FAQ
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the SiteConnect API, including features, technical behaviour, and integration details.
General
Can we connect to SiteConnect if we’re using SOAP 1.2 and SiteConnect uses SOAP 1.1?
No, SiteConnect only supports connections using SOAP 1.1. To integrate with SiteConnect, you will need to adjust your system to use SOAP 1.1.
We’re experiencing incompatibility issues with WS-Security between .NET and Java. How can we resolve this?
There can be compatibility issues with WS-Security between .NET and Java. To resolve this, you can make adjustments to .NET to accept WebRequests from Java. Refer to the following guide for detailed instructions: WSSE Authentication for WebRequest/Response. This guide covers custom authentication modules that facilitate the connection between .NET and Java.
Which Java package libraries are required to connect to your web service, and what framework and JDK version are used?
To connect to our web service, we are using the following Java version and libraries:
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.jarspring-ws-security-1.5.9.jar
Does SiteMinder need to whitelist our IP address?
No, SiteMinder does not require IP whitelisting for OTA connections.
Is the connection developed in a PUSH model?
Yes, SiteConnect operates using a PUSH model, where availability, restrictions and rates are pushed to the channel's endpoint via POST requests. Reservations also operates using a PUSH model, where reservation messages are pushed from the booking channel to the SiteConnect's endpoint via POST requests.
What data will be pushed during the first-time connection to SiteConnect?
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 the necessary data.
Do you apply any grouping logic when sending ARI messages? For example, are updates batched and sent at fixed intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes)?
A new round of updates is sent out at 2 minute intervals, during which requests per hotel are made at a frequency depending on how fast your side responds. We update multi concurrently on the connection to you, but each individual hotel can only occupy one thread (updates per hotel are single concurrent). We will only send the most recent version of a room/rate/date combination at the time it is triggered.
There will be date ranges and bundling, depending on how static (or not) the individual data pieces are. The maximum payload is 210 days worth. Currently this would consist of 30 individual date elements with a max date span of 7 days each, totalling a maximum of 210. Only room/rate/date combinations that had a change since the last time we synched them to you will be sent. Although, for those ALL the avail, rate and restriction values will be triggered.
Does each ARI message contain updates for a single hotel-room-rate, or can multiple room-rate updates be included within the same message?
Each update from SiteConnect will be for one pair of room/rate code only. With the additional bundling of values explained in the previous question "Do you apply any grouping logic....".
How many days in advance can SiteConnect send updates?
SiteConnect can send updates for availability, restrictions, and rates up to 750 days in advance. This setting is configured by SiteMinder during the channel setup in SiteConnect.
How does the system update availability, restrictions and rates for dates beyond the maximum update period?
Every morning, our system sends data for one new date at the end of the update period for each connected property. This ensures that availability, restrictions and rates are continuously updated beyond the initial period.
Will SiteConnect retry if the channel doesn't respond to the requests?
Yes, SiteConnect has a retry system for availability, restrictions, or rate messages. If no response is received within 15 seconds, it retries every 2 minutes. New requests will queue until a successful response is received or the connection is disabled due to extended outages.
We have noticed spikes in ARI updates at various times of the day. Is this an expected behavior?
We do not control the data, we merely pass it on as changes are being made through us. Non delta changes we receive are not passed on to connectivity partners. We generally discourage most connections linking in to us to do scheduled refreshes or bulk updates VS real time changes, but some RMS systems will have schedules where they are triggering off their newest calculations. There will also be periods during the day where, locally, more updating is being done as people go about their day. But generally, there is no set logic on our side as to when and how the data changes, and these are all customer led. If someone were to bulk update actual changes across the entire update period we cover to you, you will get them as and when they were made, and how quickly you accept them.
Rooms and Rates
Can I retrieve rooms and rates from SiteMinder to load into my system?
No, you cannot directly retrieve all rooms and rates from SiteMinder. The room types and rate plans must first be set up on the booking channel, based on the agreement between the Hotel and the booking channel.
Once this setup is complete, SiteConnect will send a Rooms and Rates request (OTA_HotelAvailRQ) to the booking channel to retrieve all available rooms and rates for the Hotel. After receiving this information, the Hotel will map the booking channel's rooms and rates to the corresponding SiteMinder rooms and rates.
Why can't I find the RoomDescription we sent through on the SiteMinder platform?
The RoomDescription/Text you provided is used internally by our Support Team and is not displayed on the SiteMinder extranet.
Can I retrieve the actual room capacity using the API?
No, the SiteConnect API does not have the functionality to provide room capacity information.
We only supported RoomTypeCode, but now we want to add RatePlanCode. What we need to do?
To add RatePlanCode a certification process needs to be completed. During the transition period, the RatePlanCode can be set as optional. Properties will also need to remap their room rates to the channel to ensure proper functionality with the new RatePlanCode.
What happens if I change the room name or rate plan name?
If you update the names without changing the codes, the hotel will need to re-save the mapping in the SiteMinder platform. Otherwise, the description won’t be updated. This change won’t break the connection since the codes remains the same.
What happens then if I change the RoomTypeCode or RatePlanCode?
This change will break the connection as our system will not recognise the mapping already done. The hotel will need to complete the mapping again.
Why aren't all the rooms and rates retrieved from us showing up to complete the mapping?
The combination of RoomDescription and RatePlanDescription must be unique. If two or more room rates share the same combination, our system will only display one of them. To ensure all room rates are displayed, make sure each combination of RoomDescription and RatePlanDescription is distinct.
Availability and Restrictions
What’s the difference between pooled inventory at Room Type level vs. Rate Plan level?
By default, SiteConnect sends availability at Room Type level, meaning availability for a specific room type is shared across all connected booking channels. If a room type has multiple rate plans, the same availability is applied to all room rates. When a room rate is booked, the availability for the other room rates is automatically reduced.
If you support availability at the Rate Plan level, hotels must adjust their settings in SiteMinder to send separate availability for each rate plan under the same room type. Otherwise, if you only support Room Type level availability, you should use the InvTypeCode attribute and disregard the RatePlanCode.
Is there a mechanism to prevent the hotel from entering an excessively large number of rooms?
No, SiteConnect does not have a validation mechanism to prevent it. It is the responsibility of the hotel to ensure the correct number of rooms is entered.
In the SiteMinder platform, I can't reset the MinStay field back to blank. Is this correct?
Yes, this is the expected behavior. Once the MinStay field is set, it cannot be reverted to blank. You will need to update it with a specific value if necessary (minimum value is 1).
Rates
Why am I receiving availability and restrictions updates but not rate updates?
SiteConnect sends availability and restrictions updates first. Rates updates are only sent after a successful response for availability and restrictions from the booking channel.
Why are rates rounded up (e.g. $59.50 to $60) on the inventory grid?
Rates are rounded due to a setting in SiteMinder. If decimals are turned off, prices will be rounded up.
Does SiteConnect support seasonal rates?
No, SiteConnect does not support seasonal rates. However, you can use restrictions like StopSell, CTA, CTD, MinStay and MaxStay to manage rate seasons.
What does Included Occupancy mean?
Included Occupancy is the number of guests covered by the base rate. For example, if the rate is set for 2 guests, the base price is for two people. If the room allows more guests, extra charges for additional adults or children can be added. A Single Guest Discount can also be applied if only one guest stays.
What is the difference between Per Day Pricing and Occupancy Based Pricing?
Per Day Pricing (PDP) sets rates for each individual day, allowing different prices for different days. Rates are updated daily for the defined date range. On the other hand, Occupancy Based Pricing (OBP) varies rates based on the number of guests in the room. Rates change depending on occupancy levels, providing specific pricing for different numbers of occupants.
What happens if the maximum occupancy set in SiteMinder doesn't match the booking channel's settings?
The channel must return an "Invalid number of adults" error. SiteConnect supports OBP for consecutive rates from 1 to the maximum occupancy. If a hotel changes its max occupancy, only rates for the new limit will be sent. For example, if the max occupancy is reduced from 5 to 4, rates for 5 guests will no longer be sent, potentially causing issues for bookings with 5 guests.
How does SiteConnect sync Extra Adult Rate, Extra Child Rate and Single Guest Discount?
Once the hotel sets Extra Adult Rate, Extra Child Rate or Single Guest Discount, a full sync is sent to the booking channel. These rates are applied per rate plan, so all days will have the same Extra Adult Rate, Extra Child Rate and Single Guest Discount
I added a Single Guest Discount and stopped receiving rate updates. Why?
If the Single Guest Discount results in a negative rate, it triggers an error, stopping updates for that room rate. For example, if the rate is 50 and the discount is 60, the final rate becomes -10, causing the issue.
Are the rates received from SiteConnect inclusive or exclusive of taxes?
All rates sent through SiteConnect are under the AmountAfterTax attribute, however they must be considered as the daily rate only. There is no specific tax flag in SiteConnect, so it depends on how the hotel configures the rate. Generally, hotels load all-inclusive rates, as required by channels like Booking.com and Expedia. Channels can handle the rate on their extranet as they see fit, as long as the hotel is informed and agrees.
We don't need to receive CurrencyCode, as we only support one currency. Can we work without it?
Yes, you can. By default, SiteConnect sends the CurrencyCode, but this can be disabled upon request. This is a channel-level setting that allows properties to select the currency to send to the booking channel. If you only support one currency, you can choose to have it turned off.
Is there a chance to get different currencies in the same request?
No, each request can only contain one CurrencyCode based on the hotel's settings in SiteMinder. While hotels can set different currencies per rate plan, you will only receive one rate plan and currency code per request.
Reservations
How can we avoid overbooking?
While overbooking is rare, it can happen when the last available room is booked simultaneously by multiple channels. In this case, SiteConnect will accept both reservations and send them to the property. The property typically works with the booking channel to resolve the overbooking directly.
After sending a cancelled reservation, the availability did not increase. Why?
This is standard functionality in SiteMinder. Cancelled reservations (or modifications that reduce room bookings) do not automatically increase availability. It is up to the hotel or their PMS to update the room’s availability in SiteMinder. However, if the hotel has enabled the Auto-replenishment option, the system will automatically increase availability for the cancelled room.
What happens if a hotel unmapped a room rate or accidentally disabled the channel, and a reservation is received?
SiteConnect will still accept the reservation. If the room rate is unmapped, availability won’t be adjusted because the booking can’t be assigned to a room type. If the room rate or channel is disabled, availability will be adjusted, but it won’t be sent back to your channel.
Is it possible to get the status or confirmation of a reservation?
No, once a reservation is sent to SiteConnect, it is considered confirmed and valid. SiteConnect updates the hotel's availability, distributes the new values to all connected channels (including yours), and passes the information to the hotel's property management system (PMS), if integrated with the SiteMinder platform.
In what instances can a reservation fail to be received by SiteConnect?
A reservation can fail if there’s an issue with the XML format (e.g., incorrect elements or attributes) or if the HotelCode is not found in our database. However, SiteConnect will still accept reservations even if the hotel lacks availability or the rate plans are not mapped in the SiteMinder platform.
Is it possible to retrieve cancellation policies for a reservation?
No, cancellation policies are set by the hotel directly with the booking channel and are managed outside of the SiteMinder platform.
Can we assume the appropriate region from a property's physical location?
In most cases, yes. However, an APAC property could be set up in our EMEA environment due to Whitelabel partners integrating properties in different regions. If you're unsure about a property's location, please contact our Support team.
Is it possible to send Affiliated Channel details in a reservation?
Yes, you can send Affiliated Channel details by including a second Source / BookingChannel / CompanyName in the OTA_HotelResNotifRQ message.
Should we use AmountAfterTax or AmountBeforeTax when sending rates?
It depends on how your system sends the rates. If you’re sending rates including taxes, use AmountAfterTax. If the rates exclude taxes, use AmountBeforeTax. You can also use both, but the amounts must differ: AmountAfterTax should include taxes, and AmountBeforeTax should exclude them.
If there’s a promotion with a free night, should I send the 0 rate for that night or average the total across all nights?
The best option is to send rates per day. Averaging the rate across all nights can cause issues with some PMS systems in how they display rates. It’s also helpful to include a comment explaining the discount.
Can we send you the discount amounts?
Currently, we do not handle discounts applied across the entire booking. However, if your booking includes a discount, it should be applied to the total amounts in the reservation, RoomStay, and daily totals. It’s also helpful to include a comment explaining the discount.
We sometimes receive bookings with multiple rooms, but only get the Reservation total amount, not the RoomStay or RoomRate amounts. What should we do?
If the RoomStays are for the same room type, you can average the total amount across the dates and use it for each RoomStay. If the rooms are different, you’ll need to split the booking into multiple reservations (one for each RoomStay) before sending it to us.
Should we send commission amounts?
Although commission amounts are optional, sending them helps SiteMinder provide better information to hotels. Some hotels set their PMS to receive reservation rates with or without commission for reporting. The CommissionPayableAmount is the amount the hotel owes the booking channel, and it’s included in the room stay total.
Is it possible to check the price before offering the booking to the customer?
No, this is not supported. The hotelier loads their availability, restrictions and rates into the SiteMinder platform, and you are required to store this data in your system. This way, when a guest books, you can reference the stored data without needing to query the hotel for confirmation.
Can we send bookings with a 0 rate total?
Yes, sending a reservation with a 0 rate total is fine. SiteMinder doesn’t validate the reservation total and will pass it to the hotel exactly as received.
How should we send extra or other charges at the Daily Rate, RoomStay, or Reservation level?
Daily Rate Level: Service cost is included in the RoomRate Total, RoomStay Total and ResGlobalInfo Total. Service cost is not included in the RoomRate Base.
RoomStay Level: Service cost is included in the RoomStay Total and ResGlobalInfo Total. Service cost is not included in the RoomRate Base and RoomRate Total.
Reservation Level: Service cost is included in the ResGlobalInfo Total. Service cost is not included in the RoomRate Base, RoomRate Total and RoomStay Total.
We would like to send City Tax separately from GST/VAT. How can we do that?
You can send multiple Tax elements, each with its own Tax Code according to the Fee Tax Type (FTT), to separate them. However, note that when SiteMinder forwards the tax amounts to hotels or PMSs, it will combine all tax types into a total amount.
Is it okay to make a booking without payment details?
Yes, it is possible. Both the guarantee-payment and deposit-payment sections are optional, so you don’t need to send payment details.
Are the credit card details provided in bookings visible to the hotel?
Yes, the hotel can view the credit card details in their SiteMinder platform, except for the CVV/CVC. If the property has a PMS integrated that supports credit card details, we will pass the same information to them as well.
How can the property see the CVV/CVC that we pass in the booking?
Hotels can find the CVV/CVC in the SiteMinder Reservation Notification Email, provided that email notifications are enabled for your channel. CVV/CVC is not passed to any PMS.
Is it mandatory to send VCC, or is it optional, considering VCCs are excluded from PSD2?
VCC (Virtual Credit Card) is optional but highly recommended. VCCs offer enhanced security through controlled usage, and their exemption from PSD2's Strong Customer Authentication makes payments faster and easier to process.
What is the advantage of sending VCC instead of standard credit cards?
Sending VCC reduces errors and uncertainty in card processing. VCC details are clearly provided to the hotel via the SiteMinder platform, and PMS systems can read VCC information directly, minimizing human error. Additionally, more hotels are using SiteMinder Pay, and VCC simplifies the transaction process for them.
Can the CurrencyCode in the VCC section differ from the CurrencyCode in the Reservation Total?
Yes, the CurrencyCode can differ. For example, a reservation may be made in USD, while the hotel collects in NZD via VCC.
How should MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order) bookings be handled since no SCA is required?
The SiteConnect spec currently doesn't have a flag for MOTO transactions, as there’s no industry guidance on how it should be passed. For now, you can use the comments field to inform the property. The SCA field is optional, so you don’t need to send it for MOTO bookings.
What is the difference between Guests and Customers?
Guests are the people staying in the room, while the Customer is the person who booked or is the contact for the reservation. The Customer should be sent under "ResGlobalInfo / Profile" with Type "1." Guests and Customers can be the same person or different people.
Is it okay if we don’t link our Guests to each RoomStay?
Yes, it’s okay. However, if you can link Guests to specific RoomStays, it’s better, as hotels value this information. For some PMS systems, linking Guests to RoomStays helps ensure the correct guest details are sent with each RoomStay in multi-room bookings.
Can we send only one Guest in a multiple RoomStay reservation?
Yes, you can send just one Guest. However, if you can provide details for each Guest and link them to specific RoomStays, it’s better, as hotels value this information. It also helps some PMS systems process the correct Guest details for each RoomStay.
What data should I include in a modified or cancelled reservation message?
When sending a modified or cancelled reservation message, include all data from the original reservation. SiteMinder rewrites the entire reservation when receiving modifications and cancellations, so missing data could cause the hotel to lose important information. This is also crucial because many hotels have PMS/CRS systems connected to the SiteMinder platform, and the data flows into these systems.
Does SiteConnect notify hotels by email when a new reservation is received?
Yes, SiteConnect can send reservation notification emails to hotels based on the XML data received from the booking channel. However, this feature is optional and must be requested to SiteMinder.
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