Are you curious about what fellow hoteliers are saying about Hotel-Spider's channel manager? If so, you’re in luck.

As part of our commitment to helping hoteliers navigate the digital landscape, we've conducted an in-depth review of the top channel managers. Today, we look at Hotel-Spider, a popular channel management tool from Switzerland. 

Hotel-Spider does well in many areas. It scores exceedingly high in ease of use, customer support, and operations management. The collective positive user scores online are a testament to this, with the tool getting 88%, 90%, and 100% in all categories. 

As is almost always the case, though, it leaves many things to be improved. For one, there’s a lot to be done in marketing visibility; this can be especially troublesome if maintaining online visibility is your concern. 

Similarly, pricing is another feature where tons of work is required, with 25% negative and 25% ok in reviews. These figures suggest that while Hotel-Spider is a robust platform, it may face challenges in effectively promoting properties and offering competitive pricing options.

Do you need a complete breakdown on a feature-by-feature basis? Then jump right into our review right away.

Our Channel Manager Review You Can Trust

As part of our review policy, we’d first like to state that our reviews were made with the help of AI analysis. Then, we parsed the whole review for any inaccuracies before editing it for clarity and crispness.

Moreover, we’ve picked specific parameters, like ‘ease of use’, for example, that we believe best demonstrate the performance of a channel manager. We then judged based on the channel manager's performance against these parameters.

These are all the parameters we have picked: 

Parameter | Positive | Negative | Ok

------ | ------ | ------ | ------

Ease of Use | 88% | 11% | 0%

Technical Reliability | 80% | 20% | 0%

Customer Support | 90% | 10% | 0%

Price | 50% | 25% | 25%

Operations Management | 100% | 0% | 0%

Integration | 67% | 0% | 33%

Revenue Management | 67% | 33% | 0%

Marketing Visibility | 33% | 67% | 0%

Reporting Analytics | 0% | 0% | 0%

With this clear, let’s now start with ease of use.  

1. Ease of Use

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 88%  | 11%      | 1%  | ‍

Positives: ‍

Hotel-Spider's channel manager for hotels shines in ease of use, with an impressive 88% positive score. Users appreciate the intuitive and user-friendly interface, which significantly reduces the workload for the reception team. The platform's simple handling and quick setup for beginners are highlighted, along with its transparent control of rates and availability with PMS integration. 

The booking mask on the homepage is also noted for its appealing and functional design. ‍

Negatives: 

Despite its high ease of use score, Hotel-Spider faces some criticism, with an 11% negative score. 

A specific issue mentioned is the price change issue despite confirmation, affecting pricing accuracy and reliability. This indicates a need for improvement in ensuring that price settings are saved and confirmed correctly.

2. Technical Reliability

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 80%  | 20%      | 0%  |‍

Positives:‍

Hotel-Spider's technical reliability scores a solid 80%, with users praising the smooth integration of the channel manager with Spider-Booking and the system's overall stability and reliability. 

The visibility and accessibility of XML file transaction documentation are also appreciated, aiding in transparency and troubleshooting. 

All things said and done, the tool will most likely work once you have set it up with your systems, as the overwhelming reviews show.‍

Negatives: 

However, there are operational issues highlighted by a 20% negative score. 

Problems include portals incorrectly reported as free, impacting bookings, and inconsistencies in portal status updates. These issues indicate critical system flaws that need addressing to improve real-time data synchronization and customer booking experience.

3. Customer Support

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 90%  | 10%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Hotel-Spider's customer support gets exceedingly positive reviews—with a 90% positive score. The support team's consistent responsiveness and effectiveness are noted, along with their 24/7 availability and high competence. 

The personalized support experience and user-friendly onboarding process are also praised, setting Hotel-Spider apart from competitors.‍

Negatives: 

On the downside, there are many instances of long wait times, where support responses are lagging. There are also instances where support did not provide practical solutions to issues, as shown by a 10% negative score.

This makes it clear that there are areas for improvement in reducing response times and enhancing the effectiveness of provided solutions.

4. Price

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 50%  | 50%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Hotel-Spider's flat-rate pricing model is highly recommended. The app is appreciated by 50% of users for its predictable financial planning and management of real-time rates. ‍

Negatives: 

While half of users have nothing but good for the tool, it’s not all roses.

Conversely, 50% of users express dissatisfaction with being charged for an unused product for six months due to in-built product issues, directly affecting customer satisfaction and trust. 

This highlights a significant problem with billing practices that need addressing.

5. Operations Management 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 100% | 0%       | 0%  |‍

Positives:  

Hotel-Spider excels in operations management, with a perfect 100% positive score. 

Its effective relaunch and active pursuit of the system's further development are highlighted. The incorporation of customer/user suggestions in development indicates a customer-focused development approach, which is highly valued.‍

Negatives: 

There are no negative scores reported for operations management, indicating that users are highly satisfied with Hotel-Spider's performance in this critical area.

6. Integration

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 66%  | 0%       | 34%  |‍

Positives: 

Hotel-Spider's integration capabilities receive a 66% positive score, with users appreciating the connection to many booking sites for increased visibility and compatibility with multiple Property Management Systems (PMS). The improvements in managing availabilities on connected platforms and streamlining the reservation process are noted as significant benefits. ‍

Negatives: 

There are no negative scores for integration, indicating that Hotel-Spider meets or exceeds expectations in this area, without significant drawbacks reported.

7. Revenue Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 66%  | 34%      | 0%  | ‍

Positives:

Hotel-Spider's revenue management capabilities are positively viewed by 66% of users, with syncing room inventory, rates, and reservations highlighted as increasing online visibility. This direct impact on online presence and potential revenue is appreciated. ‍

Negatives: 

However, system defects leading to revenue-affecting booking issues are a concern for 34% of users. These critical issues directly impact revenue and indicate a need for system improvements to address these defects.

8. Marketing Visibility

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 33%  | 67%      | 0%  | ‍

Positives: 

A minority of users—33% to be exact—find that Hotel-Spider boosts online visibility by syncing with various online channels. This specific feature is appreciated for impacting the business's online presence and potential revenue. 

However, the fact that only 33% of users appreciate this is a cause of concern.‍

Negatives: 

As expected from above, the majority of reviewers, which amount to a collective 67% negative sentiment, express the need for improvements in marketing visibility, such as enhancing the display of different rates in the WBE Spider-Booking and increasing awareness of Hotel-Spider among revenue managers and GMs. 

These suggestions indicate areas for product improvement and market awareness that could affect product adoption. 

9. Reporting Analytics

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

|----------|----------|-----|

| 0%   | 0%   | 0%  | ‍

Positives: 

There are no positive scores for reporting analytics, indicating an area where Hotel-Spider may need to focus on improvement. 

The absence of positive feedback suggests that users find the analytics and reporting features lacking, potentially impacting their ability to make informed decisions based on data. ‍

Negatives: 

Similarly, there are no negative scores for reporting analytics, suggesting that while Hotel-Spider may not excel in this area, it does not significantly detract from the overall user experience. 

This neutrality could indicate that users find the reporting analytics provided by Hotel-Spider adequate for their needs or utilize other tools for this purpose.

Should You Buy Hotel-Spider Channel Manager?

And that’s all about Hotel-Spider from our side. Now, let’s look at the big question: is it worth it? 

From the reviews we’ve analyzed, the tool does a bang-on job in its technical reliability, customer support, ease of use, and operations management. Even revenue management does alright as per other market options.

If the negative reviews turn you off, remember that the tool offers a free trial. So give it a try and see if it's what you should be looking for.

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