Connecting a channel manager to Booking.com: how the extranet connection works

Short answer: you connect a channel manager to Booking.com in two halves. In the Booking.com extranet you go to Account → Connectivity provider, search for the name your channel manager gives you, accept the XML agreement and confirm as the account owner. Then, in your channel manager or PMS, you enter your Hotel ID and map every room and every rate to the right Booking.com room type. Only once both halves are in place do rates, availability and bookings flow back and forth automatically.

It sounds simple, and it is, as long as you know the order. People doing it for the first time usually get stuck on one of the steps below. This article walks through them one by one.

Why the connection starts in the extranet

Booking.com does not let just any system send rates to your property. You have to indicate in your own extranet which partner is allowed to. Booking.com calls such a partner a connectivity provider: the company that talks to Booking.com on your behalf through an official connection (an API). That is your channel manager, or the technical partner behind your PMS.

That is also the difference with an iCal link. An iCal link only passes on booked dates, without rates, rate plans or restrictions, and with a delay. A connectivity provider works both ways and in near real time. More on that difference in API or iCal?.

Important: Booking.com allows one connectivity provider at a time. The moment you choose a new one, your previous system stops sending rates and availability. That is why you only take that step once your new system is ready.

What you need before you start

• An active extranet account on admin.booking.com, with an approved property.
• Your Hotel ID. That is the 7- or 8-digit number shown top left in the extranet, under the name of your property.
• The account owner. In our experience Booking.com asks for the choice of connectivity provider to be confirmed with a code sent by text message to the owner. A staff member with their own login often cannot finish that step.
• A system that is set up. Room types, rates and, if you are switching, your current reservations are already in your new PMS or channel manager.

Step 1: choose the connectivity provider in the extranet

1. Log in to the extranet.
2. Go to Account → Connectivity provider.
3. Search for the provider by the name your channel manager gives you. Type the full name: the search often does not find a provider on part of its name.
4. Accept the XML Service Agreement and confirm.

From then on Booking.com knows this partner may send rates and availability for your property. Processing on Booking.com's side sometimes takes a few minutes, sometimes longer. Allow one to two days for the whole switch, so you are not under time pressure in a busy period.

Step 2: enter the Hotel ID and test the connection

In your channel manager or PMS you enter the Hotel ID and run a connection test. If that test fails, it is almost never the Hotel ID. Usually step 1 has not been done, has not been confirmed, or has not yet been processed by Booking.com. Wait a few minutes and test again.

Step 3: map rooms and rates

Mapping means indicating, for every room type in your own system, which room type on Booking.com it corresponds to, and doing the same for every rate plan. A room or rate without a mapping is not sent. That is the most common reason why "the connection works" but one room still cannot be booked.

Two tips:

• Check your room types first. Do you have five identical rooms as five separate types on Booking.com, or the other way round? Fix that before you map. How to decide is explained in room type or individual room.
• Also map your non-refundable rates and other rate plans, not just your standard rate.

Step 4: first sync and checks

After mapping, your system sends a full set of availability and rates, usually for a year ahead. Then check a few dates in the extranet: is the rate right, is the number of available rooms right, are your restrictions (minimum stay, closed arrival days) correct?

During the switch your property may briefly be hidden or unbookable on Booking.com until the first new data has come through. That recovers by itself. So pick a quiet moment, not the Friday afternoon before a long weekend.

What you still do in the extranet, and what you don't

After connecting, you no longer change rates and availability in the extranet. The next sync simply overwrites your change. From now on your system is the single source.

What does stay in the extranet: replying to reviews, following up your commission invoices, and managing Booking.com's own programmes and promotions. Your photos and description are usually maintained there too.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the connectivity provider while the new system is still empty. Your old system stops immediately, your new one is not sending anything yet.
• Mapping only the standard rate. The other rates then disappear from Booking.com.
• Still changing rates in the extranet. They seem to stick, until the next sync.
• Not cancelling the old channel manager. The connection stops by itself, the subscription does not.

How this works in BedFlow PMS

BedFlow PMS has the channel manager built in. You enter your Hotel ID under Settings → Integrations → Channels → Booking.com. The Booking.com setup guide gives the exact name to pick as connectivity provider in the extranet, and shows how to map per room and rate. After that, rate changes reach Booking.com within about half a minute, and new bookings land in your calendar automatically. Not sure what a channel manager does exactly? Start with what is a channel manager?.

Curious what that costs for your number of rooms? Have a look at pricing, or try BedFlow PMS free for 30 days at bedflow.eu. We are happy to help with your first connection.