Verify your PMS/RMS sent correct availability
If you received a reservation when your property should have been sold out, first verify your availability data.
Do you have a PMS/RMS that sends availability data? Confirm the correct availability update was sent: Check with your PMS/RMS provider that the correct value was sent from their system to SiteMinder for the affected dates
Verify if the reservation is in SiteMinder
Go to the Reservations page and search by guest name or arrival date.
If the booking is not in your SiteMinder platform: It is likely an unmapped channel rate.
If the booking is in SiteMinder but not your PMS: This is a PMS delivery failure. Check Distribution > Connectivities to verify your mapping codes.
Check for Channel Issues: Review your Dashboard for alerts. If a channel is "Disabled," it stops receiving updates and will sell rooms based on outdated availability. Also check if there are any known connection issues affecting the channel
Identify unmapped rate reservations
If the booking appears in your SiteMinder platform, look for these signs of a mapping issue:
Yellow Banner: indicating the reservation came from a channel rate that isn't mapped in your platform (e.g., "Inventory not updated for Booking.com reservation") with recommended actions to fix the mapping issue
Blank Fields (-): A dash in the Room Type or Rate Plan fields means the rate is not mapped.
Missing or incomplete PMS delivery status - Shows (-) in the Connectivity status column in the reservations list
You will receive a notification (if Distribution notifications are turned on) when a guest books using a channel rate that isn't mapped in your platform.
Important: Reservations with unmapped room rates can still be received in your platform even if they have not yet been mapped. However, these reservations will not be delivered to the PMS/RMS if you are connected to one, and they cannot be resent.
What causes overbookings?
Overbookings happen because your platform cannot update your inventory (availability) for unmapped rates.
Unmapped Rates: The channel keeps selling a rate that SiteMinder is not controlling. Reservations with unmapped rates can still appear in your platform but will not be delivered to your PMS/RMS, and they cannot be resent.
Incorrectly mapped/multi-mapped rates: if one room is mapped to multiple conflicting channel rates, inventory cannot update correctly
Disabled Rates: No inventory updates are sent for rates that are switched off
Channel Issues: Check your Dashboard for connection alerts
Synchronisation Delay: Availability can take up to 5 minutes to update across all channels. If two guests book on different sites at the exact same time, a double booking can occur.
Steps to resolve
Locate the missing reservation
If you cannot find the booking in SiteMinder, you must check the booking source.
Check the channel extranet: Log in to the channel extranet directly.
Search for the booking: Use the guest name or dates to find the reservation and note which rate plan was used.
Identify mapping issues: Go to Distribution > Channels > Edit room rates mapping. Filter by "Unmapped" or check for disabled rates. If a rate created on the channel is not mapped in SiteMinder, the booking cannot be delivered.
Handle the missing reservation
Immediate actions:
Contact the channel: Contact the booking channel directly to manage the guest's relocation if necessary. SiteMinder is unable to contact the channel on your behalf.
Manual Entry: Manually add the guest details to your PMS from the channel extranet.
Reduce Inventory: Manually lower your availability to stop more bookings.
Fix mapping and setup:
Fix Mapping: Go to Distribution > Channels > Edit room rates mapping. Filter by Unmapped and link the missing rates.
Verify PMS Codes: Go to Distribution > Connectivities > Rooms and Rates Mapping. Confirm that all room, rate, and inventory codes match your PMS exactly.
Check PMS Delivery: Contact your PMS provider to verify the correct availability was sent for the affected date.
Request XML Log: If mapping is correct, ask the channel for the Reservation XML log and share it with support to investigate the delivery.
Resolve PMS Delivery Issues
If the reservation exists in SiteMinder but failed to reach your PMS, check your connectivity settings.
Verify mapping codes: Go to Distribution > Connectivities > Rooms and Rates Mapping. Ensure all room, rate, and inventory codes match between SiteMinder and your PMS.
Filter by Booked Date: In the Reservations tab, check for failed or pending reservations that may be blocking availability updates.
Look for indicators: Check for a yellow banner in SiteMinder showing the source channel or look for blank (-) room types and connectivity status.
Note: Reservation inclusions can differ between channel and SiteMinder
If the reservation is delivered and mapping is correct but some details (such as breakfast) are missing, note that some channels do not send full inclusions or meal plan details in the reservation message to your SiteMinder platform. Contact the channel to confirm which inclusions are set up and what the guest booked.
How to prevent overbookings
To help reduce the risk of overbookings:
Audit your mapping: Ensure one platform room type/room rate is mapped to the matching room type/room rate on the channel
Regularly check availability: Ensure the availability on your inventory matches your actual physical rooms
Monitor Dashboard: Check the property, channel, and connectivity statuses on your Dashboard regularly to fix any disabled channels immediately.
Use Yield Rules (Auto-Close): You can set up an automatic closure yield rule to apply a "Stop Sell" when your room availability reaches 1
Manage the last room: If you only have one room left and expect a booking, manually place a stop sell on low-performing channels and only keep it open on your highest-performing channel