Can I change a direct or channel reservation?
Whether you can change a reservation in SiteMinder depends on how it was booked.
Direct booking reservations: Change these in SiteMinder if the reservation is eligible. Direct booking reservations start with “BBN” or “BBE”. Not all direct bookings can be changed
Channel reservations: Bookings for channels (OTAs) cannot be modified in your platform. You must log in to each channel's extranet or contact their support team to make changes. Contact the channel's support team if you need assistance
When can you modify a direct booking reservation?
You can modify a Direct booking reservation only if both the property cancellation settings and the specific room rate cancellation settings have “Allow guest cancellation” set to “Yes”. If either one is set to “No”, you cannot modify the reservation and the Modify reservation option is greyed out.
How to modify a Direct booking reservation
⚠️ Before you start:
some Direct booking reservations can't be modified.
If the Modify reservation option is greyed out or you get an error when trying to modify, the booking can't be changed.
This happens for example: when the reservation has a check-in date in the past, a suspended or non-modifiable rate, multiple room types, or is inside its cancellation penalty period
You can modify a Direct booking reservation in SiteMinder only if it is eligible. If the Modify reservation option is greyed out (inactive), the reservation is not eligible to change.
To modify an eligible reservation:
Go to the Reservations page. You must be using a trusted device.
Find and open the direct booking reservation you want to modify. Direct booking reservations start with BBN or BBE, for example BBN-BBXXXXXXXXXX or BBEXXXXXXXXXXXX.
Click on the ellipsis button (three dots button) and select Modify reservation. (if this option is greyed out, the reservation can't be modified).
Update applicable details and click Save.
Once you save the changes, the reservation will be marked as "modified" and your guest will automatically receive a modification e-mail.
To see what changes were made to a reservation, compare the original confirmation email with the modification email sent to the guest, as there is no change log available in the system.
What can I change on a Direct booking reservation?
On an eligible Direct booking reservation, you can change:
General information: all options under the general section, including check-in, check-out, and arrival time
Guest details: all options under the guest details section, except the main guest’s name
Payment summary: credit card details (admin users only)
Notes and preferences: comments visible to guests in confirmation e-mails
Your guests can also change or cancel certain details themselves, if the reservation is outside your cancellation penalty window and you have enabled cancellations.
What can’t I change on a Direct booking reservation?
Even on an eligible Direct booking reservation, you cannot change these details:
The room rate booked
The main guest name
Changes that conflict with the included occupancy and release period set at the room rate level
Changes that conflict with the room rate, availability, and restrictions set on your inventory: minimum stay, maximum stay, stop sell, closed to arrival (CTA), or closed to departure (CTD)
The number of rooms booked in the reservation
⚠️ You will see an error when changing check-in or check-out dates to dates that have:
No availability
A stop sell applied
A closed to arrival (CTA) or closed to departure (CTD) applied
Invalid date selections (past dates, or check-out before check-in)
Occupancy limits exceeded
Why can't I modify a Direct booking reservation?
The Modify reservation option is greyed out when a Direct booking reservation does not meet the conditions required to change it.
A Direct booking reservation cannot be modified if it has:
A room rate that does not allow guest modifications. Both the property cancellation settings and the specific room rate cancellation settings must have “Allow guest cancellation” set to “Yes”
A check-in date in the past, or was booked on the same day the guest checks in
A suspended or deleted room rate
An associated extra that cannot be modified
Rate plan inclusions
Multiple room types in one reservation
Already been cancelled
A status within the cancellation penalty period, even if guest cancellation is allowed. For example, if bookings are non-refundable within a week of check-in, modifications are blocked during that week
If the reservation is not eligible for you to change, you can:
Ask the guest to try and change or cancel the reservation themselves. Guests can do this if the reservation is outside the cancellation penalty window and guest cancellation is enabled
Check that “Allow guest cancellation” is set to “Yes” in both the property cancellation settings and the specific room rate cancellation settings. Modifications are only possible when both are set to “Yes”
Why do I see an error when modifying a reservation?
If you try to modify a Direct booking reservation and the Modify reservation window opens but shows an error when you save, such as "Something went wrong, we could not load the reservation details. Request failed with status code 400.", the reservation doesn't meet the conditions required to be modified. Check the reservation against the conditions above before trying again.