Note: This article applies only to standard connected channels (OTAs). The extranet and mapping troubleshooting steps in this article do not apply to Channels Plus or Direct Booking.
If Inventory/ARI (availability, rates, restrictions) are not syncing as expected or are displayed incorrectly on a channel, it’s usually caused by:
Mapping or disabled rates: The channel or room rates are disabled or unmapped, so no updates are being sent
Channel support and data limits: The channel or specific channel room rate does not support certain inventory updates from SiteMinder
Connection or performance issues: Slow updates, outages, or connection interruptions between your platform and the channel
If you have a connected property management system (PMS) or revenue management system (RMS), check if your PMS/RMS is sending the correct availability, rates, and restrictions to SiteMinder.
If the inventory (availability, rates, restrictions) are correct in SiteMinder but are still showing wrong on the channel (OTA), check the following:
Check channel settings and connection
Check your channel settings
Ensure your channel settings are correct, including the property code and any required credentials.
⚠️ The property code field (also known as Property ID, Hotel ID, Channel ID, or Account Number) in channel settings is read-only and will be greyed out as it cannot be changed here. To update the property code for a connected channel, contact our support team.
Check the channel extranet
Check your setup on the channel and ensure SiteMinder is connected as the connectivity provider.
Check for disabled channels, disabled rates, and unmapped rates
⚠️ These are the most common causes of inventory (rates, availability, restrictions) not syncing or channels showing incorrect inventory.
If a channel is disabled or rates are unmapped, the channel won't receive updates from SiteMinder. The rate on the channel may still be live and bookable with incorrect rates or outdated availability meaning guests can continue to make reservations.
Note: A rate can be automatically disabled when a setting conflicts with the channel, for example a rate below the minimum rate or above the channel's price limit, a minimum stay higher than the maximum stay, an occupancy or pricing model mismatch, or a currency mismatch. Hover over the disabled warning icon or open the affected rate to see the specific error.
Ensure all channels and channel rates are enabled and mapped.
Check for unmapped rates
Check your rate mapping and ensure there are no unmapped rates. Note: some channels require you to map one room rate to multiple rate types (such as sell rates, package rates, and derived rates).
Go to Distribution > Channels tab.
Click on the ellipsis button (three dots button) next to the channel name.
Select Edit room rates mapping.
To see unmapped rates, filter by Unmapped.
To see disabled rates, click More filters > under Rate update status, select Disabled.
Check that your room rates are mapped to the correct channel rates (check the Mapped to droop-down).
Click on the channel room rate then click Configure.
Make sure "Start updating channel" is set to Yes to start sending inventory updates. (If disabled, it will be set to No).
Missing room rates: If you cannot locate a specific rate to map to on the channel, check with the channel to confirm if the room rate is active. New rates can take up to 60 minutes to appear in your platform after creation in the channel's extranet.
Everything looks mapped
Check there is no partial mapping. Check the "Rates mapped: X of Y" counter - Both numbers must match.
Examples what to look for:
Rates mapped: 8 of 9: A channel rate is missing or unmapped
Rates mapped: 9 of 8: The rate configuration in the channel’s extranet was modified. Remap all rates for this channel to reset the connection
Crossed Mapping: Ensure Room Type A is not mistakenly linked to Channel Room Rate B
Mapping additional rate types (common with Expedia): Everything may look mapped as the additional rate types will not show in the Unmapped filter on the main room rates mapping page. To find the additional rate types to map, click on the Channel Manager room rate in the left column and select [Map to channel], then choose a different rate type from the drop-down.
Check for disabled channels
If your channel is disabled, it won't receive inventory (rates, availability, restrictions) updates from SiteMinder. The channel may still be live and accepting bookings with outdated rates or availability.
To check for disabled channels:
Go to Distribution > Channels.
Verify your channel status shows Enabled (not Disabled).
If disabled, hover over the disabled icon (red/yellow triangle warning icon) to see the error message.
Fix the error, then re-enable the channel in Channel settings.
Check for disabled rates
If a rate is disabled, no inventory (rates, availability, restrictions) updates are sent to the channel for that rate. The rate may still be live on the channel with stale data and continue accepting bookings.
To find and re-enable disabled rates:
Go to Distribution > Channels.
Click the ellipsis button (three dots) next to the channel.
Select Edit room rates mapping.
Click the more filters button.
In the Rate update status drop-down, select Disabled.
This will show only your disabled rates.
Hover over the disabled icon (red/yellow triangle warning icon) in the mapping list to see the error message.
Or click on the disabled channel rate and select Audit to view the error history.
You can also check your Dashboard under Property status for alerts about disabled rates.
Re-enable a disabled rate
First, fix any errors that caused the rate to become disabled.
Click on the channel rate > click Configure.
Make sure "Start updating channel" is set to Yes.
Click Save.
⚠️ After making updates to mapping
After mapping or re-mapping a disabled rate, wait 15 to 30 minutes before checking the mapped rates in the channel extranet. Avoid making repeated mapping or price changes during this window, as doing so will reset and delay mapping synchronisation.
Also check:
Check rates are mapped to your connected PMS, CRS, and RMS (if applicable).
Check if your channel supports these types of inventory updates
Look for any slow updates affecting the channel messages on your Dashboard.
Look for any connection interruption messages on your Dashboard
If availability is lower than expected, check if there are yield rules set up
If rates are lower than expected, check minimum rate settings (in both Property settings and Rate plans). Note: the system will apply whichever applicable minimum rate is highest, preventing any lower rate from syncing.
If you have availability loaded for future dates but it is not showing on channels, check that your update period is set high enough and that the channel's maximum update period supports those dates
Differences between the channel extranet and public website
If your rate is different on the OTA or channel's public booking website from the rate you set in SiteMinder, first check the channel extranet first to confirm whether prices match SiteMinder.
Check the channel extranet first: Compare your SiteMinder rates against the channel extranet. If the rate differs between SiteMinder and the channel extranet, it is a sync or mapping issue—continue working through the mapping checks in this article.
If the extranet matches SiteMinder, but the public website differs: The difference on the public website is controlled by the channel (e.g., member deals, mobile discounts, or wholesale sourcing).
⚠️ If the difference is only between the extranet and the booking site, contact the channel's support team directly to investigate. Common reasons the OTA or channel's public booking site may show a lower or different price include promotions controlled by the channel.
Common inventory sync issues and solutions
Rates showing incorrectly on channel
Example: You updated your room rate in your platform, but it's showing incorrectly on the channel.
Ensure the rate values in your Inventory grid shows the correct value
Check if the channel rate supports rate updates from SiteMinder. Check under Data supported by this channel rate in the channel rate configuration
Check if you have a rate multiplier enabled in your channel settings
Check for any promotional discounts active on the channel's extranet. If prices in the channel extranet match SiteMinder but differ on the public booking site, the channel may be applying its own promotions or discounts directly
Check the Currency conversion setting isn't causing the difference
Check if any taxes are applied
Clear your browser’s cache and cookies to ensure cached data is not preventing the updated inventory from displaying
💡 Also check rate derivation settings
Also review the rate derivation settings on the affected rate. Navigate to the relevant area based on your rate type:
Rate plans or room rates: Rooms and Rates > Rate Plans
Channel rates: Distribution > Channels > Room rates mapping > click on the channel rate > select Configure
Direct booking rates: Direct Booking > Rates
Stop sells not working
Example: The room is still bookable on the channel even though you have applied a stop sell.
Verify the stop sell appears in your inventory grid.
Check if the channel rate supports stop sell updates from SiteMinder. Check under Data supported by this channel rate in the channel rate configuration.
Check the channel's extranet to check for any settings that might override your stop sell.
Reservations received despite zero availability
If you receive a reservation even though SiteMinder was sending zero availability to a channel:
Contact the channel directly and request the XML logs for the specific reservation to investigate why the booking was accepted.
To confirm zero availability was correctly sent to the channel, please contact us.
Channel is requesting a log of inventory updates sent from SiteMinder
If the channel (OTA) is requesting an XML log of the inventory updates (availability, rates, restrictions) sent from SiteMinder to the channel, contact SiteMinder. Our support team can provide this XML log for you.
Availability delays and yield rules
Availability can take up to 5 minutes to update across your channels. To prevent double bookings, you can set up an automatic closure yield rule to automatically apply a stop sell when your room availability reaches 1.
If your availability is lower than expected, check if there are any active yield rules (Distribution > Yield rules).
Check the Inventory grid
If you see incorrect rates, availability, restrictions on the channel, check the values in your Inventory grid:
Go to Distribution > Inventory.
Compare the values with what appears on the channel.
If you have a PMS, check your PMS values.
If you don't have a PMS, update values in the Inventory grid.
Look for symbols or colours on the inventory grid that might explain rate differences:
Look for symbols or colours on the inventory grid that might explain rate differences (click on the question mark button to open the legend to see what they mean):
Down arrow (↓): Error: your rate is below the minimum rate setting.
Crossed arrows icon: Rate multiplier is enabled.
Calculator icon: Currency conversion is active.
Orange boxes: Stop sell or no availability restrictions.
Alert icon: The channel rate is disabled and not receiving updates.
Red highlighting: Invalid values that channels cannot accept.
Check if your channel rate actually supports the inventory update
If your channel is enabled and your room rates are mapped, but inventory (rates, availability, or restrictions) are still not syncing to the channel correctly (channel is not receiving certain inventory data from SiteMinder), the channel rate may not support those update types from SiteMinder. Not all channels (or certain rates) support all types of inventory data.
Step 1 – Look for a dash (-) in the inventory grid
Dashes (-) for all rates means the channel doesn't support receiving that update type
Dashes (-) for specific rates may mean updates are blocked for certain rate types (like package or derived rates) and cannot be sent to the channel
Step 2 – Check “Data supported by this channel rate”
In the mapping, check the inventory types under Data supported by this channel rate / Data not supported by this channel rate:
Go to Distribution > Channels.
Click on the ellipsis button (three dots button) next to the channel name.
Select Edit room rates mapping.
Click on an existing channel rate > click Configure.
Supported inventory types will show in blue under the heading Data supported by this channel rate. This data can be updated and sent to the channel.
Inventory types not supported will show in grey under the heading Data not supported by this channel rate. These inventory types are not supported and cannot be sent to the channel. Manage those settings directly in the channel’s extranet. Data types that will show here: stop sell, availability, rates, maximum stay, minimum stay, closed to departures, closed to arrivals, inclusions.
Why some data is not supported
Different channels and channel rates support different inventory data (rates, availability, restrictions). Some rate types such as package, derived, and linked rates do not support any inventory updates because they inherit pricing and restrictions from a main rate managed by the channel.
Data is not supported but you need it supported
If the data (rates, availability, restrictions) is not supported by the channel rate and you are not sure why or need the data to be supported, contact the channel's (OTA) support team directly.
The channel now supports a rate that previously showed a dash
If a rate previously showed a dash (-) and the channel's configuration has since changed to support rate updates, re-save the mapping so SiteMinder picks up the change.
Go to Distribution > Channels.
Click the ellipsis button (three dots) next to the channel name.
Select Edit room rates mapping.
Open the affected channel rate and re-save the mapping.
Note: re-saving only applies the channel's configuration change. Continue to enter rate updates in your inventory grid or PMS as usual.
Check the update period
If inventory (rates, availability, or restrictions) is not showing on channels for dates far in the future, check whether the update period is set high enough.
The update period is the maximum number of days in advance inventory is sent to your connected channels.
To check each channel's maximum update period:
Go to Distribution > Channels.
In the My channels view, check the maximum update period shown for each connected channel.
To check or update your property update period:
Click on your property name in the top navigation bar.
Select Property settings.
On the General information page, click the pencil edit icon for Inventory.
Review the Update period setting and increase it if needed.
Check for channel connection issues
Check your Dashboard > Property status for any alerts about connection issues:
Channels experiencing delayed updates means updates may take longer to sync.
Channel connections interrupted could indicate a sync issue, a disabled channel, or a performance issue (such as an unexpected incident or scheduled maintenance).
Connection issues can usually be resolved by waiting until the system processes the backlog, but persistent problems may require refreshing your mapping.
Inventory still not syncing after troubleshooting?
If you have worked through all the troubleshooting steps and a rate still fails to sync, contact our support team to request a manual push to the channel.
You can also try disconnecting and re-mapping a newly mapped rate however note that disconnecting a mapped rate permanently deletes its update and connection history log.
⚠️ After disconnecting, this history cannot be recovered, so only do this for newly mapped rates. Do not disconnect disabled rates that have been previously mapped and established.
Request a manual push to channel: contact support
If you've already tried troubleshooting steps, our support team may need to help manually resend or push your inventory/ARI (availability, rates, and restrictions) to the channel (OTA) to help refresh the mapping connection.
For help to manually push availability, rates, and restrictions (inventory/ARI) updates to the channel, contact our support team. Please provide:
The room type affected (if all, just give an example of one)
The room rate affected (if all, just give an example of one)
Stay date (example of one)
The value that is displayed
The correct value
A channel/OTA is asking me to refresh or resync availability, rates, or restrictions to the channel
If a channel or OTA such as Booking.com, Expedia, or Hotelbeds asks you to refresh or re-sync availability, rates, or restrictions, due to an issue between SiteMinder and the channel, work through the checks in this article: work through the checks in this article above. If you have tried the checks above and the values are correct in SiteMinder but still wrong or missing on the channel, contact our support team to request a manual push to the channel.
Note: a push or resync from your PMS/RMS/CRS will not resend inventory to the channel. The channel rate must also support that inventory type for SiteMinder to send it, which you can check under Data supported by this channel rate. If it is not supported, manage it directly in the channel's extranet.