Important to know:
To successfully send inventory updates and process channel reservations, all bookable room rates need to be mapped to your channels, property management systems (PMS), central reservation systems (CRS), and revenue management systems (RMS). The channel rates also need to be enabled in your SiteMinder platform.
Click here to see which PMS/RMS/CRS can be integrated with the SiteMinder platform.
Best practices to follow when you have connected a property management system (PMS), revenue management systems (RMS), or central reservations system (CRS) with your Siteminder platform in Distribution > Connectivities.
Map all room rates to your connected channel(s) and connected PMS/RMS/CRS
Map all your room rates in your platform to the corresponding room rate in your connected PMS, RMS, or CRS. This will ensure your inventory grid reflects accurate availability and rates and ensure any new reservations made via your connected channels are sent directly into your connectivities, reducing the likelihood of overbookings or missed reservations.
Map all your room rates in your platform to the corresponding room rate in your connected channel(s). If a channel is connected and enabled, but a room rate on the channel side is not mapped to your platform, reservations for that unmapped room rate will still be able to be made, but:
Your platform will not be able to locate the correct room type and room rate.
The availability will not be modified automatically.
You will be notified to modify the availability manually.
To help avoid overbookings or missed reservations, you must map all of your required room rates from your platform to your connected PMS, RMS or CRS that you have connected in Distribution > Connectivities.
If you have unmapped rates:
Availability, rate and restriction updates made in your connected PMS, RMS or CRS will not be sent to your SiteMinder platform or to your connected channel(s), and vice versa.
If an unmapped rate is booked on a connected channel, the reservation will not be sent through to your connected PMS, RMS or CRS (if applicable).
To review and map any unmapped rates, go to Distribution > Connectivities > Room and Rate Mapping tab > Unmapped.
Ensure a like-for-like room rate configuration
Make sure your rooms and rate setup is the same across your platform, channels, and connected PMS, RMS, or CRS — each room rate must have a corresponding room rate to map to.
The names of room rates in your SiteMinder platform, channels and connected systems may vary. For example, a "Double room: standard" room rate in your platform may be called "Double room: room only" in your PMS, which is fine as long as they have the same configuration and are corresponding. Contact the channel’s support team if you need help checking the configuration matches.
Not having a like-for-like configuration can cause cross-mapping issues that lead to overbookings.
Make all inventory updates in your PMS/RMS/CRS
Make all inventory updates in your PMS/RMS/CRS. Do not make any manual updates in your SiteMinder platform.
If inventory values are updated manually in your SIteMinder platform, but your PMS/RMS/CRS can send this value, any manual updates will be overwritten by the inventory value in your PMS/RMS/CRS.
Modify or cancel reservations directly on the channel
Always modify or cancel channel reservations directly through the channel. Modifications and cancellations made via channels are sent to your SiteMinder platform and your PMS, CRS, or RMS.
If you modify or cancel a channel reservation on your PMS, CRS, or RMS, the changes won’t be reflected on your SiteMinder platform or the channel.
Modifying or cancelling directly through the channel also ensures the correct taxes, commissions, and fees are applied.
Create walk-in reservations
Add walk-in reservations to your PMS, CRS, or RMS promptly to avoid any risk of overbookings.
Walk-in reservations are when guests arrive at your property without a reservation. How to handle walk-in reservations depends whether you have an integrated PMS, CRS, or RMS, and if you have a booking engine.
If you have an integrated PMS, CRS, or RMS — create walk-in reservations in your PMS, CRS or RMS. The inventory update will be sent by your PMS or CRS to your SiteMinder platform automatically.
If you have a booking engine as well as a PMS, CRS, or RMS — create walk-in reservations in your booking engine. If you use SiteMinder’s booking engine, your SiteMinder platform will update the availability automatically. If you use a different booking engine, as long as the booking engine is connected to your platform through your PMS, and the booked room rate is mapped, your SiteMinder platform will update the availability automatically.
If you don’t have a PMS, CRS, RMS, or a booking engine — the inventory update for the corresponding room type needs to be made manually via your SiteMinder platform immediately to help prevent an overbooking.