Sabre is one of the industry leaders in GDS and also provides its own channel manager, Channel Connect. Through its unified channel management solution, it provides smart revenue management strategies and access to multiple hotel channels, making them far more straightforward.

That’s our assessment of this beast of a channel manager in a nutshell. Want a complete review? Read the detailed piece below, and you’ll be up to speed in no time.

Our Channel Manager Review Parameters You Can Trust

It’s important that we state from the outset that our review was conducted with the aid of our in-house AI analysts. Then, we meticulously parsed through the whole review, before we edited it for clarity.

Moreover, we have identified specific factors for our reviews that we believe are more important than others in evaluating a channel manager.

Here they are:

Parameter | Positive | Negative | Ok

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

Ease of Use | 94% | 3% | 3%

Technical Reliability | 43% | 33% | 23%

Customer Support | 69% | 28% | 3%

Price | 100% | 0% | 0%

Operations Management | 64% | 18% | 18%

Integration | 64% | 33% | 3%

Revenue Management | 86% | 14% | 0%

Marketing Visibility | 71% | 29% | 0%

Reporting Analytics | 25% | 50% | 25%

1. Parameter #1: Ease of Use

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 94%  | 3%   | 3%  |

‍Positives:‍

Sabre's ease of use comes highly praised, with a 94% positive score. What also particularly impressed users was its user-friendly interface and efficient multi-property management system. 

Then there are also innovative functionalities like GDS/IDS viewership and OTAstream, which significantly enhance the user experience. The Central Reservation System simplifies rate uploads and reservation management, making it a standout feature. 

Of course, what’s a good tool without regular updates? Its regular software updates and customizable booking engine solutions further emphasize Sabre's commitment to usability and adaptability.‍

Negatives: 

Despite the overwhelming positives, a small fraction of users have encountered issues such as system crashes and the need for frequent clearing of caches and cookies. there will be hiccups, in other words.

Moreover, inaccuracies in displayed sales information have been noted, affecting business decisions.

2. Technical Reliability

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 69%  | 28%  | 3%  |‍

Positives: ‍

Sabre's customer support is generally well-regarded, with a 69% positive score. A proactive approach to upgrades, diligent follow-up on tickets, and knowledgeable support regarding third-party connections are convenient.

Combined with its responsive product evolution and excellent support staff, the tool contributes significantly to a positive user experience.‍

Negatives: ‍

While the tool is mostly robust, it does have its challenges. For one, it lacks adequate support for independent properties. That’s bad news if you’re not a big chain or something higher up the ladder. Setting up new channels or rates is also relatively cumbersome, combined with inefficient customer service that often leads to redirection without resolving issues. 

Slow response times and difficulties in navigating the support portal have also been noted.

3. Price

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 100% |      |     |‍

Positives:‍

Sabre stands out with a 100% positive score in pricing, indicating universal satisfaction among users. This exceptional rating reflects the perceived value and competitive pricing strategy Sabre offers to its clients.‍

Negatives:‍

While the overall sentiment is highly positive, concerns have been raised about its cost-effectiveness for small properties and the lack of upfront information on PMS costs, suggesting areas where transparency could be improved.

4. Operations Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 64%  | 18%  | 18% |‍

Positives: 

Sabre's operations management is relatively positive, with a modest 64% score. 

Its ability to facilitate easy management of multiple properties and streamline hotel operations is highly valued. At the same time, it also enhances revenue tracking and upsell opportunities, improving overall operational efficiency.

‍Negatives: 

One of the biggest things bringing it into disgrace here is its repetitive data entry and a lack of a solid template for CRS across multiple hotels. Similarly, some functionalities also require enhancements to accommodate complex or different business models.

5. Integration

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 64%  | 33%  | 3%  |‍

Positives: 

Sabre's integration capabilities receive a 64% positive score. High direct channel conversion, continued investment in the API portfolio, and seamless connectivity with a large variety of partners—all stand out as great wins for users. 

The mobile-optimized booking engine Synxis and integration with over 600 OTA channels highlight Sabre's commitment to enhancing competitiveness.‍

Negatives: 

Challenges include tedious OTA maintenance updates, slow connectivity with new OTAs, and unclear access levels for interface resets. Then, you also need to keep in mind the different integration issues with Opera and other complexities in setting up new channels or rates.

6. Revenue Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 86%  | 14%  |     |‍

Positives: 

Sabre's revenue management is highly effective, with an 86% positive score. Features like upselling to increase hotel revenue and easy tracking of revenue and upsell opportunities contribute to its high rating. Compliance and accuracy in OTA negotiations and the development of new tools for competitiveness are also praised.

‍Negatives: 

Despite its strengths, its display issues with room availability and booking engine inaccuracies have been noted as potential areas for revenue loss for hoteliers.

Another issue is limited tariff derivations, which can swing your pricing flexibility for the worse.

7. Marketing Visibility

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 71%  | 29%  |     |‍

Positives: 

Sabre scores well in marketing visibility, with a 71% positive score. Higher direct channel conversion for independent hotels and notable improvements in the booking engine are vital advantages. 

The global reach for business and leisure travelers enhances property visibility significantly.‍

Negatives: 

Despite the excellent marketing visibility, though, the booking engine requires enhancements for a better customer experience, and limited customization options for the booking engine have been identified as areas needing improvement.

8. Reporting Analytics

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 25%   | 50%      | 25% |‍

Positives: 

Sabre's reporting analytics feature monthly meetings focusing on performance metrics and multiple reporting functionalities, providing users with essential tools for business analysis.

However, with a meager positive score of 25%, its reporting analytics require a clear, massive overhaul.

‍Negatives: 

Challenges include difficulties in extracting reports post-data migration and limited reporting capacity within the system. The lack of customized analytics for the homepage and comprehensive reports for revenue, chain level, and production are also significant drawbacks. 

Moreover, there’s also an immediate need to integrate with Power BI tools to enhance analytical capabilities.

Is Sabre Right for Your Hotel?

Whether Sabre is right for you depends on what you want. Are you looking for seamless integration with more than 600+ channel partners? Do you want integration with blazing-fast pricing updates through automation? Or perhaps it’s a unified, un-siloed dashboard that you’re after. 

If so, Sabre’s Channel Connect is just the channel manager you should opt for. And if you're still on the fence, you can give their live demo a go first.

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