HotelSphere

Every agency website is different.  You have to learn how each of them works and you’ll probably have to train somebody else how they all work too.

You’ll have to remember all the website addresses, usernames and passwords.  To do that, you’ve probably got them written down somewhere. (security headache)

• You have to monitor the number of rooms you give to each website.
• You have to monitor the number of sales you get from each website.
• You have to make sure you are offering the same rates to everyone (otherwise travel agents often claim the right to sell at the lowest rate you publish, not necessarily the rate you agreed with them).
• You have to adjust the rooms you’re placing for sale to reflect the room sales you’re making offline.

…and you sometimes need to bring all your online sales efforts to a sudden STOP because the sales office has just filled the hotel with a conference booking.  Town is full and if you take any more bookings you’ll be overbooked with no hope of booking out to another hotel within 50 miles.

When you’ve got inventory on 20 websites, bringing availability to a full stop for a particular date can be a bit like trying an emergency stop in an oil tanker:  It takes a while and you’re simply a passenger until it finally grinds to a halt.  No two websites are the same, which makes the task of closing out dates ever so tricky.  You just have to hope that when the stopsell command is issued, you’ve got somebody on duty who knows how they all work, who has the time to complete all the closeouts and can find the list of website addresses, usernames and passwords.

You’ve been there, haven’t you?

And then there’s the problem of managing your rates, packages and commissions.  How many times have you had a great month for online room sales, only for the celebrations to be cut short when the commission invoices arrive?

Up until now, the number of websites on which you could list your hotel was limited only by the resources you had available to look after them.  For most of us, those resources are time and money.  Money being tight, that leaves us with time.  Time is that most precious gift in high season, when there is never enough of it and a singular curse in low season, when you never seem to get enough value from it.

That’s where ChannelRUSH can help.  When you’re busy, ChannelRUSH literally helps you be in several places at once.  When you’re quiet, ChannelRUSH helps you to use your time more efficiently.

• You can access all your website channels at the same time from ChannelRush using your favourite web browser.
• There is only one website address, username and password to remember (which is handy if a key member of staff leaves under a cloud, you only have one password to change).
• There is only one website to learn.  Which means that your reservations team can quickly become proficient and confident in using the system.
• The easier it is to use, the more you’ll use it.  You’ll manage your online inventory closer than you’ve been able to in the past.
• There is no fixed term contract.  If you want to stop using it, stop using it.  Some customers who close their hotels in the winter find this very useful.  You can always start again when you’re ready (although remember, reservations can be made at any time of the year).

As long as you’re connected to the internet with a web browser, you can manage your online inventory with ChannelRUSH.

ChannelRUSH will be set up specifically for your hotel.

This is a numbers game.  If you’re selling using online travel agents your rooms have been reduced to commodities.  Your control over prices is limited.  If everything else is the same, it comes down to price and availability.

Fight back with a numbers game of your own.

• Control the prices you sell at
• Control your commissions
• Place inventory in as many websites as you like
• Make them work for you!