SiteMinder is one of the world’s top channel managers. It is highly recommended for its all-encompassing services and seamless integration across multiple hotel channels and other hotel tech such as PMS, booking engine, etc.

With a positive score of 90% in ease of use, SiteMinder is one of the best when it comes to user-friendly design in the channel manager category. Moreover, in revenue management, Siteminder receives a staggering 80%, showing a relentless focus on financial performance.

However, the tool does have areas for improvement, with subpar marketing visibility and high pricing standing out as the obvious choices.

Let’s take a detailed look at the tool.

Taking the Long View: Our Review Parameters You Can Trust

As a full disclosure, our review was conducted with the aid of our in-house AI specialists. We then judged the tool against some specific parameters that we believe give us a 360-degree picture of the tool.

We then went over the whole piece before editing for clarity and crispness.  

Here are the parameters we have evaluated the tool for:

‍Parameter | Positive | Negative | Ok

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

Ease of Use | 90% | 6% | 3%
Technical Reliability | 67% | 22% | 11%
Customer Support | 71% | 22% | 7%
Price | 50% | 42% | 8%
Operations Management | 71% | 27% | 2%
Integration | 68% | 20% | 13%
Revenue Management | 80% | 15% | 5%
Marketing Visibility | 56% | 44% | -
Reporting Analytics | 58% | 33% | 8%

1. Ease of Use

Positive:

Siteminder's ease of use is a standout feature, with a 90% positive score. Users rave about the user-friendly interface that simplifies operations across devices. The efficient channel management, time-saving bulk updates, and mobile-friendly app enhance accessibility and convenience. 

Real-time updates facilitate efficient rate and inventory management, while the intuitive system design with clear instructions reduces the learning curve. The secured payment method ensures safe and simplified transactions, making it a favorite among hoteliers.

‍Negatives:‍

Despite its high ease of use, some users have also reported varying difficulties. 

Accessing inquiries through the dashboard can be more user-friendly, but creating new tariffs poses challenges for some. The system occasionally presents errors, reducing user-friendliness, and the setup and mapping are less intuitive than previous versions. 

Locating non-first-listed room types and modifying rates can be cumbersome, highlighting areas for improvement.

2. Technical Reliability

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 67%  | 22%  | 11% |‍

Positives: 

Siteminder's technical reliability scores a solid 67%. Real-time updates prevent overbooking and ensure inventory accuracy, while seamless integration with PMS like Mews boosts efficient operations. The fast load times and user-friendly mobile app enhance accessibility, and the stable system performance with no reported outages or glitches is a significant plus. 

Effective distribution across multiple OTAs and GDS, along with automatic syncing of rates and availability, ensures prompt data updates and reliable connectivity.‍

Negatives: 

Of course, there are areas of concern. The login process can be cumbersome due to app-only security code confirmation, and there are frequent issues with fraudulent charges and poor fraud protection mechanisms. 

Connected agents, for example, experience instability and synchronization problems with Opera PMS, affecting the reservation process as a whole.

Inventory often remains offline on productive channels, and lagging issues, along with the absence of a daily report settlement feature, hinder operations.

3. Customer Support

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 71%  | 22%  | 7%  |‍

Positives: 

Customer support at Siteminder is highly regarded, with a 71% positive score. Live agent support is beneficial, with quick response times, and the customer service team is knowledgeable and provides prompt responses. 

Moreover, the support team actively seeks customer feedback for improvement and resolves issues in a timely manner. 

The availability of a direct chat box for immediate support and the responsiveness to feedback are also handy features that woo many hoteliers.‍

Negatives: 

On the downside, support response times can be slow and often delayed, and there is a lack of 24/7 customer support for a worldwide user base. Moreover, support is primarily via email, which is not efficient for urgent issues, and the technical support lacks deep knowledge of the software.

In other words, if you encounter problems as an overseas customer, getting it fixed can be more than a hiccup.

4. Price

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 50%  | 42%  | 8%  |

Positives: 

The price of Siteminder's services receives mixed feedback, with a 50% positive score. The flat fee pricing structure is well-received by customers, who also express interest in annual discounts and a loyalty program with decreasing rates for long-term customers. 

The service is considered to provide good value for money, and customers find the subscription service fee affordable, appreciating the efficiency and performance in relation to the service charge.‍

Negatives: 

There are notable concerns, too, as a 42% unfavorable score shows. Charges for fraudulent bookings, higher costs compared to other vendors, and non-competitive pricing are significant issues, as revealed in our review analysis. 

Improvements are needed in areas such as additional fees for system integration with different tools and a lack of transparency in pricing options.

5. Operations Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 71%  | 27%  | 2%  |‍

Positives:

Operations management at Siteminder is highly effective, with a 71% positive score. The platform enables easy job performance and efficient reservation delivery, simplifies yielding and uploading allotment work, and facilitates direct bookings and room availability management. 

Automatic inventory updates and rate adjustments, along with a centralized platform for managing reservations, rates, and inventory, streamline booking processes and reduce the risk of overbooking.‍

Negatives: 

A 27% unfavorable score shows that despite its strengths, there are areas for improvement. 

The daily report settlement feature is lacking, impacting daily operations, and the booking engine quality is considered subpar. Direct Book has issues displaying rates for varying guest numbers, and support for setting up new channels is limited. 

The system restricts mapping/listing to only one room price option, and inventory management lacks detailed visibility.

6. Integration

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 68%  | 20%  | 12% |‍

Positives: ‍

Siteminder's integration capabilities are well-received, with a 68% positive score. Key strengths include seamless integration with PMS for real-time updates on rates and availability, effective distribution across multiple channels, and the ability to manage rates simultaneously across various channels. 

The extensive connectivity with a diverse array of OTAs enhances global market reach, and integration with payment gateways and revenue management software streamlines operations. ‍

Negatives: ‍

Despite its good points, integration issues with Guestline PMS, lack of integration with local OTAs, and the absence of AI-powered tools for revenue management are notable drawbacks. 

Frequent errors in Channel Manager, poor synchronization with PMS, and limited payment gateway options need attention.

7. Revenue Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 80%  | 15%  | 5%  |‍

Positives: ‍

Revenue management at Siteminder is highly praised, with an 80% positive score. The derived rate function facilitates revenue management, and direct booking maximizes conversion. Distribution channels contribute to revenue growth, and the platform adapts easily to seasonal demand changes. 

Business Insights feature provides valuable analytics, and automation features reduce manual workload and optimize your revenue. ‍

Negatives: 

Despite its effectiveness, there are areas for improvement, as shown by a 15% unfavorable score. The absence of daily rate recommendations for hotels, lack of automatic rules for changing prices, and inadequate tools for creating effective sales strategies are significant concerns. 

Promotion creation lacks intelligence, impacting promotional effectiveness.

8. Marketing Visibility

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 56%  | 44%  |     | ‍

Positives: 

Marketing visibility at SiteMinder scores a 56% positive score. Demand Plus increases metasearch visibility, leading to more direct bookings and enhancing website performance. The platform connects hotels to multiple OTAs, increasing visibility and attracting international guests. 

The simple website builder improves online presence, and the booking engine optimizes for mobile and tablet, facilitating easy bookings.‍

Negatives: 

The platform lacks content management capabilities, and there is no section for specific offers or promotions to enhance pricing strategies. 

The booking engine quality is considered subpar compared to competitors, and there is a lack of flexibility in creating and managing package deals. The absence of an exclusive customer login for accessing special rates and the need for better user-end visibility of services and offers are areas needing improvement.

9. Reporting Analytics

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 58%  | 33%  | 9%  |‍

Positives: 

Reporting analytics at SiteMinder are valued, as shown by a 58% positive score. The platform provides detailed and useful reports and graphs for analysis, enabling tracking of performance metrics and booking trends. It also facilitates analyzing guest behavior for informed decision-making and offers a main calendar of reservations for better scheduling. 

Then, there’s also the inclusion of a pricing view for rate verification and comprehensive reports for consortium and corporate production, which aids in channel management and market trend analysis.‍

Negatives: 

Despite its 58% positive score, reporting and analytics need improvement for better insights, and the Demand Plus direct booking link preview and insights reporting should be enhanced. 

Dashboard interactivity and data reporting flexibility are lacking, and the absence of open API limit customization makes things sab-par. Booking engine conversion and cart abandonment reporting are also needed, and multi-property management requires more advanced reporting features.

Is SiteMinder the Best For Your Hotel?

If you’re a big or medium hotel chain, SiteMinder’s solution will be perfect for you. 

It offers comprehensive integration, with connections to over 450 distribution channels, a single place for booking management, and many features like yield rules or stop-sells, etc., making it an excellent option for new and experienced hoteliers alike.

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