<![CDATA[BookingCenter Support Department]]> <![CDATA[GDS and OTA Bookings | What can they do for me?]]> The Global Distribution System (GDS) is an international, interconnected network of traditional travel agents and online travel agent (OTA) websites. Because the traditional GDS systems are only a fraction of the ways people research and book travel these days, when combined with non-traditional networks, BookingCenter refers to the entirety as the Global Booking Network.

The BookingCenter Global Booking Network gives your property real-time visibility on over 8,200 travel websites and travel agent databases (including the Sabre, WorldSpan, Amadeus, and Galileo GDS systems used by over 650,000 travel agents worldwide), the Pegasus system (which provides distribution to TravelWeb, Booking.com, Priceline, Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz and others), and other consumer networks such as YellowPages.com, Verizon SuperPages, and TourWorld. See a sample list of partner sites here: https://www.bookingcenter.com/gds-and-ota-channels/.

Why Participate in the OTA and/or GDS?

Increased visibility on high-trafficked travel websites where you would not be seen normally.  We encourage our properties to see the GDS as a part of their marketing plan.  75-85% of all travel consumers will research their travel options online, while only 10% of travelers will book your property without doing any internet research.   

  • Increased revenue from GDS bookings.  Who doesn't want more bookings?  Who doesn't want new clientele?  And who doesn't want the opportunity to turn those new guests into repeat guests?  
  • Increased networking and relationships with travel industry powerhouses.
  • Increased marketing opportunities on the internet and travel agent databases, driving guests to research your property directly at your property's website.  

Why Connect the GDS to your BookingCenter Management Tools?
With BookingCenter, you not only get more connections, you have complete control of what they see. You can allocate specific rooms to distribution partners, provide unique rooms, rates, availability to whichever OTA channel/agent you wish, and reserve others for your walk-ins, your website, or your partner agents.  Allocate rooms to suit your needs, your goals. You strategically price your rooms, conncted to your actual availability, in real–time.  Set Length of Stay and cancellation policies to fit each different agent.  

When you set these parameters in your BookingCenter management tool, it is uploaded to each distribution channel.  When reservations are made on those distribution channels, they are seamlessly downloaded into your BookingCenter management tool and adjust available inventory to all other channels.  

Different Distribution Vehicles within the GDS Available to You: 

1.  Negotiated Rates

The travel industry is full of corporations and travel agencies who only book at properties that provide direct, negotiated rates. BookingCenter provides these negotiated rates via your website, through our Local Distribution Systems, and via the GDS and Pegasus systems.  

To Learn More: https://www.bookingcenter.com/global-distribution-system-gds/

 

2.  Consortia Programs

According to HEDNA a consortia is a "rate negotiated between a hotel company and a travel agency group. Viewership of these rates in the GDS by a Travel Agent or other GDS user is restricted and the rate may be booked only after entry of either the Agents or Client authorization code." Originally started for mom and pop travel agencies, Consortias have become a major player in the travel industry. Consortia is a conglomerate of travel agencies that have joined together into an organization, and by doing this, can increase marketing to their customers by offering competitive rates at BookingCenter hotels worldwide. This program is offered for enrollment once per year, and returns excellent results for many of our properties.

Learn more information:  https://www.bookingcenter.com/global-distribution-system-gds/

3.  Multiple Rates and Corporate Rates

BookingCenter allows your property to sell discounted rates to specific markets on th GDS and Global Booking Network.  The five major discount rate plans include AAA, AARP, Government, Military, and Corporate and offer your Rack and Promotional (promo) rates with them.  Usually suggested to discount your Rack (Daily) Rate 10%, you are gaining another audience through advertising, networking, and advocacy within these specific populations.  

Learn more information at:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/103

4. Packages

Sell Packages containing combinations of Room and Items - both on your website and/or through the GDS systems. Packages are an increasing percentage of all online transactions, and usually provide a higher margin of profit to the lodging, and a better experience to your Guest. Watch how Booking.com, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotwire, and Orbitz are engaging Packages on their sites, and realize why this is a preferred way to plan - and sell - your 'travel experience'.

Ask us how to take advantage of Packages now here: https://www.bookingcenter.com/interfaces-and-modules/packaging-module/

 


5.  OTA Contract Rate/Merchant Model Programs

The travel industry is dominated by large Online Travel Agent (OTA) websites such as Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor. While not perfect for all, these systems - especially in competitive or remote markets - are an excellent source of reservations. BookingCenter can manage your OTA inventory and rates seamlessly - right through any of our Management Tools. These programs have delivered up to 35% monthly occupancy to some of our customers, and by using them in tandem with a direct marketing campaign, a property can build long-lasting customer relationships.  *This is available to our properties with or without GDS enrollment.  

Learn more about automating your relationship with the Contract Rate/Merchant Model companies at: https://www.bookingcenter.com/gds-and-ota-channels/

6.  Partnership Offering 700+ OTA Interfaces

Looking to interface with more than just the major OTAs?  Enjoy the same seamless integration between your BookingCenter management tools and the OTAs of your choice.  

Learn more about the RDX Partnership:  https://www.bookingcenter.com/gds-and-ota-channels/

 

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | Cancellations and Fees ]]> Online Booking Cancellations and Fees (website, GDS or OTA Channels)

Any booking made outside your property, or via your website, through the GDS or OTA Channels, are considered the primary travel relationship (or channel) between the guest and that GDS/OTA source.  You, as the property, are simply the third party fulfilling the reservation in these cases.  

  • In-Channel Cancellations:  Because of this third-party status, when a booking originates with an OTA (Online Travel Agent) or with a GDS partner (shown by an 8-digit IATA number), any booking to be modified or cancelled must be done directly with that originating source.  If a guest cancels correctly, you will receive an email or fax notification from the OTA/GDS source confirming the cancellation.  We suggest you hold on to that confirmation notification as the only way we can credit back a wrongly charged commission is with that piece of documentation.  Also, if done correct, the booking will literally fall out of your BookingCenter system as if it was never there in the first place without any adjustments from you as the property.  There is no charge for these correctly cancelled bookings from BookingCenter.
  • Out-Of-Channel Cancellations:  If a guest calls your property to cancel or modify a booking that originated with an OTA or GDS source, please direct them to contact or log into their original source of the booking to avoid any out-of-channel cancellation (OOCC) fees.  (To determine a booking's source, please ask for the CRS Confirmation # and look at the source for that booking.)  If you cancel the reservation with the OTA/GDS partner on behalf of the guest you will incur an out-of-channel cancellation fee.  This will show on your commission statement from BookingCenter as a "Transaction Fee" for that particular guest.  
  • No-Shows:  In addition, if you have a no-show that originated in the GDS/OTA and you have to cancel the booking for the guest, you will incur an out-of-channel cancellation fee.  However, this is typically less than allowing a booking to stand and incurring a commission charge.  (more details here)
  • Your Property's Cancellation Policy:  Make sure to have a detailed cancellation policy for your property as you go forward.  This cancellation policy should include room for you to charge the credit card different percentages depending on how close to the reservation date the cancellation is made.  
  • BookingCenter's Terms and Conditions: When you joined the GDS, you agreed to the following found in the attached Terms and Conditions under Section 6.
  • Payment Terms::Bookings made by Travel Agents and Online Travel Agents through the GDS systems are to be made and cancelled only in the GDS system.  Any cancellations made within the GDS systems are considered 'In-Channel' cancellations and will not accrue any charges or fees to either BookingCenter.com nor Property.  However, if a Guest were to contact a Property directly and cancel a booking made originally in the GDS system(s), then this is considered an 'Out-of-Channel' cancellation and such a booking will incur a fee of $19 USD per 'Out-of-Channel' booking cancelled.  This fee of $19 USD is required to be paid to BookingCenter.com at the month following the canceled booking's departure date.  To avoid any 'Out-of-Channel' cancellation booking fees, Participant should simply inform the Guest to cancel the booking in the channel in which it was made.


]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | Managing Rates and Availability to your Front D...]]> To manage rooms and rates to your Front Desk, GDS or Website from MyPMS, you have three choices.

1. Agent Allocations: Go to Setup | Relationships |Agent Relationships. Use the 'allocation' method to allocate your Room Types, at specific Rates, to each Agent. See Add Agent Allocations.

  • Room Type and Rate allocations can be customized to each agent, however there are three agents that MUST have all ROOM TYPES allocated.
  • These 3 Agents are: MyPMS (front desk users), BC (website), and WR (Global Booking Network). See below for details on how to manage each.
    • Agent MyPMS (The rooms and rates that your Front Desk users 'see' when using MyPMS):
    • Agent WR (The Global Booking Network) and stop sending all rooms, or send unique rates through distribution:
    • Agent BC is the channel that is distributing rooms to your Website Booking Engine.

Notice, this technique allocates these Rooms for ALL DATES, so proceed warily, as if you forget to turn it back on again, you may be removed from various travel sites when, in fact, you have rooms available. To learn more about using Agent Allocations, please visit https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Understanding+Agent+Channels

2. Hard Allocations: Use 'Hold bookings'. For this method, you book the rooms using an actual Booking or a Group Booking. The Group Booking 'Hard Allocation' is an easy way to 'hold rooms' back. Then, when you no longer wish to 'block' the room, you simply 'cancel' the 'hold' booking and it has no bearing on your occupancy or REVPAR analysis. Hard Allocations

3. Out of Order Rooms:  Another option is to use use Out of Order. Do this by navigating to Bookings --> Tape Chart. Click the actual 'Room' name on the left side of the Tape Chart and an option to 'Mark OOO' will appear. Choose a date to indicate the start and stop date that the room is expected to be out of order, as well as the reason. Once saved, the room will appear as 'out of order' on the tape chart. To change the dates of the out of order room, simply click one of the out of order boxes and adjust the start and/or stop dates from the pop-up box accordingly. Likewise, to remove the out of order status, click the Remove button from this pop-up. Making Rooms Out of Order

 See the following sections of the online manual to learn more on managing agent allocations to online channels:

 Room Type-Rate Plan Allocation Examples

 Agent Channels

 Agent Types

 Room Type and Rate Plan Allocations

 Add Room Type Allocation

 GDS and OTA Allocations

 Manage Availability and Rates

 Rate Loading

 Promo Codes

 Special Agents

 

]]> <![CDATA[Rate Loading and Managing Rates to the GDS and OTA Channels]]> BookingCenter gives you the flexibility to allocate special rates, rooms, and number of rooms to each specific agent.  This is especially helpful when off-setting some costs that come with certain agents.  

Rate Loading for Agents (also known as Channels):

If you simply want to increase or decrease your rack rate by a percentage amount for all Room Types allocated to an agent, you can "load" the rate with a higher (+) or lower (-) percentage that will be automatically calculated and applied to all allocated rates for that channel.  This can help compensate for a higher commission structure with an OTA by adding a percentage to the rate (+25 would be adding 25% to the allocated rate) OR honor the negotiated OTA Net Rate where you sell your room at a discount to an OTA (think of it as selling your room wholesale) (-20 would be discounting your rate 20%).  

Please note that the rate loading of an agent (also known as a channel) will be applied to all rates allocated to that agent.   

Quick steps to add a "Rate Load" a Channel:

  • Go to Set up, go to Relationships
  • Go to Agent Relationships
  • Locate column called 'Rate Loading'. Enter a positive or negative number in the field to indicate the percentage increase or decrease (10 equals an increase of 10%, -10 equals a decrease of 10%). For example, if you enter 8 in the field, then the rates will be increased by 8% when they go to the distribution channel. If you were to place a -5%, then the rates would be decreased by 5% when they go to that channel. This is an easy way to affect all rates going to an Agent channel.
  • Once done, click 'Change' to save the changes.

Creating unique or different Rates for Online Distibution, whether GDS or OTA: If you wish to assign completely different rates to your GDS or OTA Channel, go ahead an create a new rate in your BookingCenter software.  Keep in mind that these rates will only affect reservations that enter the system AFTER the change is made.  These rates will not be retroactively applied to bookings already in the system. 

For step-by-step instructions,

Try the Yield Management Add-On Module to get more Power in Allocations:  An additional BookingCenter tool that can be added to your BookingCenter program is the Yield Management Module.  The YMM is able to automate these 'rate loading' events based on occupancy and time conditions for your property, without requiring you to manually managed each rate and agent separately.  This is very powerful tool to add to your BookingCenter package and can make rate management conform to your business goals easily and seamlessly.  

See: http://www.bookingcenter.com/products/modules/yield_management.html for details.

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | GDS and OTA Booking Cancellations and no Shows]]> What is the best way to cancel, modify, or 'No Show' a GDS or OTA Booking?

  • If a guest contacts you directly to modify or cancel a future reservation, please direct them to make the modification or cancellation with the agent they created the booking with. For example, if the booking originated with an OTA (Online Travel Agent), then the guest needs to cancel/modify the booking with that OTA.  If the booking was done with a specific travel agent, direct the guest to have that agent/company cancel or modify the booking.

  • If the guest correctly modifies or cancels the booking with the original OTA or Travel Agent, then the change or cancellation will be automatically adjusted in your BookingCenter management tool via the interface.  And you will have no liability from the OTA or Travel Agent.

  • If you cancel or modify the booking on behalf of the guest of a Travel Agent, the booking will become an out-of-channel cancellation/modification.  Your property will be liable for 'out-of-channel cancellation' (OOCC) fee (more details here).

  • To off-set any OOCC fee, we suggest you write in a strict cancellation policy for your property.

  • Once a booking is active (ie, checked in), cancelling it will be treated as an out-of-channel cancellation.

  • Once a Booking has been checked in (ie status is active), if a Guest logs into their OTA account (such as Booking.com) and attempts to alter the booking, we won't alter the booking from the OTA, as this causes more mayhem than benefit for our properties. We reject the message, for example from Booking.com in this case, and the OTA will email you to state that an active Guest is cancelling or editing their Active booking. It's then your staff's responsibility to do what is needed for a guest who is Active - extend them, check them out early, or otherwise help the Guest with an Edit.  

  • Should you need to modify the length of stay of an active booking, simply extend the booking if the guest is staying longer, or check the booking out on the actual departure day if the guest is leaving early.  The final cost of the booking will update and be used as the final cost for commission value.

  • BookingCenter doesn’t relay ’no show' data to travel networks (such as OTA, GDS, etc) as the property staff is expected to document these events and then act on their policy (unique to each property) such as charging a cancellation fee or whatever policy they had in effect at the time of the booking and the channel it was booked.

Online Bookings | Cancellations and Fees

]]> <![CDATA[OTA: Did a Guest pay the Online Travel Agent (Expedia, Orbitz, et...]]> It is not infrequent that we receive a question from a customer - the guest checked in and said they paid Expedia/Travelocity/etc and they don't need to pay me. Is this correct?

The answer to this question is simple: If you have NOT signed a specific contract with a third party Online Travel Agency (OTA) website such as Expedia, Priceline, or Orbitz, then the guest who booked DID NOT PAY. They may have been forced to enter their credit card to meet your deposit policy, but the Online Travel Agency (OTA) such as Expedia, Priceline, or Orbitz did not charge them. The guest has likely been charged 'at time of booking' in the past, and thus assumes it happened again. If this is the case, offer your phone to the guest, have them call the website (such as Expedia or Orbitz) and confirm this is the case, so that all is well between the two of you. Then they will feel fine giving you their credit card and paying for this hospitality.


If you DID sign a specific contract with a third party Online Travel Agency (OTA) website such as Expedia, Priceline, or Orbitz, then it is possible that there was a pre-payment by the Guest. BookingCenter WILL NOT know this, as only your contract with that third party can define the payment relationship between the OTA and your business. However, some of our customers do participate in these 'pre payment' models known as Net Rate or Merchant Model programs (as explained at: http://www.bookingcenter.com/products/net_rate.html) and only your contract, or your account representative with the OTA, can inform you of the pre-payment terms the customer paid. Most Net Rate relationships deliver the credit crd from the OTA with the booking, for you to charge at check out.

]]> <![CDATA[Hotwire Contract Rates | Connection and Activation]]> Hotwire's Contract Rate Program and your BookingCenter Software System

Below are very specific steps you need to follow to assure your successful enrollment in the XML Interface in between Hotwire and BookingCenter. 

Please note BookingCenter is available to assist, but all steps are completed initially between your property and Hotwire. 

https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Hotwire+Contract+Rate+Program

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[Agoda | How can I participate in the Agoda Net Rate Program?]]> How can I participate in the Agoda.com NetRate program?

Agoda is one of Asia’s top hotel booking sites. Please find the steps below to enrol your hotel with Agoda. Once you are live all reservations from Agoda will import seamlessly into BookingCenter.

  1. Go to: https://ycs.agoda.com/en-us/ExpressConnect/Index and click Connect Today" in First Time Registration box on the left.
  2. When you complete the registration process, an Agoda representative will contact you to sign all the required paperwork and complete your profile via their extranet.
  3. Your Agoda representative will send you and BookingCenter your room type mapping details.
  4. We will work with our distribution partners to have this mapped for you.
  5. When the mapping is complete, an official activation notice will be sent.

Typical turnaround on mapping is between 5 to 10 business days.

If you have any questions about the above process, please contact our Support Department.

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | Source of Booking]]> How to determine what source generated a booking:  Website, GDS Network, OTA Contract Rate, Negotiated Rate, In-house Promotions?

Because bookings come from BookingCenter form numerous places, it can be hard to differentiate between different types of bookings based on the Booking ID.  However, each Booking ID will be attached to an Agent code, which will tell you exactly where the booking originated from.  

To view which Agents are available to your Property you can view this list in your software.

  • If using MyPMS or the Management Tool:  Set-Up-> Relationships -> Agent Relationships. 
  • f using the Desktop:  Member's Area -> Relationships -> Agent Relationships.  

The Agent list has Agent IDs next to each which will correspond to the Booking Information in the Booking Details of a reservation.   

If looking at BookingDetails, you are looking for the Travel Agent information, or if you are in the Member's Area you will see the Agent column.  

Here are some common Agent IDs you will see:

1.  An 8 digit numeric code denotes the IATA number (International Association of Travel Agents).  This IATA number represents any travel agent or Online Travel Agent (OTA) website that has booked your property through the GDS that is NOT an OTA Contract booking.  Click on the Agent IATA number and you will see the Agent Details.  

2.  A three or four alpha numeric code will represent an OTA Contract Rate booking.  (i.e. EQR, BKG, TW1)

3.  BC/BUT denotes a booking from your own property's website.

4.  Your own promotional code that you created in your software for an inhouse promotion.  

 Why is Knowing the Agent Information Important?

1.  If an online booking cancels with the property but not with the OTA where the website originated from, you are liable for a $10 out-of-channel cancellation fee.  When a guest calls to cancel, this Agent ID allows you to check the point of origin and let the guest know that the reservation is not cancelled until they contact the OTA directly.  (This is also the point where you want to make sure you have a cancellation policy in place and that you let them know that the cancellation policy is still applicable until you receive the cancellation directly from the OTA.)

2.  All commissions owed to BookingCenter are based on the Agent ID that the booking is attached to.  In order to check that all your commissions are correct, use this Agent ID to determine what commission fee structure the booking falls under.   


]]> <![CDATA[OTA Contract Rates: Switching an Existing OTA Contract Rate Conne...]]> It is not uncommon for a customer who is switching to BookingCenter to already use another company's Channel Manager to connect to an OTA Contract Rate, such as Booking.com or Expedia.

To avoid disruptions or problems, you will have to inform your Market Manager at the specific OTA (such as Booking.com) that you will no longer receive bookings through the current Channel Manager (such as Provider ID X).  Instead, you will be switching to a NEW Channel Manager (such as Provider ID Y - the actual ID is different for each OTA.  Please see the enrollment directions for the desired OTA switch for details.)  

When you do this, you will have to manage your bookings through the OTA's extranet (ask your Market Manager how to do this if you are unfamiliar) while we are mapping and verifying your connection to BookingCenter and our Channel Manager.  If you abandon the extranet, you may open your property up for overbookings and duplicate bookings.  Once your interface connection is certified and confirmed with BookingCenter, you can begin managing your rooms LIVE in your BookingCenter product.  

Please keep in mind, that where the booking originated from is where it will continue to be managed.  So if a booking is received in the extranet, it will stay in the extranet until completion.  It will not download into the BC software, nor will it accrue commissions from BookingCenter directly.  If the booking was made in a different Channel Manager ID, then any modifications or cancellations of that booking will not get updated through BookingCenter.  

While the specific OTAs have their own ways for handling these situations, Expedia and Booking.com both email and/or fax any updates about modifications or cancellations to bookings that originated in prior channel products.  Thus, it's imperative that you watch for emails from these OTAs and use the emails to edit/cancel bookings.

 

For OTA Contract Rate enrollment directions:  

 

A.)  Booking.com:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/271

B.)  Expedia:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/323

C.)  Priceline:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/322

D.)  Hotwire:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/386

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[GDS Bookings: Commonly asked questions about bookings from the GD...]]> All GDS booking will have a similar confirmation number. Something like 9M519LP2AN1W (a mix of letters and numbers). The GDS entity that makes the booking usually has no reference to this booking number and instead reference their own internally created booking confirmation number. GDS bookings should not be canceled in the software in order to avoid a out of channel cancellation fee. They should always be canceled by the guest where the guest made their original reservation.

1). Why do bookings come in without any guest information such as phone number, email or address?

  • You will never get this information in the booking. These booking are made in distribution and these independent companies that make these reservations do not send this information with the booking as they wish to retain the guest as their customer.  If you need to get ahold of a guest please contact the IATA agent who made the booking.

2). We need to find out once a guest has made a booking do they get a confirmation letter from our property?

  • No email is sent to the guest from you or BookingCenter. The booking is made on an independent companies website or through a travel agent. The guest belongs to this company and the company that made the booking will send the guest their own confirmation letter. BookingCenter and your property have no control of this process. 

3). Are all of our policies and instructions disclosed to the guest? 

  • Your master cancellation policy is sent, but all written policy information may or may not be picked up by these distribution companies.  Any channels that you have a merchant agreement with you can define additional marketing or policy information in your extranet.

4). I do not see IATA number in the reservation system, to even call the travel agent directly.

  • For MyPMS: This is attached to the original booking located in Setup --> Bookings Tab. Click on the Agent link on the booking in question. 
  • For Management Tool: This is attached to the original booking located in Bookings -> Online Bookings.  Click on the Agent link on the booking in question. 
  • For Desktop: First located the booking via Room Bookings -> Find.  Make a note of the numerical agent id and then click the Agents button at the top of the software or via BookingCenter -> Agents.

5).  I called the IATA agent and they said they cannot find the reservation.  What do I do?

  • When calling the Agent or OTA who created the booking please give them as much information as possible including: Property Name, Guest first and last name and arrival date.  You may also give them your property identifier for the specific channel (Pegasus, Sabre etc).  Your property identifiers were sent to you in your GDS activation email.  If can not locate your property identifiers please put in a support ticket and we will provide them for you.

6). We have very specific requirements for all or part of the year that aren't covered by any of the master policy settings.  How do we make sure these policies are enforced?

  • For any channel you have a merchant agreement with you may put these restrictions in place within your extranet.  Specific policies or restrictions not covered under your master policy/restriction settings are not enforceable via the regular GDS channels.

Examples for specific restrictions or policies that cannot be enforced via the regular GDS channels include but are not limited to:

     a) Guests must be 21+ for reservations between X and Y dates.

     b) Guests must call the property to confirm their reservation.

     c) Differing Cancellation periods by date range.  I.e. 'Between Jan - April Cancellation Period is 2 days, Between May - June Cancellation period is 7 days, Between Dec - Jan Cancellation period is 14 days'.

]]> <![CDATA[Webinar: Managing Agent Allocations May 2014]]> Webinar Recording - May 6, 2014

Take control of Agent Allocations and maximize online distribution in your MyPMS system. Learn how to setup your agents and allocations to make managing online bookings easy. Perfect for new users or those of you who may need a refresher!

This webinar covers the following topics:

  • Setting up Agents: Promo, Private, GDS and OTA
  • Managing Agent Allocations and Distribution
  • Controlling Rates across multiple allocations
  • Using Rate Loading to set rates across channels

 

]]> <![CDATA[Webinar: OTA Contract Rates July 2014]]> Webinar Recording - July 9, 2014

Take the next step in Global Distribution. Get more out of your OTA Channels!

The BookingCenter Contract Rates Program facilitates a direct connection for preferred placement on major OTA search engines like Booking.com, Expedia and Orbitz. Our seamless GDS Interface allows you to automatically manage availability and rates in your PMS system. Learn how to make the most out of your Global Distribution System with effective OTA Channel Management.

The following topics are covered in this webinar:

  • OTA Overview- Are OTA Contract Rates right for you?
  • How to get started GDS and OTA Contract Rates.
  • Advantages to the XML Interface with BookingCenter.

 

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings: How to Get More GDS/Online Bookings]]> If you have joined the GDS Network, but you are finding that your GDS bookings may not be populating as much as you would like them to be, here are a few tips:

 

1.)  Make your GDS profile more descriptive, exact, well-rounded.  Make sure to describe your rooms, amenities, local attractions, and add images that actually show your property.  

You can load 10 different images on the GDS at no cost.  If you load 11-20 images, it will be a $4.00/month charge.  In our opinion, for about $0.14/day, it is well worth the exposure.  Guests book based on the visual proof.  

If you need assistance looking at your GDS profile and receiving suggestions, please open a Support Ticket at https://support.bookingcenter.com.  

 

2.)  If you are located in a heavily saturated hospitality market, you may not be able to be found on any of the major Online Travel Agents (OTAs) within the first 3 pages of their search engine.  A way to compete with these major players in your hospitality market, we would suggest that you look into OTA Contract Rates.  

For a summary of these programs, please visit:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/400

 

3.)  If you want to target certain markets or populations, we would suggest Negotiated Rates, Multiple Rates, and Corporate Rates.  

For Negotiated Rates, click on this link for more information:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/365

For Multiple Rates and Corporate Rates, click here:  https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/103

 

4.)  If you want to tap into the Trip Advisor and Trip Advisor: Review Express, which enables guests to find you quickly, book, stay, and then write reviews, as in comparison to the hotel version of Yelp.  Click here for more information:

https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/529

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[Agent/Channel Room Type-Rate Plan Allocations]]> Allocate specific Room Types, Rooms and Rates to Agent Channels

A Room Type/Rate Plan allocation controls the availability of Rooms and the Rates you offer to each channel. Room Type/Rate Plan allocations are also used to sell packages,  discounted rates and for Promo Codes.The Room Types and Rate Plans available to allocate in the channels are already setup in Room Types and Default Rates or Packages.When you add Room Type/Rate Plan allocation to a channel, all of the rooms assigned to that Room Type will be available at the Rate Plan you have assigned to it.

All Room Type and Rate Plan allocations to Agent Channels are listed and managed in SETUP | RELATIONSHIPS | AGENT RELATIONSHIPS.  The default screen of Agent Relationships displays the details of your Agent Channels:  Agent ID, Agent Type, Agent Name, Number of Rooms Allocated, Commission percentage and Rate Loading percentage.

Examples of Agents Channels include: your website, promotional codes, GDS, Expedia, Booking.com and other online travel agents. To see the contact details of each Agent, click the Agent ID.

See the following sections of the online manual to learn more on managing agent allocations to online channels:

Room Type-Rate Plan Allocation Examples

Agent Channels

Agent Types

Room Type and Rate Plan Allocations

Add Room Type Allocation

GDS and OTA Allocations

Manage Availability and Rates

Rate Loading

Promo Codes

Special Agents

]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com Direct | Discrepancy with booking times]]> Why is there a discrepancy between the reservations created time as displayed in MyPMS and the Booking.com Extranet?

If you are a Booking.com OTA Contract Rate property that is interfacing with BookingCenter's PMS software, you may see that there is a discrepancy between the date and time a reservation listed as created in the Booking.com extranet compared to the created time on the reservation in your PMS system.

Booking.com's central headquarters are in Amsterdam, therefore their whole system is based on Universal Time Clock (UTC) + 1 and they use that datetime stamp when listing a bookings creation date.

When the booking is then downloaded into your PMS system, the created entry in the log tab of the booking is automatically translated into your property's local time zone which follows our date and time display standards.

The created date and time as displayed in the log tab of the booking is the accurate date & time when the booking was created. 

 

]]> <![CDATA[OTA Contract Rates: Manage Bookings Made Prior to Your Current O...]]> OTA Contract Rates:  How to Manage Bookings Made Prior to Your Current OTA Connection

When  property adds an interface to a connection, this for all intensive purposes is considered a brand new connection.  This is true when you add BookingCenter as your interface or when a connectivity partner is changed by BookingCenter, and if this happens you will be fully informed.  

For this article, let's say that Connection A was the original connection, and Connection B is the new connection.

  1. For the bookings that you received during Connection A that have yet to check-in, these will NOT download automatically into your BookingCenter software.  If you want to add these into your BookingCenter software, you will have to manually do so.  Please keep in mind the Guest Confirmation Number in BookingCenter will not match the reservation number from the OTA.  
  2. If a booking received during Connection A is cancelled or modified, the change will NOT download into your BookingCenter software.  Instead, the OTA will either email or fax you the modification/cancellation.  (The delivery method was set by you with your OTA Market Manager.)  You will need to manually enter the change into your BookingCenter software.
  3. If a guest from Connection A calls you directly to cancel the reservation, please direct them to contact the OTA to adjust the reservation.  (They already know this upon agreeing to the terms of the reservation, but you will need to remind them.)  If you don't do this, and they don't call the OTA, and you only amend your BookingCenter software but not your OTA extranet, then the guest is still considered live and you will be charged the full commission from the OTA.  
  4. If you have any questions, please reach out to our support team.  
]]> <![CDATA[OTA Contract Rates: Your Role as the Property Between an OTA and...]]> OTA Contract Rates:  Your Role as the Property Between an OTA and BookingCenter

Upon starting and maintaining a relationship with your OTA Contract Rate program and BookingCenter, here are a few things that will help you understand your role in the connection.  

1.)  The two primary parties in any OTA Contract Rate is:  a.) the property (you)  and b.) the OTA (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Priceline, Hotwire).  Because the contract is between the two of you, the roll BookingCenter plays is simply being the connection between your PMS software and the OTA extranet (the managing site for any OTA).  

2.)  Proper Communication Channels:  Because the contract is between the two of you, we do not interfere in the enrollment process or the maintenance process between you and your designated Market Manager.  We do not reach out directly to the OTA on your behalf, as they will not want to hear from us.  We will rely on you to relay any communication that we need to know from your Market Manager to us.  We will also ask you to relay questions we may have as part of trouble-shooting or clarification back to your Market Manager.

3.)  Limited Information:  Because we are a third party, we will not have access to your extranet or some of the settings you have with your OTA.  We cannot always see what you see, and so we will rely on you to communicate in detail what problems you are having.  Include the guest's name, date of check-in, room/rate, promotional program if there is one, etc.  The more details we receive from you, the more we can research effectively on our side of the relationship.

4.)  Who to Contact When:  Someitmes it is difficult to know what side of the relationship (the OTA or your BookingCenter software) the problems lies on.  When in doubt, contact both sides with the details of the issue:  us and your OTA Market Manager.  

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com | Email alias' in place of the actual guest email]]> Booking.com changed the way they send email addresses for guests who book rooms at your hotels.  They used to send the actual guest email adddress (such as me@gmail.com), and now they send an 'alias' email address that looks like this: 200158071-qu9v.4kqw.yjzp.xveh@guest.booking.com.

If you were to send an email to that 'alias' address, Booking.com routes it to the actual email address of the guest (such as me@gmail.com).

Booking.com claims they did this because scammers are increasingly trying to find ways to gain access to their 'platform' and this will help to protect travelers (and partners, such as BookingCenter) from email-based attacks. Regular email traffic between partner and guest is still possible. The difference is that the identity of the partner (BookingCenter) and guest (the traveler), will be protected.

We know that email addresses to guests are very important for marketing and follow-up purposes.  And systems such as BookingCenter often use email as a unique identifier.  The actual email can still be obtained from the guest upon check-in/out, so train your staff to do so.

The email address remains valid until 2-months after checkout. For example, the alias email address for a booking made now (say in May, 2015) for a December checkout, will still be active until February, 2016.  After that date, though, sending an email to an expired 'alias' will not go anywhere.

Change is constant in our world.  Here's hoping this change from Booking.com will make good sense.

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | Rates and Availability Are Not Reflecting What ...]]> If you are having issues with the Expedia retail site displaying your Availability, Rates, Inventory (ARI) correctly, please follow the steps outlined below so we may troubleshoot where the disconnect is happening.

  •  If you are searching for your property on Expedia's retail site and getting a.) Incorrect Rates, b.) Incorrect Availability, or c.) "Hotel is Sold Out" (and it is not), please do the following:
    • If your rates and/or availability are incorrect on Expedia retail, try clearing your cache on your computer to jog out old search results.  Search again for your hotel.
    • "Hotel is Sold Out" usually points to a restriction setting in either Expedia connection not yet confirmed or your property is on a Stop Sell with Expedia.  Please contact your Expedia Market Manager to inquire about the state of your connection.
  • If your rates and availability are still incorrect
    • Are your rates and availability correct in MyPMS?
    • Are your correct rooms and rates allocated to your Expedia agents in your MyPMS?
]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com Direct | Top Help Articles]]> Please see these top help articles for the Booking.com Direction Connection with BookingCenter PMS Products.

Setup and Activation

Managing your Booking.com Connection

Online Manual for step-by-step instructions

Troubleshooting

]]> <![CDATA[Expedia Direct Connection FAQ | Bookings, Availability, Rates]]> Frequently Asked Questions about the BookingCenter-Expedia Direct Connection

How do I get started with my Expedia Direct Connection?

If you DO NOT have an account with Expedia, go to Expedia | New Account Setup.

If you DO have an account with Expedia go to Expedia | Activate Connection

For important information on setting up and managing your Expedia connection, see Expedia | Manage Connection

 How do I know when my Expedia Direct Connection is live?

After BookingCenter has completed the mapping of your Room Types, we will confirm the connection with Expedia. You will then receive a confirmation email from Expedia. In this confirmation email, you will be asked to log into the extranet to activate the direct connection. When you click this button and activate the connection, you will be LIVE on Expedia and can receive bookings. BookingCenter will also receive notification that the connection has been activated by you and update all rates and availability. If there are any issues, please let us know by updating your support ticket. 

How do I change Property Information, Images, Room Type Descriptions and Amenities?

All changes to Property and Room Type information such as descriptions, images, amenities, etc. are made in the Expedia Partner Central extranet. You have complete control over this in your Extranet. If you need help with making these changes, please contact your Expedia Market Manager. Remember, BookingCenter sends ONLY Availability, Rates and Restrictions to your Expedia Extranet. 

How do I find Expedia bookings in MyPMS?

All Expedia bookings will come in to your BookingCenter PMS with the agent code of EXPDIRHC=Expedia Hotel Connect, EXPDIRHC= Expedia Collect or EXPDIRPK= Expedia Packages, depending on the program you are signed up for. All Expedia bookings will come in with EXPDIR as the Source and an "E", for Expedia, at the end of the booking confirmation #, I.e. 626310332E

  • The booking will be automatically integrated into your PMS and appear on the Tape Chart as an "Unconfirmed" booking.
  • You can also see all online bookings that have integrated into your PMS in SETUP | BOOKINGS | ONLINE BOOKINGS. For instructions see Online Bookings.
  • To locate an online booking at the front desk, go to BOOKINGS | SEARCH BOOKINGS and search by Source. For an example, see Search Bookings

 How do I know when a Expedia booking is made?

When a booking is made on Expedia, you will receive an email notification from Expedia and it will automatically integrate into your PMS system and appear on the Tape Chart as and "unconfirmed" booking in Red. You can also see all bookings made in SETUP | BOOKINGS | ONLINE BOOKINGS. See Online Bookings

How do I add or remove a Room Type?

Easily add/remove room types by making the changes in Expedia Partner Central and then notifying BookingCenter of the changes. See Expedia | Add or Remove Room Types

How do I make sure that my room types in MyPMS are mapped to my Expedia extranet?

Once we receive noification of your activation request, BookingCenter will complete the mapping for you! All you need to do is make sure that you have the Room Types setup in Expedia Partner Central extranet and we will map them in MyPMS to channels EXPDIRHC=Expedia Hotel Connect, EXPDIRHC= Expedia Collect, and EXPDIRPK= Expedia Packages. See Expedia | Agent Allocations

How will I be able to see what is mapped to the Expedia Extranet

Go to SETUP | RELATIONSHIPS | AGENT RELATIONSHIPS. Locate Agent BKGDIR. Click on the number "X of X"  in the Allocations column and this will open a window with the Room Type/Rate Plans currently allocated to Expedia See Agent Relationships

How do I know what Rates are being sent to Expedia?

All your Room Types will be mapped to the Standard Rate Plan for each Room Type you have allocated in MyPMS under SETUP | RATES | ROOM TYPES, unless you specify otherwise.  All Room Type/Rate Plan allocation changes must be done by BookingCenter. If you need to change a Room Type/Rate Plan, then please submit a support ticket with the requested change.  

How do I make Rate changes?

There are two ways to change rates. Rate changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Expedia extranet will apply ONLY to the Expedia.

  1. BookingCenter property management system: Rate changes made in SETUP | RATES | MANAGE RATES will automatically update to Expedia and can be seen in your Extranet. See Manage Rates
  2. Expedia Partner Central extranet: Changes to rates can be made in the Expedia extranet and will over ride any rate changes made in the property management system.

How do I manage availability?

There are two ways to manage availability. Availability changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Expedia extranet will apply ONLY to the Expedia channel.

  1. BookingCenter property management system: Any changes made to availability in the property mangement system will automatically update to all channels including Expedia. This includes Closed to Arrival on Rates, Out of Order Rooms, etc. See Manage Availability
  2. Expedia Partner Central extranet: Changes to availability can be made in the Expedia extranet and will over ride any rates set in the property management system.

Where do I make changes to Restrictions: Closed to Arrival, Min. LOS and Max LOS.

There are two ways to change restrictions: Restriction changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Expedia extranet will apply ONLY to the Expedia channel.

  1. BookingCenter property management system: Rate changes made in SETUP | RATES | MANAGE RATES will automatically update to Expedia and can be seen in your Extranet. See Rate Restrictions and Manage Rates
  2. Expedia Partner Central extranet: Changes to rates can be made in the the extranet and will over ride any rate changes made in the property management system.

How do I add a promotion?

Contact your Expedia market manager and set up the promotion in your Extranet. Please tell your Expedia Market Manager that the promotion must be setup in "Instant Promo Mapping".  This setting was designed to be for short-term promotions for properties who wanted to offer promotions with short notice and NOT require extra mapping from the Channel Manager (in your case, BookingCenter). For important information and more details on Promotions, see Expedia Direct | Create Promotions

 

]]> <![CDATA[Expedia Direct Connection | Top Help Articles]]> Please see these top help articles for the Expedia Direction Connection with BookingCenter PMS Products.

Setup and Activation

Managing your Expedia Connection

Online Manual for step-by-step instructions

 

Troubleshooting

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[GDS | Mr and Mrs Smith Rate Issues]]> We have noticed a few key occurrences where your rates on the Mr and Mrs Smith retail site may appear to be incorrect or not matching within MyPMS.
This is likely due to three key factors that are specific to Mr and Mrs Smith and are as follows:

  1. The site displays various currencies,
  2. The site allows you to change between tax inclusive and tax exclusive, and
  3. The site will sometimes display rates above the standard (double) occupancy.
    1. For example, when searching for Room Type ABC, the site will display 4 guests; where the standard occupancy is 2, but can accommodate four. When it does this, the rate will show the total for all four guests (your base double occupancy price + the additional fee for each guest).

In summary, we have found that many sites selling on Mr and Mrs Smith in Europe are sending rates in Euros with ‘tax included’. As such, if you are searching for the property on the Mr and Mrs Smith retail site, be sure to check currency as Euros with ‘tax included’. When you do this, you will see the correct rates.

If there are any discrepancies with your rates on the site, please contact our support department and we can assist.

]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com | Can I sell in a foreign currency via Booking.com?]]> Can I sell in a foreign currency via Booking.com?


There are a number of properties outside the United States that do, or wish to, sell in US dollars. For example, you can sell and are set-up for USD within BookingCenter, but are located in Argentina. Some travel sites allow this, but Booking.com does not.

Booking.com has a policy/requirement that properties sell in their local currency. That said, BookingCenter has outlined steps below to accommodate for this policy. There are two ways to do this, which include:

  1. Create a new rate plan for the Booking.com channel/agent (BKGDIR). Note that this rate plan will be in your local currency (i.e. non-USD).
    1. As the currency fluctuates, you please be sure to update your rates.
    2. Steps can be found at: https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Add+Single+Rate
    3. When complete, please work with the Support Team to allocate this new rate plan to the Booking.com agent, or

 

  1. Use Rate Loading. Details can be found at: https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Rate+Loading
    1. This will allow you to increase or decrease your rates by a set percentage. If the exchange rate was USD 1.00 to GBP 1.43, you would use rate loading at 143; or 143%
    2. As the currency fluctuates, you please be sure to update this percentage.

Option #1 is the recommended strategy.

The key operational challenge with this is changing your rates “back” to USD after the reservation imports into BookingCenter. When this is done, all reports and details will be correct.

Note: The one market where this does not apply is Mexico. Booking.com does allow properties to sell in USD in Mexico. Booking.com has said they are exploring options to expand this strategy outside Mexico, but nothing has been confirmed to date.

If you have any questions about the above process, please contact our Support Department.

 

]]> <![CDATA[Online Bookings | Difference between a "stay through" restriction...]]> There are many questions around minimum length of stay (minLOS) requirements and how this works within the product and the various distribution channels. This often stems from the key difference between a "stay through" minimum length of stay and an "arrival based/day of arrival" minimum length of stay.


The definitions are as follows:

  • "Arrival based/day of arrival" minimum length of stay
    • The minimum length of stay applies to the Arrival Date.
    • Example: A three-night minLOS is set for August 2nd; but has a one-night minLOS on August 1st and August 3rd. Any guest whose stay starts on August 2nd, will be required to stay at least 3 nights. If the guest made the reservation on August 1st or August 3rd, they could book for just one night.

 

  • "Stay Through" minimum length of stay
    • Properties set a policy on minimum stay at any given period. This refers to the check-in date and check-out date, which must fall within a given period.
    • Example: A three-night minLOS is set for August 16th. Any guest whose stay includes that day (August 16th) must stay at least 3 nights.
      Currently, Expedia, Booking.com, and the GDS/IDS support "arrival based/day of arrival" minimum length of stay.

The BookingCenter MyPMS product and the BookingCenter booking engine utilizes "stay through" minimum length of stay.

In some cases, properties would create a new rate plan within BookingCenter for the GDS/IDS and OTA channels if they did not want day of arrival restrictions.

If you have any questions about the above process, please contact our Support Department.

]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com Direct Connection | FAQ Activation, Mapping, Rates]]> How do I get started with my Booking.com Direct Connection?

 How do I know when my Booking.com Direct Connection is live?

After BookingCenter has completed the mapping of your Room Types, we will confirm the connection with Booking.com. You will then receive a confirmation email from Booking.com. In this confirmation email, you will be asked to log into the extranet to activate the direct connection. When you click this button and activate the connection, you will be LIVE on Booking.com and can receive bookings. BookingCenter will also receive notification that the connection has been activated by you and update all rates and availability. If there are any issues, please let us know by updating your support ticket. 

 How do I change Property Information, Images, Room Type Descriptions and Amenities?

All changes to Property and Room Type information such as descriptions, images, amenities, etc. are made in the Booking.com Extranet. You have complete control over this in your Extranet. If you need help with making these changes, please contact your Booking.com Market Manager. Remember, BookingCenter sends ONLY Availability, Rates and Restrictions to your Booking.com Extranet. 

 How do I find Booking.com bookings in MyPMS?

The booking will be automatically integrated into your PMS and appear on the Tape Chart as an "Unconfirmed" booking. You can also see all Booking.com bookings in SETUP | BOOKINGS | ONLINE BOOKINGS. For more information, see Online Bookings.

All Booking.com bookings will have BKGDIR as the Source, BKGDIR as the Agent and a "B", for Booking.com, at the end of the booking confirmation #, I.e. 626310332B

 How do I know when a Booking.com booking is made?

When a booking is made on Booking.com, you will receive an email notification from Booking.com and it will automatically integrate into your PMS system. All bookings will come in to your BookingCenter product with the agent code of BKGDIR. This agent will be listed in SETUP | RELATIONSHIPS | AGENT RELATIONSHIPS. For more information on this Agent, see Booking.com Direct | Agent Allocations

How do I make sure that my room types in MyPMS are mapped to my Booking.com extranet?

Once we receive noification of your activation request, BookingCenter will complete the mapping for you! All you need to do is make sure that you have the Room Types setup in your Booking.com Extranet and we will map them in channel BKGDIR in Agent Allocations. We made need clarification on the Room Type names we get from Booking.com if they differ from what is in your system. If we need clarification, we will send you an email via the support ticket. Please respond quickly as any mapping errors can hold up the activation process.

How will I be able to see what is mapped to the Booking.com Extranet

Go to SETUP | RELATIONSHIPS | AGENT RELATIONSHIPS. Locate Agent BKGDIR. Click on the number "X of X"  in the Allocations column and this will open a window with the Room Type/Rate Plans currently allocated to Booking.com See Agent Relationships

How do I know what Rates are being sent to Booking.com?

All your Room Types will be mapped to the Standard Rate Plan for each Room Type you have allocated in MyPMS under SETUP | RATES | ROOM TYPES, unless you specify otherwise.  All Room Type/Rate Plan allocation changes must be done by BookingCenter. If you need to change a Room Type/Rate Plan, then please submit a support ticket with the requested change.  

How do I make Rate changes?

There are two ways to change rates. Rate changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Booking.com extranet will apply ONLY to the Booking.com.

BookingCenter property management system: Rate changes made in SETUP | RATES | MANAGE RATES will automatically update to Booking.com and can be seen in your Extranet. See Manage Rates

Booking.com Extranet: Changes to rates can be made in the Booking.com extranet and will over ride any rate changes made in the property management system.

How do I manage availability?

There are two ways to manage availability. Availability changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Booking.com extranet will apply ONLY to the Booking.com channel.

BookingCenter property management system: Any changes made to availability in the property mangement system will automatically update to all channels including Booking.com. This includes Closed to Arrival on Rates, Out of Order Rooms, etc. See Manage Availability

Booking.com Extranet: Changes to availability can be made in the Booking.com extranet and will over ride any rates set in the property management system.

Where do I make changes to Restrictions: Closed to Arrival, Min. LOS and Max LOS.

There are two ways to change restrictions: Restriction changes made in the property management system will be sent to ALL channels the Room Type/Rate Plan is allocated. Changes made in the Booking.com extranet will apply ONLY to the Booking.com channel.

BookingCenter property management system: Rate changes made in SETUP | RATES | MANAGE RATES will automatically update to Booking.com and can be seen in your Extranet. See Rate Restrictions

Booking.com Extranet: Changes to rates can be made in the Booking.com extranet and will over ride any rate changes made in the property management system.

How do I add a promotion?

Contact your Booking.com market manager and set up the promotion in your Extranet. Please tell your Booking.com Market Manager that the promotion must be setup in "Instant Promo Mapping".  This setting was designed to be for short-term promotions for properties who wanted to offer promotions with short notice and NOT require extra mapping from the Channel Manager (in your case, BookingCenter). For important information and more details on Promotions, see Booking.com Direct | Create Promotions

 

]]> <![CDATA[Booking.com | Booking.com reservations with no credit card inform...]]> If you receive a reservation from Booking.com and it has no credit card information, this is because of a setting within the Booking.com extranet.

If you wish to disable this feature, please login to your Booking.com extranet and you will be able to edit this under the Payment and Cancellation Policies under the ‘Property Info’ tab.

Simply un-check the box that states 'Allow domestic customers to book without credit card details'.

When this is done, reservations will only be allowed with credit card information.

]]> <![CDATA[GDS | How can I participate in Travelzoo?]]> How can I participate in the Travelzoo program?

The Travelzoo Hotel Platform was introduced to complement their current product mix, and more importantly to further support their hotel partners throughout the year. They recently launched the new Travelzoo website at the end of last year and have gotten great feedback from members and clients alike. The Hotel Platform is risk-free without any up-front cost and is a curated platform, with only selected hotels invited to participate.

Here are some highlights to the invitation-only Hotel Platform

-       Competitive Commission Structure  

-       One-time set up

-       Easy Connection via BookingCenter

-       Fenced in member only opportunities

-       Capture demand for everyday bookings and stimulate demand with limited time promotions.

-       Prominent positioning 365 days a year


To enrol with Travelzoo, please reach out to your Travelzoo rep, Melissa Fitzgerald, via phone at: 415-343-4562 or via email at: mfitzgerald@travelzoo.com. 

We will work with our distribution partners to have this mapped for you. When the mapping is complete, an official activation notice will be sent.

Typical turnaround on mapping is between 5 to 10 business days.

If you have any questions about the above process, please contact our Support Department.

]]> <![CDATA[Why are my derived rates in SynXis not displaying restrictions]]> Currently SynXis does not support restrictions via derived rates. Rates from BookingCenter to SynXis for derived rates will correctly display, but not restrictions (Closed to Arrival, minimum length of stay, closed flag).


For example, if you are sending a BAR rate to SynXis and have derived rate in SynXis off of BAR (called AAA), the rates will correctly display the derived rates, but the restrictions from BAR will not exist with the AAA rate plan.


The solution to this is simply create a new Agent within BookingCenter (using the above example this would be AAA). From here, you would use Rate Loading for the derived rate (i.e. 15%). If a percentage increase/decrease is not what you want, you will need to create a new rate plan -either a Default or a Child Rate.

Note that the BookingCenter support department will assist with this update within MyPMS. Lastly you will need to ensure that the channel assignment is correctly completed within SynXis for this new rate plan.

]]> <![CDATA[GDS and OTA Connections & Distribution]]>

We offer a full host of online distribution connections and programs. Boost your online marketing strategy with GDS Distribuiton, OTA Connections, and Meta Search.

Offer unique rates and availability to multiple online channels with our Channel Manager and seamless connection to Global Distribution System (GDS) and Online Travel Agents (OTA).

Our easy-to-use allocation and pricing tools give you complete control and flexibility.

  • Room and rate allocation by channel
  • Easy rate and inventory management
  • Automatic availability and rate updates

     

     

    All of our PMS products connect seamlessly to GDS and OTA programs with 2-way interfaces to your PMS

    Learn more about our full selection on online distribution programs and services.

    Distribute Rooms and Rates Online

    The traditional first step to selling rooms online.  A GDS connection gives you exposure to all travel agents globally, some high traffic travel sites such as, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and hundreds of others. And thousands of corporate, government, and institutional travelers. GDS Distribution

     

    Gain exposure with OTA Connections

    Our OTA connections give you seamless connection to sites like Booking.com and Expedia, niche agencies like Mr and Mrs. Smith and Tablet. Participate in OTA Contract Rates to enhance your listing with preferred placement. OTA Direct Connections and OTA Contract Rates

     

    Increase visibility with Meta Search

    Meta Search sites allow users to search for hotels based not only on name, but also on factors like location, price, and property type. Meta Search

     

    Leverage Marketing opportunities

    Participation in Consortia Programs enables targeted rates to specific markets with corporate and institutional travelers. Negotiated Rates and Consortia Programs

]]> <![CDATA[Airbnb reservation requests and OVER bookings ]]> If you are using the "Reservation request" feature of airbnb, and a guest made a reservation request prior to making the booking, Airbnb holds that room availability for 24hrs.  This gives the guest a booking if they confirm within that 24 hour time period, even if your availability has changed (for example, a booking via your website, Expedia, etc).

 

BookingCenter will send an update to Airbnb, possibly closing out the room, but because you allowed 'Reservation Requests' that booking will still be valid for the 24 hours.  And thus, if the booking is confirmed by the Guest, you can now have a double booking if that room was booked via another channel.

 

If you wish to avoid this fate, disable reservation requests, and only accept instant bookings from Airbnb.

 

]]>