Channel manager

Our channel manager comes as part of our Premium service and automatically updates all the key accommodation websites such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Trip Advisor, Airbnb and many others.

As with all of our services, our channel manager system is suitable for all commercial accommodation properties ranging from large hotels, motels, holiday parks and backpackers to smaller B&Bs, vacation rentals, homestays and self-catering properties.

As our system is cloud-based you can use it from any device and from virtually anywhere. All our services are really easy to use and are designed to be flexible to suit your business needs and most importantly, help you maximise your profit.

Channel Manager - Sell your rooms via all of the key online booking websites & systems

Our channel manager is integrated within our property management system and automatically updates all the key accommodation booking websites. We are constantly adding new websites/booking systems to the list of supported channels, and have a policy of adding any channel that generates reasonable numbers of bookings for our customers.

Unlike some of our competitors we do not charge any additional booking fee or commission on top of those charged by the channel. You get full control over which channels you wish to use and can even setup different rates for each channel if you require.

Stay firmly in control

With freeonlinebooking you have full control of which rooms and rates are sold online. You can easily set different rates for different channels, you don't have to offer rate parity.

Our innovative commission management feature in particular makes it super simple for you to control when and where your rooms are sold online direct from your booking sheet and is a must-see feature. A few clicks can save your business considerable sums of money on commission.

Sales Channels

Plus many more online booking websites and reservation systems..


New channels recently added


Reconline

Using Reconline you can sell your rooms to travel agents, wholesalers, corporates and other OTAs via the GDS (Global Distribution Systems). This includes systems such as Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, Worldspan and other booking engines that use GDS systems for bookings.

AirBnB

Our integration with AirBnB is now a full 2-way link. Availability, rates, minimum stay, rate plans etc are automatically sysnchronised. New and modified reservations are now automatically updated into the system.

Simpleview

We now fully link with Simpleview which run the regional destination booking systems for many UK tourism authorities.
This includes VisitIsleOfMan.com, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Christchurch, Cotswolds DMO, Cumbria, East Yorkshire, Eastbourne, English Riviera, Essex, Exeter, Forest of Dean & Wye Valley, Great Yarmouth, Isles of Scilly, Maidstone, Marketing Manchester, Poole, Scarborough, Sidmouth, This Is Durham, Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Devon, Visit Dorset, York.

Pitchup

Pitchup.com is one of the leading UK online booking sites for campsites.

Google

We now are fully integrated with Google FREE Hotel Links. Customers searching on Google will now be able to see your availability/rates and click through to your own website to complete the booking - note that this is commission-free.

Mitchell Corp

Mitchell Corp provides a CRS platform for Golden Chain, Mainstay Hotels, Oceana Resorts and apartments and the Go Kiwi and Ezibed booking websites.


More details & pricing

Please book a demo for more details about this service. In just 20-30 minutes we can give you a full tour of our services and answer any questions you may have.
Pricing is dependent on the location, type and size of your property. At the end of the demo we can give you a customised quote for your property.

Please note that as our channel manager is tightly integrated with our property management system it can only be used as part of our Premium service; it cannot be purchased separately.


How does a channel manager work?

A channel manager keeps the Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and other booking systems that you choose to sell your rooms through fully synchronised, so that they always have up to date information. Whenever you make any changes in your property management system (PMS) then your channel manager will automatically make the required updates.

Whenever a reservation is made or changed/cancelled on any of your channels then it is automatically updated into your system, with guests allocated directly to the room(s) that they have selected. Your channel manager then updates all of your channels to reflect changes to your room availability.

Channel managers make updates to your channels as soon as possible otherwise information about your availability may be out of date. This may in turn result in overbooking (often called double booking).


Benefits of using a channel manager

Using a channel manager is essential for most accommodation businesses, unless of course they enjoy very high rates of direct bookings. Manually updating online travel agents / booking systems can be very time consuming especially if your property is anything more than a couple of rooms and/or you make frequent updates to your room rates, minimum stays and other booking restrictions. If a booking comes through in the middle of the night, you won't be able to make manual updates until the morning (unless you have staff working 24 hours a day!). This greatly increases the risk of overbooking. The other problem with manual updating is that you can easily make mistakes; this can prove costly for your business.

Using a channel manager will market your business to a much wider audience and result in a lot of additional bookings that you might not otherwise get.

The large online travel agent websites (such as Booking.com and Expedia) spend vast amounts on advertising and marketing so they are difficult for many of your customers to avoid. In addition they regularly offer promotions, loyalty programs and many other incentives to generate bookings.


What are the downsides of using online travel agents?

The number one downside of course is that online travel agents are expensive. Most want between 15 and 25% commission, which can take a huge chunk out of your profits.

The other problem is that they control the relationship with the customer. With some channels they will not give you the direct contact details of the guest; all communication is forced through them. Without direct contact with your customers it makes it difficult for you to do your own email marketing and limits opportunities to upsell.

Most online travel agents want you to give them the same rates that you charge your customers for direct bookings. This is known as rate parity and is particular bug-bear for many in the accommodation industry. They will also take every opportunity to get you to offer promotional, discounted rates exclusively to them. This can greatly undermine your direct bookings.


Who are freeonlinebooking?

We are freeonlinebooking - the reservation system experts.

Our multi award winning cloud-based reservation system is designed to be really easy to use and is packed with all of the features you need to run a successful accommodation business. The system is suitable for all property types, including B&Bs, motels, hotels, backpackers and holiday parks.

Choose from our totally FREE online booking system or upgrade to our Premium all-in-one property management system with channel manager and online booking system.

Join thousands of properties across the World that have already joined our online booking revolution!

Welcome to free online booking

Book direct experts

We are book direct champions

Here at freeonlinebooking, we have always been champions of zero commission and direct bookings and we fully embrace the #BookDirect movement.

The benefits of direct bookings for your accommodation business are significant. Not only are you avoiding the high commissions charged by the Online Travel Agents (OTAs), you also have much more control of your business and will enjoy a much more direct relationship with your customers.

Our mission is to help your accommodation business maximise profits by adopting a book direct strategy.


Why switch to freeonlinebooking?


  • All our services are really easy to use
  • This means that it is easy for you to learn and easy to train your staff.
  • Our innovative rate and commission management features
  • We make it very easy to manage your rates and commission to maximise your profitability. In most cases our system pays for itself in just a matter of weeks.
  • Our fabulous round the clock support
  • As we are global, we can offer round the clock support from our friendly team, with 24/7 support for all urgent issues.
  • No commission or additional fees on bookings
  • We do not charge any additional fees or commission on bookings made through websites such as Booking.com.
  • Wide range of flexible functionality
  • Our services are a step up from the basic booking diaries that limit what you can do and constrain your business. Our system includes many features available on bigger more expensive systems.
  • We can help you get setup quickly and without fuss
  • Our team can quickly and efficiently help you move from your current reservation system vendor. We can even automatically import data from your old system if required.
  • We help you maximise bookings through your website
  • As we do not earn any additional fees or commission on bookings through websites such as booking.com, we will encourage you to maximise bookings through your own website rather than the big expensive websites.
  • All our services are very affordable
  • We offer excellent value for money. You may find cheaper, however you will probably find that you may not be able to get the system functionality and support you need.
  • We have been servicing the accommodation and tourism sectors since 2001
  • In short, we have lots of experience in this industry and we know our onions. That's why we are the reservation system experts.
  • No risk
  • We offer a FREE 30 day trial and FREE setup & training if you decide to use our services.

What our customers say about us


direct booking experts
Simple, stress free and very cost effective. I'm also dealing with one supplier, not three. Paid for itself in the first week with bookings from sources we had little previous success from.
Wine Country Lodge, Havelock North
After looking around for several months we decided to go with freeonlinebooking and we have to say we are so glad we did. This is our first experience of using a channel manager and it has not disappointed, it is user friendly, clear and reliable. We had support right from the beginning and still do. freeonlinebooking has a small team that enables them to address any concerns, queries or problems we may have immediately, 24/7. A team that actually talks to each other, this is a testimonial in itself. The cost of this channel manager compared to others gives value for money and we believe we are safe within the knowledge, that if we would like any adaptations or changes within the site, our opinions are valued and examined. Having said that, freeonlinebooking is consistently making additions and amendments to enhance their service to us as users. We would therefore recommend.
Mark and Lyn Rogers, Bryn Derwen Guest House

We have been very impressed with the service we have received from freeonlinebooking. We were a new business setting up our systems when we first met them at a trade show and they have been very supportive in setting up their online booking system for our website, showing us how to make the most of all the features and how we can use the features to grow our business. Over the last year we have contacted them numerous times and they are always happy to support us with our queries and we would definitely recommend them.
Kat and Spencer, Twentieth Century B&B
18 Years of experience on different booking systems, love freeonlinebooking.
Martie van Schalkwyk Tarawera River Lodge
Brilliant no nonsense system that functions well in our small B&B. Simple to use, great value and excellent prompt back up help.
The Pillars Retreat, Taupo
direct booking experts

bed and breakfast
Agar House in Llandudno has been working withfreeonlinebooking for 8 months now. We changed from another channel manager and so pleased we did. We would highly recommend freeonlinebooking, from training sessions to the 24/7 support you have is second to none. You are kept updated with any changes and they produce a monthly newsletter which always keeps you in touch with any new developments in our industry or site development which might be happening in the future. Well done freeonlinebooking so pleased we changed over to you and would highly recommend them.
Betty and Ian Davidson, Agar House
I cannot rate freeonlinebooking more. We only took over our Guest House in July 2019. freeonlinebooking have been great and have been a tremendous help to us from the start. Being new to the industry we are so very thankful for the support that we have received.
Teresa and Mark, The Cranmore Hotel

I bought a Bed & Breakfast business in Cornwall in 2018 and chose freeonlinebooking as my management system. I have never run my own business before and the level of personalised support and coaching I get from Liz andfreeonlinebooking is nothing short of outstanding, they are always available on the phone to talk me through any new processes or updates that I need to do, emails are always answered immediately to answer any questions I have and helpful suggestions are often offered to help me stay competitive. The system is easy to use and has many facilities within it to meet all your business requirements, I would recommend it to anyone and would not look at a different management system for my business.
Nicky Pender, Three Tees B&B
We have been with freeonlinebooking four years now, from day one we have used their entire package PMS + Channel Managment + Online Booking Service . My lack of computer expertise was never an issue and your patient staff talked me through things in a logical manner. Always a friendly voice at the end of the phone when I was unsure and helped me every step of the way during the set up period. The system operates to my every expectation. Would recommend them 100%.
Linda & Rob, Sherwood Hotel
holiday park

Free online booking