Welcome to Brance's insightful blog series that reviews the best hotel channel managers. Today, we look closely at TravelLine, a channel manager solution that, although not as well-known as the industry's top options, has nonetheless made some waves.

To give you a complete, birds-eye view, we've set up several parameters that best demonstrate the workings of a channel manager and are, therefore, handy for judging it correctly. 

So, before we dive into the complete review, let’s quickly review the parameters.        

Our Channel Manager Review Parameters You Can Trust

As part of our review policy, we’d like to state that our reviews were created using an AI analysis. Then, we reviewed the whole review for any inaccuracies before editing it for clarity and crispness.

Moreover, we’ve picked specific parameters, like ‘technical reliability,’ for example, that best demonstrate a channel manager's performance. We then judged our review of the channel manager's performance against these parameters.

Here are all the parameters we have picked:

Parameter | Positive | Negative | Ok

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

Ease of Use | 100% | 0% | 0%

Technical Reliability | 50% | 25% | 25%

Customer Support | 100% | 0% | 0%

Price | 75% | 25% | 0%

Operations Management | 83% | 0% | 17%

Integration | 60% | 40% | 0%

Revenue Management | 67% | 0% | 33%

Marketing Visibility | 50% | 50% | 0%

Reporting Analytics | 0% | 100% | 0%

So those are all the parameters for your TravelLine channel manager, in a nutshell, with all their reviews. Let’s now look at how you can improve. 

Overall, TravelLine presents a combination of highly praised features and notable areas for enhancement. It does exceedingly well in customer support, price, and revenue management, while it leaves a lot to ask for as far as reporting analytics and marketing visibility go.

1. Ease of Use 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 100% | 0%       | 0%  |

Positives: 

Among all its features, TravelLine's ease of use stands out by massive miles—it gets a perfect positive score of 100% here.

Users are particularly impressed with its intuitive system and user-friendly interface, significantly streamlining the reservation confirmation process. The all-in-one solution, encompassing Web PMS, CHManager, and website constructor, alongside the automatic booking feature, is highly appreciated for its operational efficiency.

Then, there are the customizable tools tailored to specific hotel needs, which further enhance its usability, making it ideal for hotels looking to simplify their operations.‍

Negatives: 

Understandably, it gets a 0% negative score for its ease of use. 

There are no reported negatives in this area, highlighting the platform's effectiveness and user satisfaction regarding ease of use.

2. Technical Reliability 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 50%  | 25%      | 25% |

Positives: 

TravelLine's technical reliability receives a balanced score, with half of the users finding it satisfactory. 

In particular, the system's ability to execute updates instantly—in other words, its high speed—coupled with a minimal number of bugs majorly contributes to its high reliability, as we gleaned from our user sentiment analysis.

Moreover, the high-speed customer support and well-integrated products ensure seamless operation, while the mobile application's quick and correct operation is a notable advantage.‍

Negatives: 

There are significant concerns, with a quarter of the feedback being negative. Another 25% of users also believe the tool is only satisfactory, implying quick room for improvement.

Many users have pointed out several issues as deal breakers. 

For one, system unavailability during power outages is understandably a significant disruption to user workflows. Another elephant in the room is the mobile version's inconvenience for invoicing and balance checks.

The need for improvement in technical aspects and system performance speed is the final straw. 

In summary, tackled well, the TravelLine channel manager presents many areas for enhancement.

3. Customer Support 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 100% | 0%       | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Like the ease of use, customer support is another standout feature of the TravelLine channel manager. In the collective reviews, it scored a perfect 100%.

The TravelLine Bulgaria team is particularly praised for its excellent cooperation and support. For example, the staff's responsiveness and helpfulness, including 24/7 support availability, are highly valued. The ease of accessing communication channels like phone and email, coupled with the support team's fast, precise, and detailed responses, facilitates informed decision-making. 

Another thing that stands out is the professionalism with which things are resolved. 

Most complaints are listened to and swiftly taken care of within an hour, and the support in enhancing online sales and automation for clients is commendable.‍

Negatives: 

There are zero negative comments about customer support, reflecting a high level of satisfaction among users.

4. Price

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 75%  | 25%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

TravelLine's pricing structure is not much behind in customer support, as the online reviews say.

It has a whopping 75% positive reviews. It's no wonder that it’s primarily viewed positively, with three-quarters of users appreciating the competitive room pricing and low booking fee structure.          

The overall assessment of the service's cost-effectiveness is favorable, indicating a good value for money.                   ‍

Negatives: 

However, there is a notable segment of users who find the website creation service priced above market rate, suggesting an area where TravelLine could improve to enhance perceived value.

5. Operations Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 83%  | 0%       | 17% |

Positives: 

Operations management with TravelLine scores highly, with users praising the optimization of the booking process and the room arrangement system; it gets a lofty 83% here.

Satisfaction with operational features indicates efficient management, and the system's ability to provide more free time for personal life due to efficient operations is a significant benefit. 

The centralized management of multiple distribution channels is also a key advantage—it garners a lot of positive press for the tool.

Negatives: 

There are no reported negatives in this area, underscoring the platform's effectiveness in operations management. 

6. Integration 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 60%  | 40%      | 0%  | 

Positives: 

Integration capabilities of TravelLine are viewed positively by the majority, with effective management and updates of availability/prices across multiple channels. 

The partnership with over 100 channels and the variety of sales widgets offered are notable strengths, as our analysis shows. 

High satisfaction levels are contributed to by frictionless and painless integration with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and the ability to sell additional facilities and rate options. ‍

Negatives: 

However, there are prominent areas for improvement, as the piercing negative feedback of 40% shows. 

Among other things, its users have suggested increasing the number of booking sites supported and integrating with Yandex Travel for reservations. They have also pointed out many issues with reservations not being received via the channel manager and the need for better coordination between TravelLine and the hotel's official site. 

Moreover, summarizing discounts from sites like Booking.com is also a struggle for many, which indicates that things can be done in a much better manner.

7. Revenue Management

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 67%  | 0%       | 33% | 

Positives: 

Revenue management with TravelLine is positively viewed—it gets a whopping 67%, as the collective reviews show. 

Two-thirds of users noted an instant increase in their share of direct bookings, leading to more traffic to the hotel's website. 

Offering better prices directly through the hotel's website is another competitive advantage the tool provides its users, helping them boost their direct bookings and increase website traffic. ‍

Negatives: 

There are no reported negatives in this area, indicating a lack of bugs or errors that might interrupt your workflow. However, 33% of reviews are clocked as satisfactory, showing a big window to improve the existing offerings. 

8. Marketing Visibility

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 50%  | 50%      | 0%  |‍

Positives: 

Only half of the users regard TravelLine's channel manager's marketing visibility positively, with another half taking a negative stand against it.

On the positive side, the channel manager's website is highly regarded, with increased traffic from the hotel's website being a critical measure of success.      ‍

Negatives: 

As we said above, though, an equal number of users are banding against the tool with its 50% negative reviews. For one, it suggests interacting with customers, offering all varieties of customer service, and better promotion in the reviewer's country. 

All these areas, taken collectively, indicate a promising potential for improvement in marketing visibility.

9. Reporting Analytics 

| Positive | Negative | Ok  |

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

| 0%   | 100% | 0%  |‍

Positives:‍

There’s nothing positive about the TravelLine channel manager—as far as online reviews go, at least. Moreover, we couldn’t find any positive reviews during our analysis, indicating a complete lack of appreciation amongst present users.‍

Negatives:‍

On the contrary, negative reviews are abundant, as shown by 100% unfavorable ratings. In other words, reporting and analytics are significant areas of concern for TravelLine.

For one, the lack of analytics reports is a significant drawback, and users recommend adding more free reports for enhanced analytics. 

There are suggestions to arrange rooms by price for a better sales strategy, indicating areas where improvements could significantly impact the platform's utility and user satisfaction.

So, Should You Be Using the TravelLine Channel Manager?

In summarizing our review of the TravelLine channel manager, we’ll say it excels in several key areas. 

It stands apart in ease of use and customer support, as shown by the user-friendly experience and exceptional service reported by many users. However, as is almost always the case, the TravelLine channel manager needs to work on specific parameters to become a better channel manager.

For example, reporting analytics received a 100% negative score, indicating a significant area ripe for disruption. Similarly, technical reliability and integration also show mixed feedback, with 25% and 40% negative scores, respectively, suggesting that the tool is imperfect for long-term use.