Learn how to handle and return error messages when using the SiteMinder Exchange API, including expected formats, retry strategies, and response codes.
It is expected that your application has a robust error-handling process in place. An error response should contain a short description of the error to assist our Support teams in troubleshooting.
Error Responses using the <Errors> </Errors> tag will flag the reservation delivery from SMX to your endpoint as Failed.
Error Responses
Invalid Hotel Code
<SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:soap-env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<SOAP-ENV:Body xmlns:soap-env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<OTA_HotelResNotifRS xmlns="http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05" Version="1.0" TimeStamp="2025-08-01T09:30:47+08:00" EchoToken="abc123-unique">
<Errors>
<Error Type="6" Code="392">Hotel not found for HotelCode=XXXXXX</Error>
</Errors>
</OTA_HotelResNotifRS>
</SOAP-ENV:Body>
</SOAP-ENV:Envelope>
Any other warning responses that are not application or server-level issues should be sent as Success + Warning to avoid reservation delivery failures.
Our Reservations API specifications will have non-mandatory fields/attributes that a Publisher might not send in the reservation XML if it's not supported by them. Publishers should always send the mandatory reservation fields. Review our Reservations to view the mandatory and non-mandatory attributes.
Required Information Not Present - Missing email address
Generally, OTA messages transmit "business logic" failures in the <Errors> element structure. However, a SOAP fault can be returned in case of an unexpected error caused by for example a SOAP message where the XML cannot be parsed. The SOAP Fault will identify the party at fault (CLIENT/SERVER).
