Choosing a channel manager for your agriturismo: 7 questions

Updated 30 October 2026

In short. A channel manager keeps your calendar and rates aligned on every portal where you sell, so you never end up with two guests in room 3. Before you pick one, check seven things: which portals it connects, how it syncs, what it really costs, what it does when a booking changes, how easy it is on a phone, what it connects to, and who answers when it stops working.

What is a channel manager for in an agriturismo?

It is the software that collects bookings from Booking.com, Airbnb and the other portals and puts them in a single calendar. When a room is sold on one portal, it closes it on the others. In the words of Chekin, it keeps availability and rates up to date, syncs bookings and avoids overbooking and manual updates.

It looks outward: sales. What happens afterwards, meaning check-in, cleaning, bills and dinners, is a different job. We wrote about double bookings and how to avoid them here.

Which seven questions should you ask before choosing one?

1. Does it connect the portals you use? List where you sell today and ask whether each one is connected directly. The big platforms are usually covered. Smaller portals, such as Agriturismo.it or Casa Nella Natura (named as examples by Smoobu), need to be checked one by one.
2. How long does it take to update the other portals? According to Smoobu, a direct connection to the listings updates them in real time. Ask how much time passes between a booking for room 3 and the same room being closed on the other portals.
3. What does it really cost? A fixed fee, a percentage of bookings, or a price per portal? What is included and what is extra? A free trial helps: some tools offer one, for example 14 days.
4. What does it do when a booking changes or is cancelled? You should get a notice for every new booking, change or cancellation, without having to go and look for it.
5. Is it easy to use on a phone? You are in the kitchen or out among the vines, not sitting at a computer. Try it on your phone before you decide.
6. What does it connect to? Guest messages, cleaning, online check-in, rate tools: Smoobu mentions this kind of integration. Ask whether it talks to the app you use for the rest of your day.
7. Who answers when it stops working? In your language, and also on a Saturday in August? Ask for support hours before you sign, not after.

Channel manager or management app: do you need both?

They are two different tools. The channel manager sells and keeps portals aligned. The management app for the property handles the work inside: arrivals, rooms to prepare, bills, staff. According to Chekin, a small B&B can start with the management side and add a channel manager when it expands to more booking platforms. Keep in mind that Chekin sells guest software: it is an interested opinion, but the reasoning holds.

A channel manager starts to pay off when:

• you sell the same room on two or more portals;
• you have already found a double booking too late;
• you update calendars by hand every evening and would like to stop;
• you have more rooms, bungalows or pitches to keep aligned.

If you sell on a single portal and by phone, double bookings are almost a non-issue. Do not pay to solve a problem you do not have.

And where does Fattore fit in?

Fattore is not a channel manager and does not manage bookings: they stay on yours. It reads arrivals and departures from the connected channel manager. Today InReception is connected; Lodgify and Smoobu are being tested; BedBooking, Passepartout Welcome and Krossbooking are coming. Without a channel manager it works manually. The up-to-date list is on the integrations page.

Once a booking is registered, Fattore takes care of the rest: room bill and extras, restaurant orders, cleaning, payments, staff shifts, online check-in and guest registration. It does not issue fiscal receipts and does not bring you guests. You can see the features on the modules page, and if you run an agriturismo have a look at Fattore for agriturismi. To see how much time an app can give back, read how an app saves time and money and how to handle the room bill.

A practical tip: when you compare channel managers, add one more question to the list: “does it work with my app for everything else?”.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change channel manager in the middle of the season?

It depends on the contract: check cancellation and notice. If you can, pick the low season, when few rooms are on sale and a mistake costs less.

Does the channel manager also send guest registration to Alloggiati Web?

It depends on the software, so ask first. With Fattore the registration forms leave from online check-in, also automatically, and the receipts are kept for 5 years.

Do I need one for an agriturismo with three rooms?

It depends on how many portals you use, not how many rooms you have. On a single portal, probably not. From two upwards it starts to make sense.

Which of these seven questions have you never asked your channel manager? Try the live demo or book a call: we will show you how Fattore reads your arrivals.

Sources

• Smoobu, Come scegliere il channel manager migliore per la tua casa vacanza (Italian)
• Chekin, Channel manager vs PMS (Italian)