An Airbnb channel manager is one of the most widely-used software tools that can help both hosts and property managers streamline operations and boost performance for their vacation rental properties. But what exactly is a channel manager and what does it do for vacation rental operators?
This article provides an overview of an Airbnb channel manager, what it does, why it's important, and how owners and property managers can use it to enhance results. We also showcase the top channel managers, highlighting the pros and cons of each one, so that you can choose the best option for your business.
With so many tools available for managing short-term rentals, however, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the complexity of keeping everything in sync. SummerOS offers a comprehensive solution that brings all your channel management, property data, and operational tools into one easy-to-use platform.
With SummerOS, you can manage listings, bookings, pricing, and guest communications seamlessly across multiple channels, while also accessing data on property performance, market trends, and revenue. By consolidating all these features into a single platform, SummerOS uplevels your property management, helping you save time, reduce errors, and boost profitability—all from one central hub.
What is an Airbnb channel manager?
A channel manager is a software-based tool which helps hosts and property managers streamline and optimize listings of the same property on multiple vacation rental platforms. This tool allows owners to manage data and information related to the listing title and description, amenities, availability, and pricing. In other words, with the help of a channel manager, hosts can sync their listings across different websites to save time, facilitate operations, and boost results.
In some cases, vacation rental channel managers connect directly with the booking channels, while in other cases they need to use a third-party integration. Channel managers typically work with the most popular short-term rental platforms, including Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. The best Airbnb channel managers also integrate with niche listing websites, such as Agoda, Hopper, and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
What does an Airbnb channel manager do?
As a must-have Airbnb management software, an Airbnb channel manager performs a number of crucially important functions that allow hosts and property managers to streamline operations and automate time-consuming processes.
In specific, a good Airbnb channel manager does the following:
- Distribute property listings across leading and niche channels as well as direct booking websites for more exposure to guests
- Sync property listings across all online travel agencies (OTAs) and listing sites
- Manage a uniform booking calendar with available, blocked, and booked nights
- Prevent double-bookings
- Quickly set up base price, minimum and maximum rates, discounts, minimum stays, and other pricing rules
- Manage reservations from a single platform
- Set up a dynamic Airbnb pricing strategy
- Automate guest communication, payment processing, and task management
- Provide reporting and performance analytics for smarter management decisions
All in all, a channel manager helps STR operators centralize listing management from a single hub. In this way, it allows them to grow faster and more efficiently.
Why is an Airbnb channel manager important?
While Airbnb is the largest short-term rental website with over eight million listings, posting your property on multiple platforms increases exposure and chances of getting booked. However, managing numerous listings on various websites and ensuring that all information is synced requires a lot of hard work and can lead to many problems, such as incomplete details, price discrepancies, and double-bookings, to name a few.
Using a good, reliable Airbnb channel manager helps address and solve these challenges for a smooth management experience.
A channel manager can:
- Increase exposure
- Increase your number of bookings, leading to a higher Airbnb occupancy rate
- Avoid double-bookings, preventing frustrated guests and negative reviews
- Increase revenue
- Bring down Airbnb property management time and effort
- Help you grow your property portfolio
In brief, a vacation rental channel manager allows Airbnb hosts and managers to improve performance, automate operations, and expand their business.
How to use an Airbnb channel manager
To get the best possible results from the introduction of a channel manager to your Airbnb business, you need to make sure that the tool is properly set up and connected and that you use it in the most optimal way. Let's take a look at what you can do to ensure that your tool is properly used.
How to connect Airbnb to a channel manager
Once you've chosen the best Airbnb channel manager for your situation and subscribed to it, it's time to set it up and connect it with your listings.
Generally speaking, integrating a channel manager is easy and requires going through the following steps:
- Connect Airbnb and other host accounts: First and foremost, go to the integration dashboard on your channel manager and connect the tool with your accounts on the booking channels where you list your property. This entails logging into your Airbnb and other accounts from the channel manager in order to provide it with access to your listings and give it permission to manage them. You need to repeat this step for each OTA.
- Import listings: The channel manager needs to import your listings from the websites you've integrated including all available details. This usually happens automatically.
- Verify listing details: Before moving forward, it's important to verify that all imported information is available and accurate. This includes the listing title and description, availability, existing bookings, and pricing.
- Define syncing rules: You need to set up the syncing rules that you want to apply, deciding which details can be unified across platforms and which need to be unique. A channel manager typically allows you to work on the listing title, description, photos, availability, and pricing.
- Set up availability and pricing: Ensure that the booking calendars are up-to-date and synchronized across different platforms. Define the rules of your pricing strategy and decide whether to implement automatic dynamic pricing.
- Select automations: Some channel managers enable automated guest messaging (when certain conditions are met), payment processing (acting as an Airbnb accounting software), and housekeeping task management (based on check-in and check-out dates). You can choose which automations to use and set up the relevant rules.
- Test the configuration: Before launching, it's crucial to run a test to make sure that all syncs and automations work correctly to avoid problems and mishaps once you go live.
- Train your team: Make sure everyone who will be working on the software knows how to use it, and is using best practices for doing so. Do this with team calls, Loom videos, and materials provided by the channel manager software.
- Go live: As soon as the configuration has been set up and checked, it's time to go live.
- Monitor performance and adjust: In the first few days, you should keep a close eye on the performance of your listings on all platforms, making sure rates are uniform and all automations work as expected when you get your first few reservations. If needed, make adjustments.
In the long term, don't forget to periodically check on the work of the Airbnb channel manager as occasional technical bugs and disconnections happen even with the best Airbnb management software tools.
How to optimize your Airbnb channel management
To boost results, it's important to use a few best practices for Airbnb channel management. These are a few proven tips to improve your vacation rental channel management process:
- Choose the best channel manager: Conduct diligent research and check customer reviews to select the best Airbnb channel manager for your needs. Focus on functions, reliability, and available OTA integrations. There isn't a single best tool; there is a single best tool for your business needs.
- List on the most relevant channels: Don't spread too thin by listing your rental on every possible platform. Choose the most relevant websites depending on your type of Airbnb property and target guest persona and optimize your listings there.
- Keep your booking calendar up-to-date: Always make sure that you block necessary nights as soon as possible and keep calendars synced across different listings. One of the most unprofessional things you can do as a host or property manager is to have to cancel reservations due to property unavailability or double-bookings.
- Apply dynamic pricing: Introduce a dynamic pricing strategy that is based on weekdays vs weekends, seasons, holidays, local seasonal supply and demand, and other factors. Incorporate promos and discounts for extended stays, entire weekends, repeat customers, and other situations to drive more bookings.
- Benefit from available automations: Turn on all possible automations. Automated guest messaging can help you get more bookings and keep guests satisfied. Automated team collaboration and task management can ensure that your property is always ready to welcome guests. Automated payment processing can guarantee on-time payments to keep your operations going.
- Differentiate between listings when necessary: While the core information about your property needs to be the same across platforms, it makes sense to adjust some details to the requirements of each platform to optimize ranking and reservations. Some websites focus more heavily on high-quality photos, while others prioritize competitive pricing. Take these differences into consideration when customizing listing information.
- Check up on your channel manager regularly: Remember that your selected Airbnb channel manager is just a software tool, so it might suffer from occasional technical malfunctions even if everything seems to be properly working when you first set it up. Go back to your listings at least once a week to make sure that they are still connected to the channel manager and all information is accurate and synced.
- Monitor performance and continuously optimize: Check your monthly performance reports and look for opportunities to boost performance in the coming months. If your occupancy rate is going down, you might need to lower daily rates a bit to increase overall revenue. If bookings are going up, maybe you can raise nightly prices and generate more income.
With these strategies, you should be able to observe notable improvements in the performance of your listings in specific and short-term rental business in general.
What's the best channel manager for Airbnb?
When choosing the right Airbnb channel management tool for your property, focus on the following factors:
- Booking channel integrations
- Available automations
- Scalability
- Subscription cost
- Customer support
- Customer reviews
- Overall value for money
Based on these, the best Airbnb channel managers available to both hosts and property managers include the following. But, again, there isn't a single best tool; there is a single best tool for your business needs.
1. Guesty Airbnb Channel Manager
Guesty is easily the best vacation rental channel manager for both Airbnb hosts and managers for offering the best value for money in the market. Guesty makes posting your property on multiple channels and streamlining property management operations easy and straightforward. Available Guesty integrations cover dozens of booking channels.
Our detailed Guesty review shows that the channel manager is just one of the many useful features as the platform also operates as a comprehensive property management system (PMS). This means that users can benefit from access to automation tools, direct reservations, multi-calendar, payment solutions, revenue management, and other helpful features.
In terms of pricing, Guesty applies a tier-based model where the cost depends on the access to tools and the number of listings, making this an affordable solution for small-scale and large-scale operators.
The main pros of Guesty as an Airbnb channel manager include:
- Access to multiple features
- Excellent integrations
- Good fit for individual hosts and large property managers
- Flexible pricing
- Strong average ratings on third-party review websites
Some cons of Guesty are:
- Unclear cost for multiple listings
- Syncing errors reported by customers
2. Hospitable Airbnb Channel Manager
Hospitable is another top choice for Airbnb channel management. The tool integrates with the must-have listing websites, including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google Vacation Rentals, but it doesn't work with smaller channels.
In addition to channel management, Hospitable is capable of helping with other aspects of managing short-term rental properties, such as guest communication, task management, team collaboration, Airbnb smart lock management, and review management. The multiple functions and the smooth processes make this software a plausible option for Airbnb hosts and managers like.
Our Hospitable review shows that there are three subscription plans, with pricing between $29/month (for one property) and $99/month (for three properties), with additional costs for extra listings.
The most important pros of Hospitable as an Airbnb channel manager include:
- Comprehensive PMS platform incorporating a channel manager
- Integrations with the most popular STR websites
- Adjustable pricing
- Generally positive reviews by customers
Major cons of Hospitable include:
- Limited booking channel integrations
- Need to add direct bookings manually to the calendar
- Steep pricing for large portfolios
3. Hostaway Airbnb Channel Manager
Hostaway is another best software for Airbnb property managers and hosts looking for channel management, among other functionalities. One of the main benefits of choosing Hostaway over other channel managers is the long list of integrations with booking channels, comprising both the most popular and some less popular names in the industry.
Beyond channel management, Hostaway helps with property management, reservations management, lead management, calendar sync, communication automation, guest review automation, and others. The list of available features is rather comprehensive.
Our Hostaway review shows that the company website does not provide any pricing information as the cost is customized to the needs of each user. This makes it impossible to compare Hostaway's Airbnb channel manager affordability to other top tools in the space.
The most important pros of Hostaway as an Airbnb channel manager are:
- Superior booking channel integrations
- Access to many Airbnb property management software tools
- Easy scalability
- Good average ratings on online review websites
Some considerable cons of Hostaway include:
- Complicated onboarding
- Non-intuitive dashboard
- Lack of pricing information
4. Lodgify Airbnb Channel Manager
Yet another one of the best vacation rental channel managers available to hosts and property managers is Lodgify. The tool integrates with the top listing channels, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, via API, while it connects with additional websites, like Tripadvisor and Trivago, via an iCal integration.
Lodgify features multiple tools besides the channel manager including but not limited to a PMS, website builder, booking system, and dynamic pricing. All these features work seamlessly together to help operators automate the management of their STRs and grow their listing portfolios. While the platform can be of help to small-scale hosts, it really makes things much easier for large-scale Airbnb managers.
With regards to the cost, Lodgify offers monthly, annual, and biannual subscription options at three different levels. The annual pricing ranges from $19/month plus 1.9% booking fee to $59/month.
The most significant pros of Lodgify as an Airbnb channel manager include:
- Numerous Airbnb management tools
- Strong scalability
- Assisted onboarding
- Affordable pricing
The main cons of Lodgify are:
- Poor customer service reported by users
- Technical problems with syncing reported by customers
5. Smoobu Airbnb Channel Manager
Smoobu is one more option for Airbnb channel management with strong capacities that meet the needs of both individual hosts and professional property managers. Via individual iCals, the vacation rental channel manager can work with a wide range of booking channels, including both large names and more niche options.
With Smoobu, you can take care of many different tasks, such as your own vacation rental website, reservation management, rates sync, guest guides, guest reviews, and others. In this way, you can streamline operations and avoid double-bookings.
While Smoobu has a free plan, it doesn't include the channel manager, so STR operators need to choose one of the two paid plans that come with monthly, annual, and biannual options. For annual subscription, the cost is $28/month for more basic features and $193/month for more advanced tools.
Some major pros of Smoobu as an Airbnb channel are:
- Strong capabilities for Airbnb hosts and managers
- Integration with dozens of listing websites
- Affordable pricing
- Available customer support as reported by users
The main cons of Smoobu comprise:
- No direct integrations (implemented via iCal integrations)
- No onboarding support
- Problems with blocked nights reported by customers
6. OwnerRez Airbnb Channel Manager
While OwnerRez is a less popular name than the above-listed options in the channel management software industry, OwnerRez comes with all the capabilities expected by hosts and property managers. Unlike some alternatives, OwnerRez offers direct integrations with leading booking channels as well as smaller platforms, such as Houfy, Golightly, and Nofie.
Besides channel management, OwnerRez also offers a website builder, property management system, accounting, payment processing, renter agreements, and others.
The cost of OwnerRez depends on the number of listings in your portfolio, and subscriptions are monthly. The price for one property is $40/month, while it's $127/month for ten properties. Note that many features are available as add-ons and are paid for separately.
Some pros of OwnerRez as an Airbnb channel manager to take into account include:
- All-in-one PMS platform
- Direct integrations with multiple STR websites
- Customization options
- Flexible pricing
Major cons of OwnerRez worth considering are:
- Technical issues reported by customers
- Inflated cost with multiple add-ons
Is an Airbnb channel manager worth it?
With the many benefits that it offers, getting an Airbnb channel manager is worth it to sync listings, unify calendars, deploy dynamic pricing, and automate processes. All this will lead to more bookings and higher revenue in exchange for less active work. While you should choose the best channel manager based on your specific requirements, some top options available to hosts and property managers include Guesty, Hospitable, and Hostaway.
For those looking to take their property management to the next level, SummerOS offers an all-in-one platform that centralizes channel management with your property data, revenue management, and operations in one place. Whether you're a host or property manager, SummerOS streamlines every aspect of your business, helping you maximize bookings and profits with minimal effort.
