Channel manager or PMS? What a hotel really needs
Two terms that are often confused. A channel manager keeps availability and prices identical on Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and the other channels. The property management system (PMS) is what the front desk works with every day: bookings, rooms, check-in, payments and guests.
What a channel manager does
It connects to the online booking platforms. When a room is sold on one channel, it closes availability on all the others so there is no double booking, and it brings the booking to the hotel. Prices and restrictions (minimum stay, closed to arrival) are changed from one place.
- The same availability and prices on every channel
- OTA bookings arrive automatically
- It does not run the front desk: no check-in, cash book or guest communication
See it in action: The StaySync walkthroughA 3-minute video: front desk, room plan, a new booking, guest email and portal, check-in with a signature on the tablet — real screens.▶ Watch the video · 3:06
What a PMS does
It is the hotel's everyday tool: the room plan, new bookings from phone and email, arrivals and departures, payments, housekeeping, the guest profile and reports. Every booking ends up there, whichever channel it came from.
- Room plan and room assignment
- Check-in, check-out, settlement and the cash book
- Emails and a portal for the guest
- Housekeeping, occupancy and revenue reports
Do you need both?
If you sell on the OTAs, yes: without a channel manager availability is updated by hand on every platform and the risk of a double booking never goes away. If you sell mostly direct, through tour operators or by phone, a PMS with its own booking page can be enough to start with.
Where StaySync fits
StaySync is the everyday tool of the front desk and the cash book. It works together with CloudHotel (a PMS with a channel manager): channel bookings arrive automatically, and whatever you do in StaySync — a new booking, a change, a cancellation, a room, a deposit — is sent back so availability closes on the channels. It can also run on its own, with automatic room assignment and its own booking page.
- Tour operator bookings from email and rooming-list PDFs, with no typing
- A booking engine for commission-free direct bookings
- One place for the resilience fee, payments and every guest's balance
Frequently asked questions
Is StaySync a channel manager?
No. StaySync runs the front desk, the guest and the cash book, and works with CloudHotel for the channels. If you sell on the OTAs, you need a channel manager next to it.
Which should I choose first?
If most bookings come from the OTAs, start with the channel manager. If they come direct or through tour operators, the PMS saves the most time.
See also
Shall we look at it for your hotel?
Write to us and we will arrange a short walkthrough with your own rooms and channels.