Important to know:
To access Demand Plus, log in and go to Distribution > Demand Plus tab.
Before your property will display on Google Hotel Ads, Tripadvisor, or Trivago, you need to create a profile on each metasearch site directly (a Google Business, Tripadvisor, and Trivago profile). Your property details on each metasearch profile must match your property details on your SiteMinder platform (i.e. property name, address, etc.).
Demand Plus basics
How do I activate Demand Plus?
To activate Demand Plus, go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Get started. Then follow the instructions.
How much is Demand Plus’ commission, and where can I see it?
Demand Plus’ commission varies per region.
You can view its commission rates in the following places, depending on the status of your activation:
If Demand Plus is in the process of being activated — look in Step One: Getting started and Step Two: Review and activate.
If Demand Plus is active — go to Distribution > Demand Plus.
Demand Plus has a simple cost structure:
A small commission is charged on the Net Reservation Value of each completed stay acquired through Demand Plus, excluding credit card fees, taxes, and service charges.
There are no setup or monthly fees, and you can cancel at any time.
Why does Demand Plus show an Awaiting activation status?
Our support team will activate the account for you within three days. Once your property is visible in Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Tripadvisor, your Demand Plus status will change to Active.
Where is my Demand Plus status history, and what do the statuses mean?
To view your Demand Plus statuses, go to Distribution > Demand Plus > at the bottom of the page, click on Status change history.
Each status log details when and why a change was made, and by whom.
These are the statuses:
Active — the Demand Plus account is enabled and active.
Paused — the Demand Plus account is disabled because a user paused it. However, it is scheduled to reactivate on the date the user selected when pausing the service.
Suspended — the Demand Plus account is disabled, no longer active, and a reactivation has not been scheduled. It can, however, be reactivated by clicking on the Reactivate Demand Plus button.
Blocked — the Demand Plus account is disabled because SiteMinder blocked it. This is usually due to missed payment(s), in which case the outstanding balance(s) need to be settled before the service can be reactivated.
If a user provided a reason when they paused or reactivated Demand Plus, it will be visible in the Reasons column.
How do I identify Demand Plus reservations?
Identifying which channel a customer came from is known as “attribution” in marketing terms.
You can identify Demand Plus reservations through:
Reservation e-mail - tells you if the booking was made through Demand Plus.
Demand Plus reservations on the platform - go to Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements.
Reservations list on the platform - go to the Reservations page.
Demand Plus and your SiteMinder booking engine
How can I use Demand Plus to optimise my SiteMinder booking engine’s performance?
Your SiteMinder booking engine may already receive a steady flow of reservations from the usual channels (for example, your Facebook page). Why not improve this further by using metasearch engines like Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Tripadvisor?
Should I ensure rate parity across my channels?
Yes, you should ensure parity across your channels so that you do not undercut your own listings.
If you undercut your direct bookings with cheaper channel rates, your number of direct bookings will decline.
If you undercut your channels by offering cheaper direct booking rates, you may violate your contracts with these channels.
Demand Plus with SEO and metasearch engines
Will Demand Plus impact my website’s SEO?
Demand Plus’ listings on Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Tripadvisor feature links to your SiteMinder booking engine, not your website, so no — it will not affect your website’s SEO.
Property ranking on metasearch engines — how does it work?
Your property’s visibility on metasearch engines is determined by how well it ranks on relevant searches. Being at the top of these search results cannot be guaranteed as it depends on various factors within each metasearch engine. The most important being how much competition there is for each search.
For example:
A search for “hotel in London” will yield a lot of properties and there is high competition for the top places among the results.
A search for “historic hotel in Whitechapel” will yield far fewer properties so there is less competition for the top places among the search results.
I have Demand Plus but my property is not displayed on Tripadvisor, Trivago, or Google Hotel Ads — why?
Check that Demand Plus is active by going to Distribution > Demand Plus.
If Demand Plus is not active — follow the instructions in the ‘How do I activate Demand Plus?’ section.
If Demand Plus is active — your property’s ad should feature a link to your Booking Engine on Tripadvisor, Trivago, and Google Hotel Ads.
Confirm your property details:
Before your property will display on Google Hotel Ads, Tripadvisor, or Trivago, you need to create a profile on each metasearch site directly (a Google Business, Tripadvisor, and Trivago profile). Your property details on your metasearch profiles must match your property details on your SiteMinder platform (i.e. property name, address, etc.). To update your property details, go to Property settings > Property details.
If your property details do not match, a notification will display on your Demand Plus page with steps you will need to take to correct your property details. After updating your details, it may take up to seven days for your property to be visible on the metasearch site(s).
To be eligible on Google, your property must be listed in the 'Hotel property category' (e.g. a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, etc) on your Google Business profile.
To be eligible on Trivago, your property must be listed in the ‘Accommodation’ category on your Trivago profile.
To be eligible on Tripadvisor, your property must be listed in the 'Hotels' category on your Tripadvisor profile.
What is the difference between having a connection to Tripadvisor through Demand Plus and adding Tripadvisor as a channel?
First, you should understand how the channel works. Tripadvisor is a metasearch engine. When someone opens your property’s Tripadvisor page, they will be able to see all available deals listed for a specific combination of Check-in, Check-out and Guests search in order to compare which one is more convenient for them.
How does it look on Tripadvisor’s webpage?
Third-party channel deals — each offer shows its channel label and a View deal button. When clicked, the button redirects to each channel’s webpage.
Demand Plus deal — when you sign up with Demand Plus, your SiteMinder booking engine appears as a deal labelled Official hotel site and a View deal button. When clicked, the button redirects to your SiteMinder booking engine.
Tripadvisor Plus / Instant Booking deal — when you add Tripadvisor Plus / Instant Booking as a channel in our platform, a Tripadvisor labelled deal shows with a View deal button. If you click on it, a check-out window opens on Tripadvisor’s webpage.
Note:
Reservations booked through third-party and Tripadvisor deals will be subject to channels’ commissions (which might vary). Contact each channel’s support team for further information about their commission.
If you get a reservation from a guest who booked an Official hotel site deal via Tripadvisor, the reservation will be subject to the Demand Plus commission (unless the reservation is cancelled or marked as no-show before the monthly Demand Plus statement).
It is important that you edit your Demand Plus statement at the start of each month for any reservations completed in the preceding month.
Demand Plus invoicing and payments
How do I avoid being charged for modified reservations, no-shows, and cancellations?
You should only be charged a commission for the reservations made through Demand Plus when the guest has completed their stay.
No-show or cancellation - no commission is charged.
Modification - the commission is matched to the new reservation value.
No-shows and cancellations will show up in your statements. You can review your statements by going to Distribution > Demand Plus > Statements, and then perform a reconciliation before the 7th of each month.
Note:
Reservations for guest stays from the previous month will fall in your next invoice period, which starts on the 20th of the month.
You must run the reconciliation report before the 7th of each month for the previous month’s reservations. After this, no changes to the previous month’s reservations will be possible.
If you believe you have been invoiced incorrectly, please contact our Support Team.
Are there setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees for Demand Plus?
No, you are only charged commission on completed stays; there are no additional fees.
When will I receive my Demand Plus commission invoice?
Your Demand Plus invoice, which is separate from your regular subscription invoice, will be issued on the 20th of each month. The invoice includes the commission fees incurred in the previous month (incurred on the check-out date).
For example:
A booking was made in January but has a check-out date in August.
You reconcile your reservations before the 7th September.
You are invoiced for that booking on the 20th September.
Can I register for Automatic payments or direct debit payments for Demand Plus invoices?
Yes, you can register for Automatic payments by clicking the relevant link in your invoice. However, because Demand Plus is billed separately from your other accounts, you will need to register for AutoPay again for your Demand Plus account.
Direct debit is also available to customers in Australia and New Zealand.