Thinking of publishing your listings on Airbnb but worried about all the extra work you’ll have to do to keep up with bookings and inquiries on multiple channels? Channel management and property management systems offer an efficient means of managing multiple booking platforms so you can expand your reach and earn more revenue without adding stress to your workload. 

What are the best channel managers for Airbnb?

The best channel manager you can use for Airbnb is one that is directly integrated with Airbnb, which allows for seamless communication between the channel and your property management software. 

You’ll also want to try to find a channel manager that is directly integrated with as many of the other channels you use as possible, or which you can connect to those channels through a third party tool. The more direct integrations your channel manager has with your channels, the smoother it will function in terms of the initial connection process as well as pushing and accessing information to and from the various channels. 

What exactly does a channel manager do?

Channel managers vary in their level of functionality and efficiency. The best vacation rental channel managers will almost entirely eliminate the need for you to log in to your individual channels, centralizing all channel activity to a single, user-friendly dashboard. 

Here, you’ll be able to make changes to your listing prices and profiles, add new listings and remove inactive ones, and all of your adjustments will be reflected on all the channels of your choice.

You’ll also be able to view all of your previous, current and upcoming bookings in one place, making it easy to search for availability for inquiring travelers interested in staying in one of your properties.

The benefits of using a channel manager

Enabling instant and automatic communication between channels will significantly reduce – if not entirely remove – the threat of double bookings (more than one guest party booking the same place for the same dates, usually on two separate channels), which can do a lot of damage to a property management company.

The ability to view all of your reservations and adjust prices in one place will help you flag notable vacancies and do your best to fill them rather than losing out on valuable revenue.

Best of all, the simplified process of listing on multiple channels will free you to expand your promotion efforts, reach more travelers and earn more profit.