Currency settings
Base currency
To set your property’s base currency, go to Property settings > General information > Currency. This is the currency accepted at your property. It is important to set the correct base currency, as this is used to set daily pricing in your inventory grid (on the Distribution page).
Note:
Make sure the settings match between the channels and your SiteMinder platform, different values/currencies will show in each system.
If you want to manage your rates using multiple currencies, contact our support team.
Currency conversion
Currency exchange rates are taken from XE.com twice a day to calculate each currency conversion.
If Currency conversion is enabled in Property settings > General information > Currency, you can also enable it for the channel to send prices in a different currency to your base currency.
The currency selected in your platform must be the same as the currency selected on the channel extranet. Currency conversion cannot be used if Rate plan currency is enabled.
Note:
Currency conversion is only applied to the rates set in the inventory grid. It cannot be used if Rate plan currency is enabled (if you choose to use different currencies in the inventory grid).
Currency conversion will not apply to extra person charges configured in the channel rate’s settings (for example, extra person charges and discounts). These extra person charges need to be set in the currency being sent to the channel, as currency conversion will not apply to them.
If you make any changes to currency settings, check your online channels to ensure they are displaying correct rate information. It may take several minutes for channels to display updates.
Inventory settings
Minimum rate
To set a minimum rate, go to Property settings > General information > Minimum rate. Add a new field for each currency (can be a different threshold per currency). Setting a minimum rate will help you avoid sending rates that are too low to your channels.
Channel rates are adjusted and applied after the Minimum rate is set (for example, any adjustments for Currency conversion, Rate multiplier, Single guest discount, Occupancy based pricing).
Note:
Each minimum rate set will affect a specific currency.
If you have discounts or promotions set directly in channels that are not connected to your SiteMinder platform, we advise setting up minimum rates in your channels as well.
Update period
The default update period for your new SiteMinder platform is 400 days, which can be increased up to 750 days.
To set an update period, go to Property settings > General information > Update period. The update period is the maximum number of days that updates are sent to your connected channels. Updates outside of this period (changes to rates, availability, restrictions, etc.) will not be sent to channels.
There are benefits to increasing this number, for example:
There is no need to manually modify values for extra dates on the channel extranets if your SiteMinder platform supports more than 400 days.
It encourages guests to book in advance, meaning advanced revenue if you require a deposit at the time of booking.
There are two update periods:
General update period: the current number of days that your SiteMinder platform is set to update each of your channel extranets (Property settings > General information).
Maximum update period: the maximum number of days the channel allows your SiteMinder platform to send updates (Distribution > Channels).
Note that some channels may only receive a 400-day update period from your SiteMinder platform, but they may be able to sell on the dates beyond those 400 days. In this case, you will have to check and manage those additional days directly on the channel extranet.
If your SiteMinder platform is integrated with a property management system (PMS), revenue management system (RMS), or central reservations system (CRS), you should confirm how many days in advance it can update with your system provider.
Check the maximum update period of a channel
Each channel has a set maximum update period for sending updates, established during integration. This period cannot be modified within your SiteMinder platform. Take note of the supported maximum update period under the channel’s name when connecting.
To check an already active channel:
Go to the Distribution page.
Click on the Channels tab.
You will see your connected channels with their Maximum update period.
Weekend starts on
Set your weekend days to visually differentiate them from weekdays on the inventory grid (i.e. the weekend columns will show in dark orange). This will make it easier for you to scan when applying different rates and restrictions.
Auto-replenishment
If you are connected to a property management system (PMS), revenue management system (RMS), or central reservations system (CRS):
If its system already has an auto-replenishment feature, we do not recommend this feature be turned on in your SiteMinder platform.
Ensure that inventory updates are not enabled within the system to use auto-replenishment in your SiteMinder platform.
Note that auto-replenishment is independent of any connection to the systems, or the channel’s auto-replenishment.
Enabling auto-replenishment will ensure that your room availability will reappear in your inventory automatically whenever a reservation has been cancelled or modified. Once the Enable Auto-replenishment option is ticked, you can set it up in two ways: Always or Only if the availability is 1 or more.
Auto-replenishment if the availability is 1 or more
If a reservation is cancelled or modified, availability will automatically be increased by 1 for the room rate for that date (if availability for the room rate is not 0). If the availability of a certain date is 0, the availability of that date will not be replenished. This helps to reduce your chances of overbooking, preventing negative inventory and overselling your rooms.
Language and region settings
To set your language and region settings, go to Property settings > General information > Language and region.
Base language
Set the Base language, which is the main language used on your SiteMinder platform (for your property setup, content, and your booking engine).
Units of measurement
Select between the two Units of measurement that can be used at your property’s location. Metric is the most common worldwide; Imperial is used only in the United States of America, Myanmar, and Liberia.
It is important to set the correct unit of measurement, as it can set guests’ expectations regarding room sizes and available facilities.
Time zone
The time zone at your property is based on the geographical location of your property.
Set the Time zone correctly to indicate the start and end of each day on the Distribution calendar, and to calculate the timing for the Release period set for rate plans.