What Type of OTA Channel Manager Do You Need?

If you’re advertising you properties manually on a few websites and OTAs (online travel agencies), we understand how overwhelming it is to update calendars and prices individually, especially when the list of channels grows and you don’t want to miss a chance to be present on the key ones in your area. With a channel manager, you just update it once, and the software takes care of syncing your rates and availability across all platforms instantly.

What is an OTA Channel Manager, And Do You Need One?

The ‘OTA channel manager’ term is rather confusing when you search it on the web.

Because lots of software claims to be a channel manager, but they’re really just property management systems (PMS), sometimes with channel managers as one of the features.

So, a channel manager is software that integrates listings from multiple platforms you use to rent out your property, helping you automatically synchronize availability and rates across those platforms and get bookings without overbooking. Booking channels include OTAs, metasearch engines, online marketplaces, and others.

You can manage all your bookings and channels manually, too – if you have all the time in the world for this…

So, when choosing the right OTA channel manager, you need to assess your current situation first: how many properties you have, your budget, and whether you have a standalone website or not.

What Type of Channel Manager Do You Need?

You may need to find a channel booking manager to connect with your current website, or you may not even have the latter.

You may have some sort of website booking software but don’t know how to connect it to OTAs the best way…

That’s why let’s firstly help you find your scenario:

1. You are a host/manager with several properties listed on Airbnb, Booking.com or other OTAs (e.g. for camping sites) but have no standalone website for direct bookings.

No hotel/STR website? You might be tired of logging into every account or juggling all the booking notifications to avoid overbookings and communicate with customers. An OTA channel manager is increasingly helpful in this case. It will help you build one centralized dashboard for all listings across OTAs, automate the availability sync process, and avoid overbooking. To say the least! If you have 5–50 properties but relying solely on OTA platforms, a channel manager is a God blessing… If you are considering a PMS software, a channel manager can be used for a lightweight start.

In addition to the top common features, such standalone channel managers can simplify your life with multi-user access for team members.

Actually, this scenario is the easiest option because you’re not limited by website software and can choose almost any channel manager. For example:

• Rentals United (connectivity to over 90 OTAs + a mobile app to have an overview of channels on the go). Has a quick property upload wizard and provides a an easy easy way to update listings, availability, and content of your properties.

• NextPax (150+ booking channels, including small local ones). It offers integration with various PMS (Property Management Systems), CRS, bedbank or even your own developed system.

So, if you don’t have a standalone/independent website but want to sync your bookings across OTAs in one dashboard, your task is to understand if the channel manager supports the OTAs where you have listings and whether the commissions are affordable for your business. 

Let’s finish this part with the biggest advantage of dedicated OTA channel managers: they are often location-focused so that you can easily connect bookings from, say, Airbnb and that smaller Daenemark.de OTA (just an example) in one centralized dashboard…

2. You have a standalone website for direct bookings but also want to connect and sync reservations from external OTAs.

In this case, everything depends on the booking software you’re already using.

Most dedicated channel managers operate through API connections, but not all APIs will work with your website and your booking tools, so you need to check the channel manager for API compatibility:

• Does the channel manager provide an API for external booking software?
• Can your website’s booking system pull availability and bookings from an API?
• Does the channel manager allow two-way sync (pushing new bookings to your site and pulling availability from it)?

If your hotel or STR booking software doesn’t support API connections, you may need middleware or a custom integration to act as a bridge.

For easier implementations, it makes sense to pay attention to channel managers that offer direct website-based integrations capabilities. For example:

• WordPress plugins (if your site is on WordPress).
• Embeddable booking widgets that update availability (normally any website).
• Custom API solutions (may require a developer).

If your site lacks API support, you might need a PMS that integrates with a channel manager. So, if you are looking for a single software to handle operations and distribution, consider switching to a booking software/PMS that supports built-in channel managers, such as:

• Lodgify
• Hosthub
• Hostfully
• OwnerRez
• Guesty

🏠 View our list of Top 12 Vacation Rental Booking Software Options

In the latter case, you will have all the tools you need to control properties and prices – including an OTA channel manager.

How Does OTA Syncing Actually Work?

How does a channel manager operate? Setting up a channel manager for a vacation rental or hotel is a long process, especially when you still need to choose your solution.

Imagine a modern online dashboard with a color-coded calendar showing past and upcoming bookings from all OTAs where you have listings (Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, etc.) on one screen, with a simple toggle or “Sync Now” button or the small text saying when the last automatic update was. There is also a spreadsheet-style rate manager to adjust pricing easily and a notification panel with quick access to new bookings. A clean guest list with filters, a dashboard section for direct bookings, and simple bar charts for revenue insights. And don’t forget instant notifications on your phone for new bookings or cancellations. You imagined that quite right – many channel managers provide these experiences.

Here is how you would normally need to choose and set up your OTAs channel manager:

1. Choose a suitable channel manager

• Select a channel manager/PMS that supports the OTAs you use.
• Make sure that the fees are suitable for your business (monthly fees, per-booking commissions, etc.).
• Check out tools that are important to you: pricing automation and dynamic pricing with tools like Beyond Pricing or PriceLabs, messaging tools, analytics, mobile apps, etc.

2. Check how it connects to your current tools (booking system/PMS/direct listings)

• If you use a Property Management System (PMS), make sure it will work with your channel manager.
• If you don’t use a PMS, you might need to manage listings directly within the channel manager.
• If you use a booking engine, find out whether you can connect it to your channel manager.

3. Integrating with OTAs

• Add your OTA accounts to the channel manager.
• Grant API access for synchronization (requires approval from OTAs in some cases).
• Map property listings correctly across all platforms.

4. Control pricing and availability

• Set up base rates, seasonal pricing, minimum stays, and other important details.
• Configure cancellation policies, check-in/out rules, and other restrictions.
• Set up how often you need automatic availability updates so that you are never overbooked.

5. Perform some testing 

Perform test bookings to ensure data is correctly synced and how the availability updates appear in real-time on all OTAs. What’s important, track pricing consistency across all channels.

6. Go live

Once fully synced and checked, you are ready to start accepting reservations across all OTAs. While the process is something between automatic and semiautomatic, you need to regularly monitor calendar sync, pricing adjustments, and potential errors. But the effort is incomparable to that when you need to do it all by hand!

Note – the process of connecting and using a channel manager for a hotel might be different from case to case as it pretty much depends on your scenario.

But subscribing to an OTA channel manager is not the only way to increase bookings yet avoid overbooking. Some software offers an easier, commission-free way to sync to external OTAs without a channel manager - using iCal. It has some limitations but they won't be too tangible. We are talking about it in the next part.

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How Does iCal Syncing Work?

iCal is a simple calendar file that updates bookings across platforms. You have the same file format with your Google or Apple Calendar (which also means you can sync bookings with these calendars).

For iCal synchronization to work, both the source (e.g., your website) and the destination (e.g., an OTA aka distribution channel) must support the iCal format. Once both sides are compatible, they can exchange booking data by importing and exporting iCal files and keep the availability updated across platforms.

Compared to dedicated channel managers, within PMS or standalone, you won’t be able to use iCal syncing without a website and that the syncing might not be instant (varies per OTA).

When to Use iCal Syncing for Your Rental

So, iCal sync seems to be a nice option to reduce costs and even completely eliminate the need for a channel manager yet have all your bookings in sync. Here are the main features:

• No extra costs – perfect for owners looking to start with budget-friendly options.
• Great for small website business owners who already use booking software that support iCal – like BNBForms.
• Full control over pricing.
• Works well for small to mid-sized rental businesses.
• Take a bit more time to configure.

OTA Channel Manager vs. iCal Syncing: Pros & Cons

There are pros and cons to each method, but you might want to see the key differences highlighted, so here we go:

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up iCal Syncing in BNBForms

How easy is it to set up iCal syncing on your own? Pretty easy, you need to copy-paste the iCal links. I’ll show you an example of how it works in BNBForms, which is one of the booking engines that supports iCal as a channel manager and allows you to take direct bookings on any site.

Here is the process:

1. Check your OTA requirements first

Ensure the external OTA supports iCal file format for properly syncing bookings and availability with your BNBForms.

2. Get iCal URLs for export

In your BNBForms account, find the import/export iCal URLs of your properties.

Go to BNBForms > Bookings > Sync Calendars.

3. Export calendar to external OTAs

• Copy the calendar URL in the ‘Export’ section for the chosen listing.
• Go to the needed OTA and paste it into the OTA’s calendar sync section.

Some OTAs may require at least one booking before accepting the iCal link.

4. Import external calendars to BNBForms

• Go to an OTA and copy an export link for the chosen listing.
• Go to BNBForms > Bookings > Sync Calendars.
• Hover over an accommodation and click Edit.

• Click Add New Calendar, insert the OTA’s iCal URL, and click Update.

5. Synchronize calendars

• Go to Accommodation > Settings.
• Enable Automatic External Calendars Synchronization.

• Set the sync frequency.

Let’s address your further possible concerns:

• Will your calendar update fast enough with iCal? Yes, you can set up automated refresh as frequently as every 15 minutes with BNBForms, minimizing any risks.
• How do I know if OTA supports iCal? Check this with an OTA docs or support team.
• What if an OTA stops supporting iCal? Many platforms rely on iCal, so this is unlikely in the near future.
• How do I prevent errors? Regularly verify links and avoid manual blocking of dates on OTAs.
• Will I have to pay commissions or extra fees for OTA syncing? With iCal, no.

Conclusions About Hotel Booking Channel Manager Software

Let’s make a few conclusions about using OTA channel managers for hotels and vacation rentals:

1. It’s almost impossible to find a standalone channel manager software – it usually comes as part of the hotel booking software or PMS (property management system) or hotel site builder or some other piece of software. So, you firstly need to realize a bigger picture of your current situation to find out the best option for your listings portfolio.
2. Dedicated channel managers for OTAs can be used by businesses that don’t want to have an independent site.
3. For property websites with integrated direct bookings, you can choose between integrating a PMS with a built-in hotel software channel manager or using iCal sync.
4. A PMS with a channel manager is a powerful and user-friendly way to automate platform management, but it typically comes with subscription and booking fees.
5. iCal syncing offers a simple, cost-effective way to manage bookings from multiple platforms – so it’s a nice channel manager alternative. If you’re looking for a reliable booking system without extra fees, BNBForms software provides seamless iCal integration with platforms like Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, TripAdvisor, etc.