Welcome to Brance's blog series, where we take yet another deep dive into the world of channel managers for hotels. 

Today, we're spotlighting RoomCloud, a channel manager that's been on the lips of many hoteliers. In the hospitality industry, the right channel manager can be the linchpin to efficient operations and revenue growth. But with a sea of options available, how does RoomCloud stack up against the competition?

We've meticulously researched and scored RoomCloud on a variety of parameters that are crucial to hotel operations. Here's a snapshot of our findings:

Our Channel Manager Review Parameters You Can Trust

As part of our review policy, we’d first like to state that our reviews were created 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 ‘revenue management’, 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.

Here are all the parameters we have picked:‍

Parameter | Positive | Negative | Ok

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

Ease of Use | 86% | 14% | 0%

Technical Reliability | 67% | 33% | 0%

Customer Support | 75% | 25% | 0%

Price | 100% | 0% | 0%

Operations Management | 0% | 50% | 50%

Integration | 60% | 40% | 0%

Revenue Management | 0% | 100% | 0%

Marketing Visibility | 0% | 100% | 0%

So that’s a quick rundown of our selected parameters. Now that this is clear let’s jump into the complete factor-by-factor review.  

1. Ease of Use

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 86%  | 14%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Regarding ease of use, RoomCloud is well known for its simplistic and minimalistic design and UI—as is evident from its impressive 86% positive score.        

Users appreciate the efficient management of availability and rates, highlighting the user-friendly system that simplifies price and availability changes. Moreover, the intuitive interface accelerates learning and system adoption, making it easier for staff to manage inventory and rates with just one click, significantly easing the workload.

There are functionalities that need to be worked upon, clearly, but overall, the tool does what it says on the tin—at least for ease of use.    ‍

Negatives: 

A collective negative score of 14% makes it clear that RoomCloud has areas where ease of use is lacking. 

As can be gleaned from the reviews, users suggest that the UI could be more streamlined and that options for extended-period results should be clearer to make the whole process more smooth for new users. 

2. Technical Reliability

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 67%  | 33%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

RoomCloud's technical reliability receives a positive score of 67%. Users report a bug-free experience that ensures reliability, with efficient real-time updating of prices and availability. 

Similarly, the absence of problems with technical reliability is a significant advantage for users, contributing to a dependable system.‍

Negatives: 

However, there are concerns with technical reliability, as indicated by a 33% negative score. 

A notable issue is the system's failure to import an OTA booking, causing operational disruptions. This highlights the need for improvements to maintain consistent technical performance.

3. Customer Support 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 75%  | 25%      | 0%  | ‍

Positives: 

RoomCloud's customer support is well-regarded, with a 75% positive score. The support team has been particularly appreciated for giving quick and efficient assistance to all users. 

Most users describe customer service as hyper-responsive and very friendly, doing their best with reliable solutions and proactive follow-up offered by the support team, which are highly valued. ‍

Negatives: 

A 25% negative score clearly shows that despite the high praise, customer support still has much work to do. 

Many users report issues with the service not taking responsibility or providing solutions, and the ticket service is described as time-intensive and inefficient. 

The outcomes of the ticketing process are often unsatisfying, indicating a need for a more effective resolution process.

4. Price

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 100% | 0%       | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

RoomCloud's pricing is highly praised, as evidenced by its 100% positive score. Users are satisfied with the pricing and find it valuable for their business structure and the value it provides.

The absence of negative feedback in this area underscores RoomCloud's competitive pricing strategy.‍

Negatives: 

There are no negative remarks regarding price, indicating that RoomCloud's pricing model is well-received by its users and offers a cost-effective solution for their needs.

5. Operations Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 0%   | 50%  | 50%  |‍

Positives: 

RoomCloud has a long way to go when it comes to Operations Management. For one, there are no positive remarks to highlight—there’s evident by a deep silence when it comes to positive reviews. 

Therefore, it's hard to say what RoomCloud does right then, given the lack of information. However, a whopping 50% of collective reviews are also marked as Ok; from this, we can guess that the tool does a few things right as well. ‍

Negatives: 

As you probably guessed, RoomCloud's operations management is badly in need of a complete overhaul; 50% of collective negative reviews are your testaments for this.

The users highlight the lack of a simplified version for cleaning staff and privacy concerns with reservation details. Moreover, the system's inefficiency in quickly accessing guest information is noted as a significant drawback, indicating areas for improvement.

6. Integration

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 60%  | 40%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

RoomCloud's integration capabilities get the popular vote for its 60% positive score.  In particular, what’s praised are the platform's ability to connect to most OTAs and brand websites, along with successful synchronization with three OTAs, is praised. 

Moreover, overcoming initial synchronization difficulties with Airbnb is highlighted as a strength, indicating effective problem-solving capabilities. ‍

Negatives: ‍

The tool’s good points do not mean it's all rainbows and sunshine. There are integration challenges for sure, as the 40% unfavorable score demonstrates. 

For example, users report poor connections with the channel manager and complex mapping between the Channel Manager (CM) and Property Management System (PMS)—all suggesting a dire need for improvements in system connectivity and flexibility.

7. Revenue Management 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 0%   | 100% | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Surprisingly, RoomCloud doesn’t even do the bare minimum to focus on revenue management, as the lack of positive reviews shows. This is a significant area for improvement for users.‍

Negatives: 

Revenue management is a significant concern, as shown by the clear 100% negative score. 

All users specifically mention the need for additional tools to enhance sales capabilities, highlighting a critical area for development to support effective revenue management strategies. 

8. Marketing Visibility

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 0%   | 100% | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Marketing visibility is another area where RoomCloud fails to deliver. There are exactly zero positive remarks in praise of its marketing visibility, suggesting that no user found RoomCloud's capabilities in this area sufficient to complete their task.‍

Negatives: 

On the contrary, the tool manages to garner a negative reputation—100% negative reviews prove this fact beyond doubt. 

Users suggest enhancing the description for special rates on direct bookings to provide more detailed information for guests, indicating a need for improvements in how promotional offers are presented.

Summing Up the RoomCloud Channel Manager For You

As is often the case, whether you think RoomCloud channel manager is worth its price depends on what you’d like to achieve with it. Is it customer support? Breezingly fast ease of use? Or is the all-praised pricing? The RoomCloud channel manager knocks it out of the ballpark for these factors, so it’d be a good bet.

However, it’s not all sunny as all the negative takes we listed above show. Luckily, you don’t have to take our word for it. Simply go through the free live demo provided by the company, and you’ll get a soild rough idea about the tool.