Running a B&B, guest house, or lodge is all about delighting guests. But behind the scenes, keeping your availability in sync across Booking.com, Airbnb, your website and more can feel like a full‑time job.
That is where channel management for accommodation comes in. It updates your rates, calendars, and content everywhere, saving time, cutting errors, and boosting visibility.
What channel management for accommodation means.
At its simplest, channel management means controlling and connecting all the places where your rooms are listed:
- Your direct booking engine (your website).
- Global sites like Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb.
- Regional platforms like SafariNow or LekkeSlaap.
Without a channel manager, any new booking or cancellation requires you to manually update every calendar. That’s where mistakes and double bookings creep in.
With a channel manager, you get:
- Instant syncing: availability and rates update everywhere.
- Peace of mind: no more juggling multiple extranets.
- Smarter content management: some tools even let you update photos and room descriptions centrally.
- Booking alerts: every change pings your dashboard or inbox straight away.
Think of it as your digital receptionist that never sleeps.
Why OTAs belong in a channel management strategy.
Online travel agents charge commission, but they also give reach, trust and visibility you cannot get on your own.
- Global exposure: Booking.com alone lists over 28 million properties worldwide. Expedia and Airbnb dominate alongside it. In South Africa, Booking.com is consistently the leader, connecting travellers locally and internationally.
- Billboard effect: Guests browsing channels often discover your property there, then book direct once they know your name. In practice, OTAs double as advertising.
- Guest trust: Especially with international travellers, big-name OTAs make people feel safe booking in a new country.
The key is balance: use OTAs for reach, but keep your booking engine strong for commission-free bookings.
What you’ll pay in commission.
Most global OTAs charge between 12–18% per booking, while Airbnb’s fees range from 3–16% depending on your plan. Some smaller or niche platforms work differently and use flat fees instead.
💡 Always factor these costs into your pricing rather than letting them eat into profit.
📖 Related read: Payments from OTAs: Managing guest expectations
Build your channel management strategy.
1. Prioritise direct bookings.
Direct bookings = no commission. To grow them:
- Put a bold Book Now button on every page of your site.
- Make sure your booking engine works smoothly on mobile.
- Offer small perks for booking direct (a coffee, late check‑out, better cancellation rules).
- Share your booking link via social media, email signatures, and brochures.
📖 Also read: Spring Guide to Direct Bookings: 10 quick wins for more stays
2. Add at least one global online travel agent (OTA).
Platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb give you international and domestic reach. Stats SA and SA Tourism report steady growth in both inbound and local travel, so visibility matters.
3. Then connect to regional or niche channels.
Domestic travel remains strong. According to South African Tourism’s Domestic Tourism Survey Q1 2025, South Africans took an estimated 8.3 million overnight trips in Q1 2025 — just 2.4% fewer than Q1 2024. Analysts expect 2025 could still beat the 52.5 million overnight trips recorded in 2024 once holiday timing evens out.
Local platforms like LekkeSlaap help you reach targeted markets, from Afrikaans‑speaking families to pet‑friendly travellers.
4. Bonus tools to look for in a channel manager.
The best systems go beyond syncing:
- Automated updates to photos and descriptions.
- Alerts for every cancellation or change.
- Reports showing which channels bring you the most value.
- Integrations with your website and social platforms.
These extras cut admin and strengthen your property’s marketing.
Find out more about the partners NightsBridge integrates to, and why it matters.
Key points to remember.
- Rate parity: OTAs prefer your rates match theirs. To stand out, add value instead of undercutting, such as free breakfast for direct bookings.
- Ranking factors on OTAs: Stay visible by keeping calendars fresh, answering guest reviews, and uploading high-quality photos.
- Cancellations: On OTAs, these can run high. Offer a mix of flexible and non-refundable policies. A channel manager helps resell cancelled nights quickly.
- Reviews: More than photos, reviews influence travellers’ decisions. Ask guests to leave feedback and reply—positive or negative—to show you care.
📖 Extra insight:
Make your guest reviews work harder for you
- Consistent content: Your property should look the same everywhere. Mismatched photos or amenities confuse guests and cause hesitation.
📖 Read more: Improve your content to improve booking numbers
- Reports and insights: Good tools give you booking data, seasonal patterns, and channel performance to guide smarter pricing and marketing.
Industry trend: direct bookings and channel management for accommodation.
Travellers are waking up to OTA service fees and starting to look for better deals by booking direct. Deloitte and other reports confirm direct reservations are climbing globally.
But OTAs remain unmatched for reach. Smart operators use both: OTAs for discovery, direct bookings for loyalty. Channel management ties the two together so you capture every opportunity.
📖 Also see: Expert tips: Marketing ideas to fill your rooms
Key benefits of channel management for small accommodation providers.
Running a guesthouse, B&B, or lodge often means wearing many hats. A channel manager is one tool that instantly lightens the load. It automates the admin, reduces costly mistakes, and helps you reach the right guests on the right channels, all without hours of manual updates.
- Save time: Work from one dashboard instead of logging into multiple extranets every day.
- Protect your reputation: Keep calendars in sync to avoid double bookings and errors.
- Grow your reach: Properties connected to at least one major OTA consistently attract more bookings than those relying on direct reservations alone. OTAs act as “shop windows,” putting your property in front of millions of global travellers.
- Stay in control: You decide where to list, which channels fit your market, and when to switch them on or off as needed.
Final thought.
The formula is simple: more visibility means more bookings. OTAs bring you reach, your website builds profit, and channel management makes it all manageable. Automate the admin, protect your reputation, and spend more time on what matters—your guests.
👉 Want practical advice on choosing the right channels? We’re here to guide you