Help Centre

Channel Manager Introduction

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SuperControl’s ever-evolving channel manager offers you the opportunity to stay in control, boost your visibility and benefit from the thousands of guests browsing the search engines of travel every day. We’re continually working on providing the most suitable, simple and trusted channel integrations on behalf of our community. With over 50 booking channels at your fingertips, there’s an opportunity for every type of self-catering business. Our channel manager hub provides you with a menu of possibilities – from the benefits of booking channels to a glossary of commonly used terms, we’ve got plenty of helpful material to share with you.  

Right time 

Our channel partners are seamlessly integrated with SuperControl to ensure your guests are accessing real-time availability. Automatically synchronise your calendar to save time and help avoid the horror of double booking. Fully integrated channels will send booking information right back to us so that your SuperControl availability calendar is immediately updated.   

Right price  

Do you spend a significant amount of time, money and effort marketing your property? Receive more bookings by syncing to channels that have already heavily invested in bolstering your visibility on your behalf. If desired, you can uplift your prices to the channel to offset part or all of the cost of commission. What’s more, you can utilise channels to quickly experiment with your properties pricing strategy, all through your SuperControl account!  

Right place  

Meet market demand and show up where your guests are looking. Our evolving roster of available channels means that you can strategically list your properties to the channels that match your guest profile. Our dedicated team and online learning programme SuperScholar will provide you with the tools you need to make the most from connecting with our range of channel partners.  

Click Here to see a complete list of our channel partners, their individual benefits and integration instructions.  

The Nuts and Bolts 

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty details! There are a lot of terminologies and additional information to consider for each booking channel in our channel manager. Each channel is different, and with that, the integrations vary. We are constantly evolving the integrations we have with channels. The information below will help you understand the connections we have with each of our channels, service fees and uplift calculations. 

Types of channel integrations 

'One way' and 'two way' integrations 

Most channels will not only pull availability and data from SuperControl but will also send back availability and bookings. These are called 'two-way' integrations. Others however may draw data one way, but not send back booking data in return. These are called 'one-way' integrations. A 'one way' integration can be made two-way using an iCal link, by following the instructions in the links below.  

'Availability Only' and iCal Integrations 

This is where SuperControl sends over availability and pricing, but the channel doesn't send any information back. Typically, these integrations are with niche or specialist channels. To make double bookings a lot less likely you can create an iCal link from the calendar of a one-way integration back into SuperControl. 

iCal links are calendar integrations which sync dates only. iCals are a useful back-up to one-way integrations where it will block out the dates in your calendar, meaning no one can book these dates via another channel. They can also be used by some owners to connect with certain channels where a full integration requires a larger number of properties (i.e., Expedia or HomeAway). 

'Rates & Availability' integrations 

Rates and availability integrations are those where SuperControl sends over availability and pricing and the channel may or may not send back bookings. Some channels accept more information, for instance discounts. Some channels only support a rates and availability feed from SuperControl. For many of the larger channels, a rates and availability only connection is used to link existing channel listings to SuperControl.  

'Full' integrations 

All of the highest performing channels (e.g., Booking.com and Airbnb) have the option to use 'full’ integrations. These are where listing content, such as photos, amenities and descriptions can be pulled directly from SuperControl. This streamlines the process of setting-up channel listings for newly added properties, since the information needs only to be added once, in SuperControl, then can be pushed to each channel. 

Channel service fee 

Channel bookings handled through SuperControl have grown by an average of 44% year-on-year.  A quarter of all guest bookings managed in SuperControl now come through booking channels, a trend which seems to be on the increase. 

Around 30% of our developer capacity is spent on developing the functionality of OTA integrations and 50% of our infrastructure is dedicated to supporting these.  We at SuperControl are committed to your financial stability, which requires us to invest further in developing and supporting our channel integrations.  This channel service fee is to ensure that this service to you remains sustainable.    

How do I calculate the uplift for booking channels? 

You may wish to uplift your prices to cover channel commission. Using SuperControl’s functionality, you have the opportunity to test and trial how much of an uplift is suitable for your properties. You might want to try increasing the additional cost in increments to see what works best for your business. Uplifting prices on channels are helpful to cover costs. But bear in mind that excessive uplifting may result in uncompetitive prices and very few bookings. Before uplifting to cover the entire channel commission, you should also consider the acceptable cost of a booking.   

Please note that not every channel allows an uplift. If you’re utilising Dynamic Pricing, it’s essential to consider the impact of uplifting your pricing as it could impact the suitability of the pricing provided by Beyond. 

Download the following Excel template to help you calculate the appropriate uplift. 

 SuperControl_required_uplift_calculator.xlsx 


FAQ

Will the price of booking channel commission affect my revenue?

Connecting with booking channels not only allows you to expand your marketplace into leading channels but enables the flexibility to manage and manipulate your rates to offset the cost of commission. For example, the cost of connecting to Airbnb is a flat 15% commission model which enables you to know exactly how much money you’re making. Since Airbnb introduced the standardised model in 2021, there has been a 21% uplift in bookings. 

Can I communicate directly with guests when using booking channels?

With SuperControl’s Channel Manager, you have complete control over bookings. Like direct sales, channels offer guest transparency in the way that you communicate. As such, the channels we connect with allow you to communicate with guests, view their profile, and reject any unwanted business.  

Will I be protected against cancellations?

SuperControl’s extensive network of integrated channels have customisable cancellation policies. For example, Airbnb operates flexible host house rules that allow you to adapt terms and conditions to suit your business. 

Does uplifting my cost affect my bookability?

Uplifting is a great way to experiment with prices. If your direct pricing is too high, you will get instant feedback through integrated channels as opposed to increasing your prices on your own website. 

Are guests that book through booking channels disrespectful?

Many channels we integrate with have a zero-tolerance to parties. In fact, any guests breaking the policy through an Airbnb booking will be penalised and removed from the platform. 

Does utilising booking channels mean that I’ll lose control?

SuperControl’s Channel Manager ensures you stay in control while saving time and effort by adopting a synchronised calendar. In addition to convenience, it enables you to increase visibility by advertising your listings on leading booking channels.    

Next Article Channel Comparison Table