Switching software for a hotel chain: reconnect OTA channels?

Part 1: Switching hotel software for a chain — do the OTA channels need reconnecting?

For a chain there is no single answer for every property. Look at each property against three cases:

• The property uses a channel manager connected with DiHotel. No reconnecting of OTA channels. The work: map DiHotel room types and rate plans with the provider, move future bookings, reconcile, then switch the connection once.
• The property uses a channel manager that is not connected. The property has to change channel manager. Accounts and reviews on the channels stay, but the channels have to be connected to the new provider, with its own contract and mapping. This property's rollout is longer and should come later.
• The property does not use a channel manager and opens and closes rooms by hand on each channel's admin page: changing the management system does not touch the channels; for bookings to flow into DiHotel automatically, a connected channel manager is needed.

Properties acquired or opened at different times may use different providers, so draw up a table by property before discussing dates.

Part 2: Three layers — OTA channels, the channel manager and the hotel management system

• Layer 1, the OTA channel, for example Booking or Agoda: holds each property's account, the room types shown, selling rates, cancellation policies, reviews and the commission contract.
• Layer 2, the channel manager: receives bookings from the channels and sends room availability out to them, through a mapping table of room types and rate plans.
• Layer 3, the hotel management system: where front office, reservations and accounting work; it connects to the channel manager to receive bookings and report availability.

Switching software means changing layer 3; layer 1 is not touched. What changes is the connection between layer 2 and layer 3. In a chain, each property is a separate hotel on each channel and in the channel manager, so switching the connection is a separate job for each property.

Part 3: The condition for keeping your channel manager, and what to review before signing

DiHotel connects two-way with channel managers that already have a connection: bookings flow from the channels into DiHotel, and availability flows from DiHotel out to the channels through the provider. That is how a property keeps its current provider along with its contract and account there. Before signing, review property by property:

• Which channel manager the property uses, and whether it is in the list of connected channel managers.
• How long the contract with the provider runs, and whether the provider needs advance notice before the connection is switched.
• Which channels the property sells on, with how many room types and rate plans; who does sales, and who the contact is at the provider.

When you have to change channel manager

Accounts and reviews on the channels stay; what has to be redone is connecting the channels to the new provider and building the mapping there. The time this takes depends on the new provider and each channel, so give it its own place in the rollout and keep it away from peak season. Channel manager fees follow the separate contract between the hotel and the provider.

Part 4: Moving future bookings and deposits, channel by channel

The principle: bookings first, connection second. All of the property's future bookings, including OTA bookings, group blocks, bookings under corporate contracts and deposits, must be in DiHotel before the connection is switched; do it the other way round and the availability sent to the channels is calculated wrongly.

• Keep the channel's booking reference and the booking source on each booking in DiHotel, to reconcile by channel and so the front desk can find the booking when the guest gives the reference.
• Separate the payment method: prepaid to the channel, pay at the hotel, or a deposit paid directly, so the desk neither overcharges nor undercharges and accounting tracks correctly the amounts the channels will pay out.
• Trial runs first, the final run after. DiHotel runs trials on a copy, reconciles by data group and keeps a rollback point; the Zero-Cost Switch package includes two trial runs and one final run. New and cancelled bookings between runs are picked up in the final run from a copy taken close to switch time.

Deposits go into the balance sign-off record; see the article agreeing opening balances for the chief accountant. Group blocks and hold deadlines in conference season are covered in the article conference season: deposits and room inventory across properties.

Part 5: Mapping room types and rate plans — a job for sales together with the channel manager

Mapping room types and rate plans with each channel is done by each property's sales person together with the channel manager's staff, because they know which rate plan is on sale on which channel. The DiHotel implementation team helps set things up in DiHotel to match. Agree chain-wide conventions first for room type names, rate plans and booking sources in DiHotel; the names shown on the channels do not have to change, and rate plans still belong to each property.

The mapping table should be confirmed by the provider in writing before switch day. Resorts selling packages with services such as breakfast, dinner or transfers need each package mapped separately, so bookings arrive on the right package and the desk knows which services the guest is entitled to.

Part 6: Three-way reconciliation before switching the connection

A correct OTA booking must match in three places: the channel's admin page (including cancelled bookings), the channel manager and DiHotel. Reconcile by the channel's booking reference, channel by channel, property by property. Four common mismatches: a booking on the channel but not yet in DiHotel; a booking cancelled on the channel but still in DiHotel; a different room type or number of nights because the guest changed it on the channel; a different amount because of a channel promotion or the payment method.

Reservations reconciles the bookings, accounting reconciles prepayments and deposits. Only switch the connection once the three sources match, or every mismatch has an owner. Just before the switch, take availability screenshots by room type for the coming dates, in the channel manager and on each channel, as a reference point for after the switch.

Part 7: Switch day — once, with no parallel run

A channel manager should receive availability from one management system at a time; if the old system and DiHotel are both connected, one side's figures overwrite the other's. So the channel connection does not run in parallel: bookings move first, are reconciled, and then the connection is switched once, in a quiet time window for the property. From then on every new transaction is recorded in DiHotel.

The table deliberately gives no hours: the milestone for moving on is the "done when" column.

Signs of availability mismatches in the first days, and what to do

• Signs: availability for a room type on a channel differs from DiHotel with no new booking; a room type suddenly closes, or is sold beyond the real number of rooms; a booking arrives on the wrong room type or rate plan; a guest gives a channel reference the desk cannot find.
• What to do: compare with the screenshots; if there is a risk of overbooking, temporarily close the room type on the channel or in the channel manager; tell the provider and the DiHotel implementation team; check the mapping table first; enter any missing booking at once with the channel's reference.

Part 8: A property-by-property rollout for chains and resorts

• Switch one property at a time. The first property has a connected channel manager, tidy data and a stable sales team, and serves as the model for the chain.
• Do not switch the connection for two properties on the same day, so the contacts on every side can focus.
• Pick each property's own low season: beach resorts, city hotels and conference hotels have different seasons.
• Properties that must change channel manager come later, once their channels are connected to the new provider.
• Lessons from the first property go into the shared preparation list for the next ones.

Smaller properties in the portfolio that still keep their books in spreadsheets can follow a step-by-step guide to switching hotel management software from Excel on the DiCloud Blog. For training by department, see the article training staff by department when switching hotel software.

Part 9: Reporting to owners and GMs, and the Zero-Cost Switch package

During the switch, owners and GMs need to know that OTA bookings are still coming in steadily. Each property that has moved to DiHotel appears in DiOwner, a read-only app for owners and GMs with figures that match the operating system. The revenue-by-booking-source report in DiHotel shows whether the OTA channels are contributing as before. Properties not yet switched keep reporting the old way.

For hotels with 50 rooms or more, or chains with 2 or more properties, currently running an older on-premise system and signing a contract up to 30 June 2027, the Zero-Cost Switch package makes five commitments:

• 1. Data migration at zero cost: a trial run first, reconciliation by data group, with a rollback point.
• 2. Old system kept read-only for 3–6 months: the old system is kept read-only for 3–6 months for looking up data. This is not a live channel connection; the channel connection runs on one system only.
• 3. No paying twice: the remaining term of the old system's contract, up to 6 months, is added to the DiHotel term.
• 4. A balance sign-off record signed by both parties before go-live.
• 5. Training by department, with one person providing on-site support on go-live day.

The subscription is no higher than the maintenance fee currently paid for the old system; we do not discount the subscription. Detailed terms are set out in the contract.

When a hotel chain switches software, do the OTA channels need reconnecting?

No, if the property's channel manager is connected with DiHotel: accounts and reviews on the channels stay, and only the connection between the provider and the management system is switched. If the provider is not connected, the property has to change channel manager and connect its channels to the new provider.

What if properties in the chain use different channel managers?

Look at each property against the list of connected channel managers. Properties using a connected provider switch first; properties that must change provider come later, once their channels are connected to the new provider.

Do the old system and DiHotel both stay connected to the channel manager in parallel?

No. When two systems both report availability to the channels, one side's figures overwrite the other's. Bookings move into DiHotel first, are reconciled, and then the connection is switched once. The old system is kept read-only for look-ups.

Who is responsible for mapping room types and rate plans?

Each property's sales person, together with the channel manager's staff. The DiHotel implementation team helps set up room types, rate plans and booking sources in DiHotel to match the mapping table.

Should a chain switch the channel connection for all properties at once or one at a time?

One at a time, and not two properties on the same day. The first property serves as the model; each property picks its own low season.

Will reporting to owners and GMs be interrupted during the switch?

Properties that have switched appear in DiOwner, a read-only app for owners and GMs whose figures match the operating system. Properties not yet switched keep reporting the old way.