Modern independent hotels usually run two distribution layers: a Property Management System (PMS) as the operational brain, and a channel manager as the pipe to OTAs and metasearch.
Understanding what each system owns — and what neither does — explains where RoomPriceTracker fits in your morning pricing routine.
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A PMS is your system of record for reservations, guest profiles, housekeeping, folios, and often your direct booking engine. Examples independents use include Mews, Cloudbeds, RoomRaccoon, roomMaster, and legacy on-premise systems.
- Inventory and availability by room type
- Rate plans and restrictions you create
- Check-in, check-out, and billing
- Reporting on occupancy and revenue
- Sometimes a marketplace of add-on apps
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A channel manager connects your PMS rate plans to third-party sales channels — Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Google Hotel Ads, and dozens more. When you change BAR in the CM (or synced PMS), updates propagate to connected channels.
SiteMinder, Cloudbeds distribution, D-EDGE, and built-in CM modules in all-in-one platforms are common choices.
- Two-way sync of availability and rates
- Mapping room types across channels
- Reducing overbooking risk vs manual updates
- Metasearch and GDS connectivity in some products
- Distribution analytics in premium tiers
What PMS and channel managers do not do
Neither product is designed to answer: What did the hotel across the street charge this morning for next Saturday? That competitive question is why revenue managers still rate-shop manually — or add dedicated shopping software.
- Daily structured competitor rate collection
- Forward 30-night comp trend charts
- Alerts when a specific rival undercuts you
- Side-by-side cheapest/average/premium comp ranking
- Historical comp archive for owner meetings
RoomPriceTracker in your stack
Think of RoomPriceTracker as the market-intelligence layer that feeds your human pricing decision before you touch the PMS or channel manager. You review comps in RoomPriceTracker, decide BAR, then enter the change where you always have.
| Topic | Without RoomPriceTracker | With RoomPriceTracker |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Run the hotel & push rates to channels | Monitor competitor public rates daily |
| Data source | Your reservations, inventory, rate plans | Public nightly rates on rival properties |
| Typical user | Front office, reservations, revenue ops | GM, owner-operator, revenue manager |
| Integration | Deep PMS/CM/API ecosystem | No PMS connection required to start |
| Pricing decision | Where you enter and distribute BAR | Market intelligence before you change BAR |
Ready to track competitor rates without a sales demo?
Self-serve signup — live in about 45 minutes. 50% off your first month.
Try now with 50% discountFrequently asked questions
Do I need a PMS integration?
No. Add your hotel and competitors by city search. RoomPriceTracker collects public nightly rates — no PMS or channel manager required to start.
How many competitors can I track?
Starter includes your hotel plus 3 competitors; Advanced supports your hotel plus 9 competitors.
Is there a discount for new signups?
Yes — sign up through our promotional link for 50% off your first month. Full price applies from month two.
Start monitoring competitors today
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