Activation and setup
How do I activate Demand Plus?
List your property on popular metasearch engines via Demand Plus.
Get started and activate Demand Plus:
Go to Distribution > Demand Plus.
Click the Get started button.
Follow the steps to activate Demand Plus and connect your booking engine.
Why is my Demand Plus status "Awaiting activation"?
Our support team will activate your account within three business days. Your status will then change to "Active".
Note that once setup has been completed, it may take up to two weeks before your listings are live on Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Tripadvisor.
How do I check change status history for my Demand Plus account?
To check your Demand Plus status change history:
Go to Distribution > Demand Plus.
Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Click on Status change history. See log details for each status, including when and why a change was made, and by whom.
Demand Plus account status types:
Active: activated
Paused: temporarily inactive/disabled with scheduled reactivation date
Suspended: disabled with no scheduled reactivation. You can re-activate at any time by clicking on the Reactivate Demand Plus button
Blocked: disabled by SiteMinder (potentially due to missed payments)
Do I need a Direct Booking subscription to use Demand Plus?
If you’re using Demand Plus without a Direct Booking subscription, you will have access to set up basic booking engine features for Demand Plus, but advanced Direct Booking features like promotion codes, plug-in apps and other booking-engine customisation options are not available.
Pricing and billing
How much does Demand Plus cost?
No setup or monthly fees.
You only pay a small commission fee on completed stays (on the Net amount which excludes credit card fees, taxes, and service charges).
Pause or cancel at any time.
Demand Plus is added as a separate account from your subscription in the Billing portal
What is the Demand Plus commission rate?
The commission rate for Demand Plus varies per region. The commission is calculated based on the net booking amount, excluding credit card fees, taxes, and service charges.
To view your Demand Plus commission rate:
Already activated: go to Distribution > Demand Plus
Not yet activated: go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Get Started > Demand Plus Setup
For Google Hotel Ads, the rate differs depending on which booking link the guest used:
Featured options: your property appears at the top of the Featured options section when a guest selects Check Availability on your Google listing. Commission varies per region. To view your exact rate, go to Distribution > Demand Plus
All Options: your property appears in Google's All Options section. 3%, regardless of region
Where can I check the booking fee for each Demand Plus reservation?
In your self-service Billing portal, see a breakdown of each Demand Plus reservation. See how booking fees are calculated, and see the billable amount for each transaction. Go to Billing > Booking fees > filter by Demand Plus.
Can I set up automatic payments or direct debit to pay Demand Plus invoices?
Yes, set up automatic payments in your Billing portal:
Go to Billing > Accounts.
Enable automatic payment for Demand Plus.
Your account will be automatically debited on the invoice due date.
Bookings and reconciliation
Where can I see all my Demand Plus bookings?
View all your Demand Plus bookings in your monthly statement:
Go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements.
Select the Year and Month.
Click Search to view all Demand Plus bookings.
The Reservations page and reservation confirmation e-mail will also identify Demand Plus bookings.
How can I tell if a reservation is a Demand Plus booking?
To check whether a reservation is a Direct Booking or a Demand Plus booking:
Check your reservation confirmation email: It will identify if it's a Demand Plus booking
Check from the Reservations page: On the main page in the Channel column, you will see "Direct Booking" and "Demand Plus". Find and open the reservation > in the top reservation summary, the Channel will show Direct booking, and the Affiliate will show Demand Plus
Check from your Demand Plus statement: Go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements to see all Demand Plus reservations
Check the invoice: Go to Billing > Booking fees and filter by Demand Plus to see commission charges (must be a billing user)
The Channel field can show Direct Booking even when the reservation came through Demand Plus. If the Channel field shows Direct Booking but the Affiliate field is empty, the reservation is a Direct Booking and Demand Plus commission will not be charged.
Why does a direct booking show a commission fee?
If you have Demand Plus, direct bookings that came from Demand Plus metasearch advertising (e.g Google Hotel ads) will have the Demand Plus commission apply.
When this happens:
The guest found your property through Demand Plus advertising
They clicked through to your booking engine and completed the reservation
The reservation may appear as a direct booking (BB-booking number, "via Direct Booking"), however the Demand Plus commission applies because the booking originated from Demand Plus - if the booking came from Demand Plus, the Channel will show "Direct Booking" with the Affiliate field "Demand Plus"
How do I modify a Demand Plus reservation?
If booking details change, update the reservation so the correct total price is reflected and commission is charged accurately.
To modify a Demand Plus reservation:
Open the reservation you want to modify.
Click on the ellipsis button (three dots button) and select Modify reservation.
When prompted, verify with MFA.
Update applicable details and click Save.
Making sure you're only charged for completed stays
With Demand Plus, you're only charged commission on completed stays.
To check whether a booking carries a Demand Plus commission, check the Affiliate field on the reservation:
Affiliate = "Demand Plus": commission applies (came through Demand Plus metasearch, even if the reservations summary shows "via Direct booking")
You can also confirm if the booking came through Demand Plus in the confirmation email, your Demand Plus statement (Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements), or the invoice (Billing > Booking fees, filtered by Demand Plus).
To avoid being charged for bookings that didn't result in a stay, reconcile cancelled or no-show reservations by the 7th of each month. Once marked cancelled or no show, a reservation is excluded from commission.
How do I reconcile my Demand Plus bookings?
Mark Demand plus bookings as cancelled or no show (reconcile bookings) by the 7th of each month to ensure you are only invoiced for completed stays:
Go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements.
Click on the reservation that you want to mark as cancelled or no show.
Select Cancel reservation or Mark as no show.
When will I receive my reconciliation reminders?
You'll get two email reminders to reconcile your Demand Plus reservations (mark as cancelled or no show) by the 7th of each month:
1st of the month: monthly booking summary and reminder to mark any reservations as cancellations or no shows by the 7th of the month
7th of the month: final reminder that this is the final day to mark any reservations as cancellations or no shows
Metasearch sites
Why isn't my property appearing on metasearch sites with Demand Plus?
First, make sure Demand Plus is active by going to Distribution > Demand Plus.
Then, make sure you have set up your metasearch profiles — this is required before your property will appear on each metasearch site.
Your property details must match exactly across SiteMinder and all metasearch profiles (i.e. property name, address, etc.). To update your property details, click on your property name in the top navigation bar > Property settings > Property details.
The correct category must be selected on your metasearch profile:
Google Hotel Ads: Hotel property category
Trivago: Accommodation category
Tripadvisor: Hotels category
If your property details don’t match, you’ll see a notification on your Demand Plus page. Note: It can take up to 7 days for your property to appear after updating your details.
How does ranking work on metasearch sites via Demand Plus?
Your ranking on metasearch sites via Demand Plus depends on:
How well your property matches the search
How many other properties you're competing with
Where your property is located
Current market demand
For example: a search for "hotel in London" will compete with many properties. But a search for "family hotel with pool in London" will have fewer competitors because it's more specific.
What's the difference between connecting to Tripadvisor directly versus through Demand Plus?
When guests visit your Tripadvisor page, they'll see different booking options:
Through Demand Plus:
Your direct booking option appears as "Official hotel site"
Clicking "View deal" takes guests to your SiteMinder booking engine
You pay the Demand Plus commission rate for completed stays
Through a direct connection with Tripadvisor Plus/Instant Booking:
Your booking option shows with a Tripadvisor label
Clicking "View deal" opens Tripadvisor's checkout window
You pay Tripadvisor's commission rate
Will Demand Plus impact the SEO for my property website?
No. Demand Plus listings link to your SiteMinder booking engine, not your website, so your website's SEO won't be affected.