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Advanced Channel Rates - How to Sync Rate Plans to Distribution Channels (OTAs)?

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Advanced Channel Rates allow users to sync multiple rate plans on your Cloudbeds PMS to multiple rate plans on a OTA (Online Travel Agency) - and to do this within a centralized location so you don't have to login and manage rate plans in each channel extranet.

If you are interested in this feature please contact our support team.

Cloudbeds believes every lodging business is unique. We have tools for every size and budget to establish and grow. Reach out to our Support Team for more information on each available package.

If you are not yet a Cloudbeds customer, please click here to access our Pricing Guide and schedule a Demo.

How to sync new rate plan to channels (OTAs)

  • Before linking any channel rate plan to myfrontdesk, the rate plan must be created on the OTA's extranet first.
  • The channel rate plan must not have rate derivations to allow those rate plans to be controlled by the channel manager. Further details on Step 2 - Remove Channel's Rate Derivations
  • If the package has a promotional code applied, the rate plan will not be available for channel sync.
Step 1 - Create a New Rate Plan
  1. Access Rate Plans & Packages page
  2. Click on + new rate plan

Check the following article to learn How to Create Rate Plans and Packages

  1. Create one or more intervals
  1. Save the Rate Plan
Step 2 - Remove Channel's Rate Derivations

All Rate plans created on channel's extranet prior to this new feature (March 2020) can be synced, but you must disable any rate derivations on channel's extranet in order to allow those rate plans to be controlled by myallocator (channel manager by Cloudbeds).

Channels work differently from each other. Contact channel's support team or your Account Manager if you have questions about rate derivation and how to remove them.

Check the following channel's instructions as examples:

Hostelworld

To allow the rate plans to be controlled by the channel manager, click on the pencil icon to edit the rate plan:

Hostels Inbox - Rates & Availability - Google Chrome

Make sure that the rate plan is set as Amount and not as Percentage. Meaning,  you are removing channel's permission to control this rate plan.

Hostels Inbox - Rates & Availability - Google Chrome

There is a limitation that allows maximum 4 rate plans per room type to be mapped.

Booking.com
  1. Access Rates and Availability
  2. Click on Rate Plans
LAMAT · - Google Chrome
  1. Click to Edit the rate plan that will be controlled by the channel manager
LAMAT · Rate Plans - Google Chrome
  1. Click Edit on the Price row
  2. Make sure the rate plan in configured as Set as New Rate Plan
  3. Click Apply Changes

If you are creating a Rate Plan from scratch, make sure to select Setup as a new rate plan as shown below. It means that the rate plan will be created as not derived.

LAMAT · Rate Plans - Google Chrome
Agoda

On your Agoda extranet:

  1. Access Settings
  2. Click Rate Plan Setup
  3. Click on the Create button
  4. Select an active rate plan that is going to be controlled by the channel manager. If the rate plan is not connected to any of the channel’s rate plans (non-derived), it will be available for connecting to Cloudbeds rate plans.
Expedia

Contact your Expedia Account Manager or Expedia support team so they can help you to unlink the rate plan that you want the channel manager to control.

Now that you removed the rate derivations from all desired rate plans, it's time to sync them. Check Step 3.

Step 3 - Sync the New Rate Plan to Channels

Let's take Hostelworld as an example:

  1. Access Channel Distribution page
  2. For already activated channel, click on Enabled to access the channel mapping
  3. On Rate Plan Mapping, click View / Edit

If the channel is not yet enabled, proceed through setup flow and map rate plans as desired.

  1. Click Configure to map desired rate plans for each room type

The rate plans you have created on Cloudbeds are listed on the left side. Use the drop-down menu to map the channel's rate plans to the rate plans on Cloudbeds.

  • Hostelworld allows users to have a maximum of four rate plans per room type on their extranet: Standard, Non-Refundable, Bed & Breakfast, Bed & Breakfast Non-Refundable.
  • Each rate plan supports the following restrictions: Closed, Minimum Length of Stay, Maximum Length of stay. 

Check the following example:

The myfrontdesk "Last Minute" Rate plan was synced with Channel's Non-Refundable Rate

If you select the same channel rate plan to multiple myfrontdesk rate plans, the following error message will be displayed.

MD_test - Manage - Channel Distribution - Channel Setup - Google Chrome
MD_test - Manage - Channel Distribution - Channel Setup - Google Chrome

Map the desired rate plans for each room type.

Once you finish, the system will display the rate plans statuses:

  • Green checkmark: Rate Plans mapping was completed for this room type
  • Yellow warning icon: some rate plans remain unmapped for the room type (it doesn't block you from moving forward - not all rates available on the extranet might need to be mapped with rate plans inside myfrontdesk)
  • Red icon: at least one rate plan needs to be mapped to continue to the next step
DEMO - Karina's Hostel - Manage - Channel Distribution - Channel Setup - Google Chrome
  1. Save the changes and complete the mapping process. Once you finish, the system will automatically send a full refresh to the channel

The only way to check if the rate plan was successfully synced is to verify the OTA's extranet - if your rates and availability match between myfrontdesk and OTA's extranet, it means that the sync was completed.

Check Hostelworld as an example:

Sprint Review: Distributed Systems - Zoom - Google Chrome
DEMO - Karina's Hostel - Availability Matrix - Google Chrome
How to sync existing rate plans to channels
  1. Find the rate plan on the Rate Plans & Packages page
  2. Make sure that the toggle under Active for Sources/mybookings column is ON (green)

This toggle controls whether your rate plan is displayed on booking engine, available internally as a source during new reservation creation and whether it is available for channel sync.

MD_test - Rate Plans & Packages - Google Chrome
  1. Click Edit to check the rate plan ensuring that your intervals are up-to-date
  1. Make sure the intervals are not expired (past dates, for example)
    Scroll down to the Availability section to check the start and end dates - If needed, click the pencil icon to edit the date range.
  1. On the Edit Interval section, the accommodation types selected will be available for channel rate plan mapping

Once you finish, click Save Interval, then, Save

  1. Visit the desired channel on the Channel Distribution page. Click to access the channel mapping > VIEW / EDIT Rate Plan Mapping step > Click Configure > Map rate plans as desired. See more details on Step 3
  2. Send a Full Refresh

If the channel is not enabled yet, you need to proceed through setup flow and map rate plans as desired.

Check the following article to learn How to Edit/Deactivate Synced Rate Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

How to restrict users to manage Advanced Channel Rates?

As this feature set touches several parts of the application - Rate Plans & Packages, Channel Distribution, Availability Matrix, Logs (Calendar and PIE Rate Manager to a lesser degree) - a user may be able to use some, all, or none of this feature set, depending on the roles they have been enabled for on the User Management section of the application.

There are no separate permissions toggles for this sync feature, and thus user access to the full feature set will be controlled by toggles already existing in the system.

If a user has access to one of the permissions below they will have access to all of the pages/settings as they always have had for that particular setting.

Niffler Release Notes - Google Docs - Google Chrome
  • Distribution is inactive > users will not be able to access Channel Distribution and thus unable to map rate plans.
  • Create / Edit Rate Plans is inactive > users will be unable to create rate plans and enable them for channel mapping.
  • Availability Matrix / Availability Block is inactive > users will be unable to send ARI Updates for rate plans through the Availability Matrix.

If a user wants full control of setting up the application at each point of the process, they need all those settings enabled.

If a user updates something that has somehow affects a channel-connected rate plan (e.g. changing a value on the availability matrix), it may also affect rate plans.

Is it possible to create a rate plan to sync with channels but not to booking engine?

Yes, you can choose to map a rate plan for OTAs and not display it on your booking engine. Follow the steps below:

  1. Keep the toggle ON as shown below
  2. Click on Edit the rate plan
DEMO - Karina's Hostel - Rate Plans & Packages - Google Chrome
  1. Uncheck the box Website / Booking Engine from the sources drop-down
DEMO - Karina's Hostel - Rate Plans & Packages - Google Chrome
Is it possible to set a different Base Rate adjustment per Special Rate or Package synced with a channel?

No, the Base Rate adjustment must be the same for all the Rate Plans connected to a specific channel.

Can I sync a single rate plan to one channel but not another, or should I sync that rate plan for all channels for the room type selected?

Yes, you can specify which myfrontdesk rate plan to sync to which channel rate plan in the channel mapping. You can leave the rate plan unmapped if you don't want it to sync. See Step 3. Sync the New Rate Plan to Channels

Which rate plan feature will be sent to the supported channels?
Rate Plan Feature Will be synced with supported channels?
Start Date Yes
End Date Yes
Days of the Week Yes
Accommodation Types Yes
Rate Plan Name No
MinLos Yes
MaxLos Yes
Cut-Off Yes*
Last Minute Booking Yes*
Closed for Arrival Yes
Closed for Departure Yes
Additional Guests No
Add-Ons No
The rate plan is expired (the interval date has passed) but it's still showing on the Rate Plan Mapping page, how can I remove it?

The rate plan name will appear on the Rate Plan Mapping page as long as it is active on the Rate Plans & Packages page (the toggle under Active for Sources/mybookings column is ON).

To remove it, you must deactivate the rate plan. Check: Advanced Channel Rates - How to Edit/Deactivate Synced Rate Plans

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