FAQ

Get answers to frequently asked questions about the SiteConnect API, including features, technical behaviour, and integration details.

Getting Started

How long does SiteConnect integration take?

Approximately 60 days from initiation to production, including development, testing, certification and pilot phases.

For more details, review our Integration Process guide.

What are the mandatory components to certify in SiteConnect?

Mandatory:

• Rooms and Rates

• Availability

• Stop Sell

• Rates (PDP or OBP)

• Reservations (Initial Delivery)

Strongly Recommended:

• Minimum Stay on Arrival

• Maximum Stay on Arrival

• Minimum Stay Through

• Maximum Stay Through

• Close to Arrival (CTA)

• Close to Departure (CTD)

• Reservation Modifications and Cancellations

What test credentials and resources will SiteMinder provide?

SiteMinder will provide:

• Test endpoints for reservations

• Username and Password for authentication

• RequestorID (channel code)

• Access to test Platform with pre-configured room types and rate plans

• WSDL files (Standard and Inlined versions)

Booking Channel must provide:

• Endpoint URL for Rooms and Rates retrieval

• Endpoint URL for receiving ARI updates (or single endpoint for both)

• Username and Password for SiteMinder to authenticate

• HotelCode for test property

Authentication

What authentication method does SiteConnect use?

SiteConnect uses WS-Security (WSSE) UsernameToken authentication in the SOAP Security Header.

Key Requirements:

• Partners provide a single username and password that is global for all hotels

• All communication occurs over HTTPS for encryption

• Plain text passwords are acceptable within the encrypted HTTPS channel

• The Password @Type attribute must be: http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-username-token-profile-1.0#PasswordText

Does SiteConnect require separate credentials for each hotel?

No, SiteConnect uses global authentication where partners provide a single username and password that applies to all hotels.

How it works:

• The same authentication credentials are used across all properties

• The HotelCode attribute in each message identifies the specific property

• This simplifies credential management while maintaining clear property identification

Example: If you connect 100 hotels through SiteConnect, you use the same username and password for all messages, with each hotel distinguished by its unique HotelCode.

We're experiencing WS-Security compatibility issues between .NET and Java. How can we resolve this?

Compatibility issues can occur with WS-Security between .NET and Java frameworks.

Solution: Adjust .NET to accept WebRequests from Java. Refer to WSSE Authentication for WebRequest/Response for detailed implementation guidance, including custom authentication modules.

Which Java libraries and versions are recommended for SiteConnect?

SiteMinder's SiteConnect test environment uses:

Java Version:

• Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_21-b06)

• Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 17.0-b16, mixed mode)

Framework:

• Spring Web Services

Required Libraries:

• spring-ws-core-1.5.9.jar

• spring-ws-security-1.5.9.jar

Note: These are reference versions used in SiteMinder's environment. Newer compatible versions may also work.

Core Concepts

What is the message exchange model for SiteConnect?

SiteConnect uses a hybrid PUSH/PULL model:

PUSH (SiteMinder → Booking Channel):

• Availability updates

• Restriction updates

• Rate updates

PULL (Booking Channel → SiteMinder):

• Rooms and Rates retrieval (on-demand when mapping is accessed)

PUSH (Booking Channel → SiteMinder):

• Reservations (new bookings, modifications, cancellations)

What data will be pushed during first-time connection?

When connecting to SiteConnect for the first time, the system will push all Availability, Restrictions, and Rates data to the booking channel. The requests will be sent back-to-back to ensure the booking channel receives all necessary data to synchronize inventory.

How many days in advance can SiteConnect send updates?

SiteConnect can send updates for availability, restrictions, and rates up to 750 days in advance.

Key Points:

• The specific update period is configured by SiteMinder during channel setup

• Typical configurations range 365 to 750 days

• Each morning, the system automatically adds one new date at the end of the update period to maintain a rolling window

How does SiteConnect batch and send ARI updates?

Update Frequency:

• New update rounds are sent every 2 minutes

• Only the most recent version of each room/rate/date combination is sent

• Updates per hotel are single-threaded, but multiple hotels update concurrently

Message Structure:

• Each message contains updates for one room/rate pair only

• Maximum payload: 210 days (30 date elements × 7-day spans)

• Date ranges are bundled based on data consistency

• Only changed room/rate/date combinations are sent (delta updates)

• When triggered, ALL availability, rate, and restriction values for that combination are included

Response Impact:

• Update frequency depends on how quickly the booking channel responds

• Faster responses enable more frequent updates

Why do we see spikes in ARI updates at certain times?

ARI update patterns are customer-driven, not controlled by SiteMinder:

Common Causes:

• Revenue Management Systems (RMS) running scheduled calculations

• Hotels manually updating inventory during business hours

• Bulk updates across the update period

• Time zone differences creating regional activity peaks

Important: SiteMinder only passes through actual data changes. Non-delta changes are not forwarded to connectivity partners. Updates arrive as changes are made and as quickly as your system accepts them.

Technical Requirements

Can we connect using SOAP 1.2?

No, SiteConnect only supports SOAP 1.1. If your system uses SOAP 1.2, you must adjust it to use SOAP 1.1 for SiteConnect integration. This is a mandatory requirement.

What are the Content-Type requirements?

All SOAP XML requests to SiteMinder must have a Content-Type of text/xml; charset=utf-8. Other Content-Types will not be accepted.

What SSL/TLS versions are supported?

SiteConnect supports TLS 1.1 and above (TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2, TLS 1.3).

Requirements:

• Production URI must use HTTPS

• SiteMinder does not support self-signed SSL certificates

What are the response time expectations?

Optimal Performance:

• Aim for 1-2 second average response times

• Sub-1-second responses are ideal

Timeout Limits:

• SiteMinder enforces a 20-second timeout for ARI update requests

• This is a failsafe - consistent timeouts or prolonged response times should not occur frequently

Scalability Requirements:

• Conduct thorough performance testing on production servers

• Ensure systems can scale with the number of connected hotels

• Must handle large data loads (up to 750 days) in short periods

• Must accommodate multiple properties going live simultaneousl

Error Handling

Will SiteConnect retry failed ARI update requests?

Yes, SiteConnect has an automatic retry system for availability, restrictions, and rate messages:

Retry Behavior:

• Initial timeout: 15 seconds

• Retry interval: Every 2 minutes

• New requests queue until a successful response is received

• Connection may be disabled after extended outages

How should errors be returned in SiteConnect?

Errors must be:

• Returned within a SOAP Envelope

• Use the appropriate response message container:

  • OTA_HotelAvailRS for Rooms and Rates errors

  • OTA_HotelAvailNotifRS for Availability/Restrictions errors

  • OTA_HotelRateAmountNotifRS for Rate errors

  • OTA_HotelResNotifRS for Reservation errors

• Include appropriate error codes and descriptive error messages

Important: For application-level errors, respond with SOAP error messages. Only use HTTP standard error codes (503, 504, etc.) for server-level issues.

Architecture

Are reservation messages processed atomically?

Yes. All messages in SiteConnect are atomic - either the entire message succeeds or the entire message fails.

If you receive an Error response while pushing reservation messages, none of the data in that message was processed. You must fix the error and resend the complete message.

What is the HotelCode and why is it important?

The HotelCode is a unique identifier for each property within your booking channel system.

Requirements:

• Must be unique for each property per booking channel

• Used in every message to identify which property the message relates to

• Provided by the booking channel and configured in SiteMinder during setup

Function: While authentication credentials are global across all hotels, the HotelCode ensures each message is routed to the correct property.

Rooms and Rates

Availability and Restrictions

Rates

Reservations