Travel wholesaler JacTravel has launched a new channel management service for its hotel partners to address what it says it has identified as an important growing market.
JacTravel embraces hotel channel management
Travel wholesaler JacTravel has launched a new channel management service for its hotel partners to address what it says it has identified as an important growing market.
Commercial manager James Blackmore has been appointed to head up the service and partners already signed up include RateTiger, TravelClick, Figaro, and A&O Hotels and Hostels.
JacTravel said it is committed to getting as many channel manager as possible connected via XML interfaces as hotels seek to drive greater distribution efficiency.
Channel management allows hoteliers to manage multiple routes to market through one dashboard opening up live availability, pricing and yield management opportunities.
Blackmore said: “We see channel management as a helpful development because the technology makes life easier for our hotel partners.
“It is also good for us as we will likely see more availability, more frequent and strategic promotions and hence do more business than we might otherwise.”
Channel management has taken off in recent years with some firms reporting double digit growth in sales and triple digit growth in usage, according to JacTravel.
A&O has reported business was up 28% between September 2010 and September 2011 after JacTravel gained access to its inventory via its own channel management system.
Sascha Hausmann, chief executive of eRevMax, which owns RateTiger, said: “Channel management is becoming an essential technology to more efficiently and accurately manage the multiple sales channel landscape of the internet.
“Over the past two years we have seen an increase of over 150% of channel updates processed per month.”
Angela Skelly, JacTravel’s director of online, said: “The technology plays a very useful facilitating role but the commercial relationship still rests with the hotel partner and JacTravel.
“It is JacTravel’s staff who inspect properties, negotiate contracts, look after clients and ultimately make us valuable to travel trade customers.”
