Updating Rates and Rooms for OTAs (Booking.com, Expedia, AirBNB)
Using GraceSoft as your Channel Manager provides automatic updates on your availability, with the system synchronizing every 2-3 minutes. This page will assist you in how to markup rates, change rates and also manage restrictions on either minimum nights or holidays.
Channel Manager Markup
All OTAs (Online Travel Agents) charge commissions to each property for bookings made through their sites. Many property owners will add a ‘Channel Manager markup’ to their room rates, as they offer lower rates to their preferred guests and/or members who book directly with their property.
To apply a Channel Manager Markup on any rate, go to Setup>Rate Setup. You will see the list of Regular Rates on your screen. To add the markup to any rate, click on the Rate Name, which will open the Modify Regular Rate screen. In the Channel Manager Markup enter a value for the percentage of markup that should be added to the Regular Rate. Click Save Rate Plan.
This markup will be added to that Regular Rate type and any related seasonal rates. After completing updates in the Modify Regular Rate screens, please proceed to OTA Connectivity Screen to Send Rates and Availability. (http://help.easyinnkeeping.com/documentation/ota-connectivity-pushing-rates-availability/)
Updating Rates for OTAs
It’s important to remember that any rate changes made on Easy InnKeeping must be sent by the property manager to the OTAs using the OTA Connectivity screen. After setting up new rack rates or seasonal rates and saving in the Rate Setup in Easy InnKeeping, please proceed to the OTA Connectivity Screen to send rate changes to the OTAs. http://help.easyinnkeeping.com/documentation/ota-connectivity-pushing-rates-availability/)
Updating Reservations
When any property opens a listing with an OTA (Booking.com, Expedia, or AirBNB), agreements are signed to abide by their systems’ policies and operations. The connection we provide to these OTAs also operates according to their systems’ requirements. A property owner needs to be aware of some restrictions that apply to reservations received from OTAs.
Room Type Restrictions
To provide accurate synchronization of data between Easy InnKeeping and any OTA; every room is assigned to a Room Type. After receiving a reservation from any OTA, any changes to that reservation’s Room Type must be initiated from the guest through the OTA Channel. If a property changes the Room Type assignment in an OTA booking, any future changes or cancellations made by the Guest on the OTA will FAIL to update Easy InnKeeping.
Easy InnKeeping provides a warning and alert if the property attempts to change the room type:
Property should not change the Room Type for OTA bookings. Please request guest to make their Room Type change from Booking.com, Expedia or AirBNB.
Note: Changing this Room Type will STOP further communication with this reservation from the OTA. Any future changes or cancellations by the Guest would FAIL to download to Easy InnKeeping.
Do you still want to change the Room Type?
Yes Cancel
You are receiving this alert because all reservations received from OTAs are updated based on the Booking ID, and the Room Type. The property should not change the Room Type for bookings received from OTAs. Please request guest to make their Room Type change from Booking.com, Expedia or AirBNB.
If you still want to change the Room Type, you do so at your own risk of interrupting any change requests for this reservation.
You DO have the option to move the guest’s reservation into a different room that belongs to the SAME ROOM TYPE without any issues.