Overview
Setting up the accommodation types (room types) is one of the most important settings for your property. The accommodation setup affects both your Cloudbeds PMS and your booking engine accounts as well as the inventory and availability of your distribution channels (OTAs).
On Cloudbeds PMS, accommodations can be set up as private or shared dorm rooms (with beds), depending on the actual structure of your property. Follow the instructions in this article to create and manage your accommodation types correctly.
Important
This article includes guidance for properties using both the legacy Accommodations tab experience and the new Accommodations page experience. If your property has the new Accommodations page enabled, some steps, fields, and workflows may appear differently.
Use the comparison tabs in this article to understand what has changed in the new setup experience.
1 - Access the accommodation types tab
In the new Accommodations page, accommodations move into a redesigned setup experience with a dedicated page.
Instead of a single flat setup tab, the new Accommodations page introduces a more structured experience centered on accommodation types, units, amenities, and distribution-related actions.
- From your Account
, select Settings
- Go to the
Accommodations page
- At this page you find a tab for each related settings:
- Accommodation Types
- Amenities
- Split Inventory (if enabled)
From the Accommodation Types list, you can view and manage accommodation types from one place.
- Total accommodation types and total units are displayed at the top of the list.
- Units are broken down by Private and Shared.
- Physical and Virtual breakdown is shown when virtual rooms are active.
- You can search by name or code.
- You can filter by Physical or Virtual and Shared or Private.
- You can copy an accommodation type.
- You can open Manage Distribution from the row actions.
- You can reorder accommodation types by dragging rows.
Important
Reordering is disabled while search or filters are active. Reorder changes must be saved to persist.
- From your Account
- Go to Property
- Open the Accommodations tab
- You can drag and drop accommodation types to re-order them on your Calendar & Booking Engine.
- You can use the filter section to search for your accommodations/rooms. If you have private rooms and dorm rooms, you can filter by room type.
- When you create a reservation, you will be asked to choose whether the accommodation is physical or virtual. Your choice will appear in the Physical or Virtual column of the accommodations table.
2 - Create a new accommodation type
Things to note before getting started
- Every room type created in Cloudbeds PMS must have an equivalent room type created in the OTA's extranet.
- Later, they must be connected (mapped) through the channel room mapping.
- We strongly recommend creating distinct accommodation types (e.g., "Standard Dorm" or "Women's Dorm") instead of separate individual rooms within an accommodation type (e.g., "Standard Dorm Room 1", "Standard Dorm Room 2", etc.).
- Creating separate individual rooms instead of accommodation types will make your inventory incompatible with most OTAs. For more information, read our Distribution Channel Mapping Guidelines.
In the new Accommodations page, the creation flow is more structured and introduces additional accommodation details, including standardized accommodation labels, accommodation size, layout, sleeping arrangements, units, amenities, and distribution.
To create a new accommodation:
- Click to add + Accommodation type
- Configure the General Details:
- Room name
- Code (internal usage)
- Privacy (private or shared dorm)
- Label (defines a standardized accommodation name for consistent translations across all supported languages)
- Upload images:
- Supports .jpg,.jpeg,.png. Up to 10mb.
- For best visibility, upload at least 5 images. You can drag and drop to reorder them: the first image will appear as your featured photo on the Booking Engine.
- Select if the room is physical or virtual (check here for more details about virtual rooms)
- Insert a description:
- Click the language dropdown to enter the description in other languages. It will be displayed in the booking engine.
- Enter the number of units your property has of that same room.
- Enter the accommodation size (m2 or sq ft)
- Select the maximum occupancy of guests in that room
- Enter the maximum number of adults and children and how many are included in the base rate. Click Save..
After saving the general details, additional setting tabs become available depending on the accommodation type. These may include:
Find more details in the corresponding sections.
Important
Amenities, Units, and Distribution tabs are disabled in create mode until the accommodation type has been saved at least once.
Steps to create a new Accommodation Type:
- On the Accommodations tab, click New Accommodation Type.
- Name the Accommodation Title.
- You can click the language dropdown and enter the name in other languages (it will be displayed in the booking engine).
- Guests will see the accommodation names you enter. Use regular titles such as "Standard Double Room" or "Deluxe Double Room". The maximum limit is 45 characters.
- Give the room an abbreviation, which will be displayed on the calendar only (optional).
- Select whether the room is a private or dorm (if it's a dorm, select whether it's gender-specific).
- Select if this accommodation is a physical or a virtual type (e.g., Standard Queen sold as Standard Single too).
- Enter the number of units.
- Enter the maximum occupancy of the room.
- Enter the maximum number of adults and children (It will allow your guests to specify the number of adults and children when searching your property website. Note: These values will only apply to direct Booking Engine reservations).
- Select how many adults are included in the Base Rate (this is exclusive to the booking engine if you want to set an extra charge for additional guests).
- Select how many children are included in the Base Rate (for the booking engine only).
- Add a description of the room. Click the language dropdown to enter the description in other languages (will be displayed in the booking engine).
12. Add the amenities for your room types. The amenities will be displayed on the booking engine. You may also enter custom amenities. Learn more: Setup your property amenities
13. Add the images of your accommodation by clicking Select Image.
14. Upload the images (Drag and Drop the file here to upload, or click to browse the hard drive).
15. Click Done.
16. Click Save and Continue.
💡Tip: You can edit or add customized alt text to uploaded images by clicking the edit image pencil icon after saving.
Are you interested in creating virtual accommodations? We suggest you check out our article on how to create virtual accommodation.
4 - Manage Units (new)
If you are planning on allowing guests to book individual units on your booking engine, you may enter a description and upload images for each unit in this tab.
For example, you have two double standard suites named "The Yellow" and "The Blue": In the units tab, you can configure the images and description to differenciate them.
5 - Manage Amenities
In the new Accommodations page, amenities can be configured directly from the Accommodations setup, both at the accommodation type level and in bulk across all accommodation types.
- You can add amenities from categorized lists.
- You can bulk copy amenities from another accommodation type.
- Copied amenities are added to the current amenity list; they do not replace the current list.
To bulk copy amenities from another accommodation type:
Amenity categories may include Top Amenities, Comfort & Essentials, Bathroom Features, Food Kitchen & Supplies, Technology, Entertainment & Recreation, Pool Spa & Wellness, Outdoors & Views, Services, Family Services, Environment & Sustainability, Parking & Transportation, and Accessibility.
Booking Engine amenity visibility
Standardized amenities assigned to an accommodation type can appear as icons directly on its Booking Engine accommodation card, helping guests compare room features before opening View details.
- Amenities marked as Most popular with guests are prioritized in the icon row.
- Additional amenities are represented by a +X more indicator. Guests can select View details to review the full amenity list.
- If a standardized amenity does not have a matching icon, the Booking Engine displays a generic checkmark.
- Custom amenities do not appear in the accommodation-card icon row, but they can remain visible in the accommodation details.
Only amenities supported by both Cloudbeds and Booking.com are eligible for Distribution Content Sync.
Important
Custom amenities will be displayed only if the property had them previously configured. Properties using the new Accommodations page will not be able to add new custom amenities, but can remove existing custom amenities and choose amenities from the standard list.
Amenities assigned to accommodation types can be displayed on the Cloudbeds Booking Engine and can support the Booking Engine Plus Amenities filter when the filter is enabled in Booking Engine settings.
If no amenities are assigned to accommodation types, the Amenities filter may not have options to display to guests.
Learn more about guest-facing filter behavior in Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus filters and guest stepper behavior.
In the legacy experience, amenities are added during the accommodation setup. You can use the default amenities or create custom amenities. These amenities can be displayed in the accommodation details on the Booking Engine.
Properties using this experience may not display the amenity icon row directly on accommodation cards. The accommodation cards continue to display normally, and guests can open the accommodation details to review the available amenities.
Learn more in Set up your property amenities.
6 - Manage accommodation images
In the new Accommodations page, image management is integrated directly into the accommodation setup workflow.
- Upload .jpg, .jpeg, and .png images up to 10 MB.
- Upload at least 5 images for better visibility on the Booking Engine.
- Drag and drop images to reorder them.
- The first image becomes the featured image displayed on the Booking Engine.
- You can edit image details and alt text after saving.
In the legacy Accommodations tab, images are uploaded during accommodation setup and displayed on the Booking Engine.
- You can upload images for accommodation types and individual rooms.
- You can drag and drop images to reorder them.
- The first image will appear as the featured image on the Booking Engine.
- You can edit image alt text after uploading.
Important
Image sync to distribution channels is not included in this release. Images configured in Cloudbeds are not synced to Booking.com.
7 - Manage Distribution - Sync content to Booking.com
In the new Accommodations page, Distribution Content Sync is a completely new workflow that allows you to sync accommodation content and amenities directly to Booking.com from within the Accommodations setup. It is accessible via a Distribution drawer from the Accommodation Type List and the Accommodation Type Edit screen.
While creating or editing an accommodation,
- Go to Distribution
- Click on the channel you want to sync. (Only channels that support content sync are show on the list)
- Select the channel's accommodation type in the drop-down menu
- Select the channel's accommodation name
-
Check the boxes if you want to sync content and amenities.
- The selected details will be sent to Booking.com and will overwrite existing information on the channel.
- Click to sync accommodation.
After sync is enabled, supported accommodation content updates made in Cloudbeds can continue syncing to Booking.com automatically.
Supported synced fields may overwrite corresponding values configured directly in the Booking.com Extranet.
Booking.com fields supported to be synced include:
- Property accommodation name
- Channel accommodation name
- Channel accommodation type
- Accommodation size
- Number of units
- Maximum occupancy
- Maximum adults
- Maximum children
- Areas layout
- Bed type
- Bed quantity
- Amenities
Important
- Content sync is Booking.com-only for now.
- Images sync is not included.
- Bulk syncing multiple accommodation types to Booking.com at once is not included.
- Sync can be blocked if required information is missing. Required information includes Label, Areas for private accommodations, and Bed type for shared accommodations. Be sure to complete all required information before proceeding to sync.
- Cloudbeds does not currently support infants as a distinct guest category. Infant-related configuration is not included in the content sync to Booking.com. Properties should configure infant settings directly in the Booking.com Extranet.
- Content sync covers the subset of amenities that exist in both Cloudbeds and Booking.com. Amenities configured directly in the Booking.com Extranet that fall outside this shared set will be preserved and will not be modified by the sync.
Additional Accommodation Settings
Configure Bed Capacity
The Bed Capacity feature is designed for hostels and shared accommodation operators who need to report metrics based on bed spaces instead of rooms.
This feature is not enabled by default. If you’d like to use Bed Capacity, please contact our Support Team to request activation.
Once the feature is enabled, go to:
- Your Account
> Property
> Accommodations
- Create a new accommodation
- Or you can edit an existing one by clicking on their name.
- Then, depending on the room type:
-
- Private accommodations: Enter the bed capacity per room
-
- Shared dorm rooms: Enter the bed capacity per bed
The values entered are assumed for all rooms or beds of that type. Your choice will appear in the Bed Capacity column of the accommodations table:
This setting is only available for physical accommodations. It is not supported for virtual room types. To learn more, see the Split Inventory article.
If the feature is enabled in your property but you don't enter or change any values, the default bed capacity will be set to 1.
In the new Accommodations page, the accommodation structure becomes more detailed through layout and sleeping arrangement configuration. If you are using the new configuration page, the bed configuration is already included in the creation steps.
- For private accommodations, setup can include defined areas and bed arrangements.
- For shared accommodations, the accommodation structure continues to reflect a bed-based configuration differently from private accommodation types.
For private accommodations, open the Areas tab after saving the accommodation type.
- Single Area: Defaults to Sleeping Area.
- Multi-Area: Choose Bedroom or Living Room per area.
- Multi-area layout supports up to 5 areas.
- For each area, add one or more bed arrangements with bed type, bed capacity, and quantity.
Important
Areas are available only for private accommodations after the accommodation type has been saved. In this version, only one arrangement per area is supported, and bathroom configuration is not included.
Customize individual rooms
If you have several individual rooms within one room type, you may either let the system generate individual accommodation names automatically or customize them manually.
If you want to customize each individual room within one room type, follow these steps:
- Click the Edit button next to the accommodation name.
- Input a custom accommodation name.
- Enter a description if desired.
- Upload images (these will be displayed on the booking engine only).
- Click Save.
Click and drag individual rooms to reorder them. The order will be reflected on the booking engine and calendar.
For dorm rooms, you also have the option to organize the beds into rooms.
In the new Accommodations page, this part of the workflow becomes a more complete Units management experience. Instead of treating unit customization as an optional follow-up action, you will find a dedicated tab to manage units, edit their details, reorder them, and continue setup from the same accommodation experience.
Units are automatically generated based on the accommodation type configuration.
- For private accommodations, the unit count is based on the Number of units field.
- For shared accommodations, the unit count is based on dorms multiplied by beds per dorm.
- Each unit receives a default name on creation based on the accommodation code.
- Users can edit the unit name, description, and Doorlock ID from the Edit Unit side panel.
- Users can reorder units by drag and drop. The order must be saved to persist.
For shared accommodations, the Organize beds into rooms option groups bed units into named room sections.
- When enabled, each room can be renamed.
- Beds can be reordered within rooms by drag and drop.
- When disabled, beds appear as a flat list.
Allow guests to book a specific room or bed on the Cloudbeds Booking Engine
You can require guests to select a specific room, bed, or other accommodation unit after they choose an accommodation type on the Cloudbeds Booking Engine.
Before enabling this option, review the instructions for your accommodation setup experience:
In the legacy Accommodations tab, customize the names, descriptions, and images of individual rooms or beds before requiring guests to select a specific unit.
After completing the accommodation setup:
- From your Account
- Go to the Settings section and open the Accommodations tab.
- Toggle on Require accommodation unit selection.
- Open the accommodation-type dropdown and select the accommodation types for which guests must choose a specific unit.
- Save your changes.
The setting applies only to the accommodation types selected in the dropdown.
In the new Accommodations page, the accommodation setup already includes richer accommodation information, images, amenities, and structure details that can improve how accommodations are prepared for downstream display and distribution.
The Booking Engine setting to allow guests to book specific accommodations continues to be managed separately in Booking Engine settings.
To configure this setting:
- From your Account
- Go to the Settings section and open the Accommodations tab.
- Toggle on Require accommodation unit selection.
- Open the accommodation-type dropdown and select the accommodation types for which guests must choose a specific unit.
- Save your changes.
This setting is managed separately from the accommodation setup and applies only to the accommodation types selected in the dropdown.
Guests select a specific unit after choosing an accommodation type, but all reservations continue through the same Booking Engine link. Learn more in How to sell individual accommodations on your Booking Engine.
Edit an existing accommodation type
- Click on the accommodation name.
- Update the information you want and click Save.
Finding the Accommodation Type ID
Looking for your accommodation type ID? This is a unique number assigned to each room type in Cloudbeds PMS. You might need this ID for various reasons, such as adding a custom code to your Booking Engine.
To find it, click on the accommodation name and look for the number at the end of the URL. Example: https://hotels.cloudbeds.com/connect/100000#/manage/roomTypes/123456
Important note about renaming room types
If you change the name of an accommodation type, Classic reports preserve the historical record. This means the Room types filter may display multiple versions of the same accommodation name. To ensure complete reporting across time periods, always select all historical names of that room type when filtering.
For more details, see the FAQ in the Rooms Sold/Occupancy Report.
In the new Accommodations page, editing takes place within a more structured setup experience. You can edit the accommodation in multiple sections instead of updating everything from a single place.
Click the right-side menu to access the editing options:
Depending on the accommodation type and what has already been saved, updates may be organized across different tabs, such as General, Areas, Units, Amenities, and Distribution.
Important
Removing required information from an accommodation type may affect active Booking.com content sync. If required information is removed, sync can move to Sync Disabled status until the missing information is corrected or sync is stopped.
Delete an accommodation type
If a room type is deleted entirely, historical data tied to that room type may not be recoverable in Classic reports. Past reservations could appear under a “NULL” value instead.
Deleting a room type is not recommended and can cause serious issues if not done correctly.
If you need to delete an accommodation type from the system, follow the detailed instructions in the guide below: How to Delete an Accommodation Type in Cloudbeds PMS.
(New) Accommodations page: Deleting an accommodation type with active reservations no longer means reassigning them one at a time. Users can reassign all affected reservations in a single action, or individually if preferred.
Current limitations of the new Accommodations page
The new Accommodations page does not support:
- Multi-property;
- Bulk syncing multiple accommodation types to Booking.com;
- Content sync to other channels, at this moment, only Booking.com is supported;
- Image sync to channels.
FAQ
Can all Cloudbeds properties create Virtual (Combined) accommodation types?
No. Virtual (Combined) accommodation types are available only to properties with the Split Inventory feature enabled. If your property does not have Split Inventory, the option to create Virtual accommodations will not appear in the Cloudbeds PMS.
Virtual accommodations are used to combine or link physical rooms for sale, and this functionality depends on Split Inventory being active.
Learn more: Split Inventory: Everything You Need to Know.
Can accommodation images sync to Booking.com?
No. Image sync is not included in this release. Accommodation images configured in Cloudbeds are not synced to Booking.com.
Can I sync accommodation content to other OTAs?
No. Distribution Content Sync currently supports Booking.com only.
Can I create custom amenities?
Properties with existing custom amenities can continue using them. However, creating new custom amenities is not supported in the new Accommodations page experience.
Are Areas available for shared accommodations?
No. Areas are currently available only for private accommodations. Shared accommodations continue using a bed-based configuration.
Comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.