FAQ

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

General

What is the channel code for Channels Plus?

The Channel code for Channels Plus is CHP. In the reservation that is passed to the property, Channels Plus will be the primary channel on the reservation and the channel that generated the reservation will be the Affiliate channel. This information is also passed to the property in the Reservation XML.

How properties setup and manage Channels Plus?

https://help-platform.siteminder.com/en/articles/9036636-set-up-and-manage-channels-plus

Channels Plus FAQ for properties

https://help-platform.siteminder.com/en/articles/8952536-channels-plus-frequently-asked-questions

What is the Channels Plus Commission Structure

Channel partners receive commission payments through one of two invoicing models:

1. Gross Invoicing (Current Standard Implementation)

This is the primary commission payment method currently used:

Process Flow:

1. Guest books through partner's platform

2. Partner provides guest's credit card OR Virtual Credit Card (VCC) with 100% booking funds

3. Hotel charges the card for the full reservation amount

4. Monthly billing cycle: Hotel receives invoice from Channels Plus for total commission owed on all reservations that checked out in the previous month

5. Hotel pays the commission invoice to SiteMinder

6. SiteMinder pays the channel partner their commission share

2. Net Invoicing (Available for Approved Partners)

This involves upfront commission collection:

Process Flow:

1. Guest books through partner's platform

2. Partner collects 100% of booking funds upfront from guest

3. Partner deducts total commission (their share + SiteMinder's share)

4. Partner provides VCC with net amount (booking total minus commissions)

5. Hotel charges the VCC for the net amount only

6. Monthly summary provided to hotel (no billing required)

7. SiteMinder invoices partner separately for SiteMinder's commission portion

Commission Structure

Each booking has three commission components:

• Total Commission Percentage: Combined commission for the booking

• Channel Commission Percentage: Partner's portion

• SiteMinder Commission Percentage: SiteMinder's portion

Channel API

Why don't I see any response when calling the Confirm Reservation endpoint?

This is expected behavior. The Channels Plus API does not return a response body for the Confirm Reservation endpoint — the response content will be empty.

• If you receive an HTTP 200 OK status, it indicates that your request was successful and the reservation has been confirmed.

• If you receive a response containing error details, it means the request was unsuccessful, and the reservation was not confirmed.

What is freeCancellationUntilDays?

freeCancellationUntilDays specifies the number of days before check-in that a guest can cancel their booking without incurring a penalty.

For example, if the value is set to 10, the guest can cancel for free until 10 days prior to check-in. Any cancellations made after this period will incur a penalty of 100% of the booking amount.

When Using a Virtual Credit Card (VCC), What Are the Rules?

If using a Virtual Credit Card you must adhere to the following rules:

• VCC Activation Date:

  • Must be on or before the last acceptable cancellation date

  • If the reservation is non refundable, must be on or before the booking date

  • Note: The last acceptable cancellation date is calculated by CheckinDate minus freeCancellationUntilDays

• VCC Deactivation Date:

  • Must be at least 7 days after checkout date

What should be the currency of the VCC?

The Virtual Credit Card (VCC) must match the currency of the booking. For example, if the booking currency is EUR, the VCC must also be in EUR.