TravelTech Paris 2025 | Beyond the pipes: Why Channel Management isn’t really

Think channel management is a basic commodity? Think again. While the technology has been around for 20+ years, the rise of thousands of OTAs and the digitalization of hotel operations have made "the pipes" more complex than ever.

In this session from TravelTech Paris 2025, Franck Leprodhomme (Global Head of Sales at STAAH) goes "beyond the pipes" to explain why channel management remains a critical, high-innovation sector in the hospitality ecosystem.

Key Topics Covered:

• The Evolution of Hospitech: From the early 2000s OTA boom to the Airbnb era and beyond.

• The Commodity Myth: Why managing thousands of active distribution channels is anything but simple.

• Case Study - Booking.com "Seamless Experience": A deep dive into how incremental optimizations and sophisticated integrations are pushing technical boundaries in 2025.

• Future-Proofing Distribution: How hoteliers can leverage modern channel management to stay competitive in a fragmented market.

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Conference Details:
Conference: Travel Tech API Conference: Travel Unlocked! | part of FOST 2025
Date: 11 December 2025 • CNIT Forest, Paris

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Transcript

1. Beyond the pipes: Why Channel Management isn’t really Commoditized? Franck Leprodhomme Global Head of Sales – Su, an Access Group Company
2. Agenda What people think Channel Management is? Market Evolution What’s actually flowing through those pipes? Case study: Seamless Experience with Booking.com Take Aways
3. Franck Leprodhomme Global Head of Sales - Su STAAH and Su, under Access Group deliver a high-velocity, API-first platform that redefines how hotels connect, distribute, and scale
4. What people think Channel Management is?
5. Surface Level Perception Core Data: Reservations | Customer Data Inventory | Rates | Restrictions Functions: Direct Bookings | Payment Multiple Rate Management Distributes to: Booking.com | Expedia Airbnb & more... Hotel Distribution Technology Flow What most people see..
6. Market Evolution
7. YEAR 2000 Hotel PMS Hotel Websites Booking Engines Channel Manager Cloud Solutions AI & Automation 35% 30% 8% 1% 0% 0% 100 % 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 2000 2010 2020 2025 Hotel PMS       Hotel Websites      Booking Engines Channel Manager    Cloud Solutions      AI & Automation The Evolution of Hospitality Tech
8. Hotel PMS Hotel Websites Booking Engines Channel Manager Cloud Solutions AI & Automation 80% 95% 75% 55% 30% 5% 100 % 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 2000 2010 2020 2025 The Evolution of Hospitality Tech Hotel PMS       Hotel Websites      Booking Engines Channel Manager    Cloud Solutions      AI & Automation YEAR 2010
9. Hotel PMS Hotel Websites Booking Engines Channel Manager Cloud Solutions AI & Automation 93% 99% 96% 94% 88% 40% 100 % 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 2000 2010 2020 2025 The Evolution of Hospitality Tech Hotel PMS       Hotel Websites      Booking Engines Channel Manager    Cloud Solutions      AI & Automation YEAR 2020
10. Hotel PMS Hotel Websites Booking Engines Channel Manager Cloud Solutions AI & Automation 96% 100 % 98% 97% 95% 80% 100 % 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 2000 2010 2020 2025 The Evolution of Hospitality Tech Hotel PMS       Hotel Websites      Booking Engines Channel Manager    Cloud Solutions      AI & Automation YEAR 2025
11. What’s actually flowing through those pipes?
12. 1st Generation Channel Manager (ARI-Based)
13. Modern Channel Manager (Content-Rich)
14. XML Core PHP Angular JS Json Laravel React From Monolithic to Modular: How Modern Architecture enables Rapid Innovation
15. Content - PropertyMan Content - Room TypeMan Content - Rate PlanMan ARI APIMan ReservationMan Mapping WidgetRec Reservation List & RepullOpt GET APIs (To Fetch existing Data from Su)Opt Logs (Multiple APIs with different Logs)Opt Rates per Channel APIOpt Content API (B.com, Agoda, VRBO)Opt Accept & Deny of Request BookingsOpt Tokenization APIRec Mapping APIRec Resync Failed OTA UpdatesOpt Currently Mapped OTAOpt Inventory & Rate ControlRec Reporting (No Show + Invalid CC)Rec MessagingRec ReviewRec Mandatory Recommended Optional A world of flexibility Few Visible Features 30+ Behind The Scene Capabilities
16. Case Study: Seamless Experience with Booking.com
17. Problem: Solution: Outcome: • 30+ new APIs built in 4 weeks (end to end) • Fully embedded widget in PMS • AI widget to accelerate onboarding • Onboarding went from 7 to 2 days (new property) • PMS to OTA set-up using a white label, (no back-office use for the property) • First partner deployed globally on the Seamless experience Challenge: • Automating the onboarding • Reducing time to market • Improving customer experience • Overcome local specifics (international deployment)
18. Embedded Mapping Process Simplified, self-serve mapping widget OTA onboarding from PMS (including contract) Real-time status updates
19. Embedded Mapping Process Simplified, self-serve mapping widget OTA onboarding from PMS (including contract) Real-time status updates
20. Embedded Mapping Process Simplified, self-serve mapping widget OTA onboarding from PMS (including contract) Real-time status updates
21. In a nutshell
22. Take Aways
23. Take aways 1 2 3 Innovation thrives in incremental evolution, not just disruption White Label + Automation = Private Label Transformation 25 years in Channel Management is more essential than ever! Supercharged by Gen AI, Channel management has yet to reach its limits! 4 3 2 1
24. Reach out to me at - Franck.Leprodhomme@theaccessgroup.com Thank you for your time! Connect with me on LinkedIn by scanning this QR Visit us at: www.su-api.com​