolidayCheck, Ostrovok, HalalBooking and others.
- B2B and wholesale channels: Hotelbeds, WebBeds, RateHawk, TBO Holidays, W2M, HyperGuest.
- Turkish travel agencies: Etstur, Tatilbudur, Jolly, Tatilsepeti, Enuygun.
- Channel managers and PMS: Elektraweb, Eptera, HotelRunner, HMS.
OTA ranking: aiming for the top positions
Most guests don't look beyond the first pages on an OTA. My goal is to move your hotel up in relevant searches. There's no magic switch; content, rates, discount structure, cancellation terms and guest reviews work together.
I bring these parts together with a setup I developed myself; the details differ from hotel to hotel and are part of the first call. I report on the results regularly.
Common mistakes I see on the OTAs
On Booking.com and other OTAs these are the problems I see most often:
- Room types or rate plans are mapped incorrectly in the channel manager.
- Discounts and promotions are set up without a plan; rates and revenue get out of control.
- Cancellation terms differ between channels.
- Wholesale rates appear cheaper on other websites than on the OTAs.
- Photos, room descriptions and facilities are incomplete or outdated.
Balancing commission and direct sales
OTAs are the hotel's shop window, but every booking carries commission. The goal isn't to switch them off; it's to earn well from them while making sure guests can also find you directly. That's why your booking engine, website and visibility on Google (Google Hotel Ads, free booking links, Business Profile) are part of the channel strategy for me.
The starting point: a channel and rate check
With every new hotel I start with a check. For the same date and room I put the price, cancellation terms and meal plan side by side on every open channel. I list the channel manager mappings, closed or needlessly open rate plans and running discounts one by one.
At the end you have a plain list: what is wrong, why it is wrong and in which order we fix it.
Content, photos and guest reviews
OTAs favour hotels with complete, up-to-date content, and guests decide based on photos and reviews. I make room descriptions, facilities and policies consistent across channels and order the photos by what guests want to see first.
Replies to reviews are part of sales too. A calm, specific reply to a negative review shows the next guest that the hotel takes its work seriously. We can prepare reply templates together with your team.
Reporting and communication
Once we work together, I put in writing what I change and why. Short reports show the split of bookings by channel, the state of rates and parity, how visibility develops and the next steps.
I answer your questions myself; there's no account manager or sales team in between. Bigger decisions are always made together with you.
OTA channel management: frequently asked questions
Can you lower my Booking.com commission?
The base commission depends on your contract with Booking.com, so I can't guarantee that. We work out the real cost of programmes and promotions, decide together what makes sense, and strengthen direct sales to reduce the share of commissionable bookings.
Which channel managers do you work with?
Regularly with Elektraweb, Eptera, HotelRunner and HMS. If you use a different system, let's discuss it on the first call.
Can you get my hotel to number one?
I don't guarantee rankings; OTA algorithms depend on many factors. My goal is to move your hotel up in relevant searches, and I show you every change I make.
What do you do when a new channel is opened?
After the contract is signed I set up content, room types, rate plans, cancellation policies and the channel manager mapping, then check in the first days that rates and availability arrive correctly.
Do wholesale (B2B) channels put parity at risk?
If they are not set up properly, yes: wholesale rates can appear cheaper on other websites than on the OTAs. We check contract terms, market restrictions and rate structure and close the leak at the source.
Let's check your channels together
A channel and rate check shows which problem sits where. The first call is free.