Kigo Channel Manager Keeps Your Listings Fresh All the Time

By: Tim Blackwell

Channel manager software is quickly evolving from a convenience to a necessity. That’s because spending countless hours updating property listings on multiple channels robs you of time better used on marketing, customer service and other core activities. So does making efforts to appeal to markets that don’t really fit your property type or demographic.

As the vacation rental industry rebounds from the pandemic, property managers who create channel-specific marketing and pricing strategies have a better chance to reach the right audience. Kigo Channel Manager is powerful yet easy-to-use tool that vacation and short-term rental properties can rely on to help them ramp up to increasing booking demand.

The platform automatically distributes constantly changing pricing and availability, photos and descriptions to OTAs. Operators don’t have to manually update property listings across multiple channels. Instead, they can focus on marketing properties in ways that achieve the right bookings at the right prices.

The most updated information at guests’ fingertips

Before the pandemic, Kigo upgraded its connection to channel partners HomeAway/VRBO, Booking.com and Airbnb so that property content and photos are updated more frequently and efficiently.

With real-time synching of property details, potential and returning clients can always see the most up-to-date availability, rates and information. Guests have all the information they need to make their booking.

Additionally, fresh information means that properties are more likely to be ranked higher and seen on OTA platforms, potentially opening the door for more bookings.

Greater management of length of stay

Kigo Channel Manager makes it easier for property managers to manage the length of renter stays.

The global average length of stay was volatile in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic, as compared to 2019. Average stays reached more than eight days in the spring as travelers sought longer getaways, and they didn’t level out at around five days (closer to the 2019 norm) until the summer.

For about three months, while the length-of-stay window adjusted, properties were faced with more gaps in bookings, creating pricing challenges.

Kigo Channel Manager allows length-of-stay pricing to be set per OTA channel, which helps reduce gaps and establish more competitive pricing. Because Airbnb, HomeAway/Vrbo and Booking.com cater to different audiences, length-of-stay functionality allows properties to balance the appropriate rate with the duration of the booking and remain competitive.

Properties can specify shorter minimum stays with the option to increase the daily rate, boosting revenue that might otherwise be missed under traditional length-of-stay practices. The flexibility to precisely manage the rate based on the number of days allows properties to boost occupancy at any time of the year.

Taking the guesswork out of bookings and availability

Kigo Channel Manager further takes the guesswork out of bookings and length of stay with specific and flexible settings to manage gaps. Options enable properties to be more visible for guests who seek shorter stays and reduce vacant days.

The rate can be adjusted as shorter stays are generated, enabling a minimum stay strategy for any time of the year. And when gaps arise, Channel Manager allows for more flexible rules that help increase occupancy without affecting daily base rates.

Also, rules can be established depending on blocks of dates, and minimum stays adjusted for specific seasons. And dates can be blocked per channel to get the best rate possible for those days. For example, a set of dates that typically generates more revenue on one channel can be blocked so that the booking is made on the preferred OTA. Prices and fees can be adjusted to reflect appropriate commissions and necessary charges for taxes and guest fees.

A channel manager whose time has come

Kigo Channel Manager offers the flexibility that vacation and short-term rental property managers need as the summer travel season approaches.

Backed by a wealth of booking tools – as well as the back-end accounting and reporting functionality – Kigo Channel Manager allows properties to better manage their visibility on OTAs and position themselves to capitalize as the vacation rental industry ramps back up. It helps short-term rental managers increase brand exposure, maximize bookings and grow revenue in ways that other software solutions don’t.

Avoid wasting time updating information on various OTA platforms and discover what’s new from Kigo. Learn more about Channel Manager, which allows property managers to update their property details across all channels from one centralized dashboard.