PMS Integration Guide

How to integrate your systems with BookDirect.com

1. Introduction

2. Create Methods and Mapping

3. Send ARI to BookDirect.com

4. Receive Bookings

5. Advanced Stuff

1. Introduction

BookDirect.com is a new channel for users to search, compare and book hotels online.

This guide is for Internet Booking Engines (IBEs), Channel Managers (CMs) and Property Management Systems (PMSs) to push their properties' availability, rates and restrictions (ARR) to BookDirect.com and receive bookings back.

BookDirect.com enables hotels to connect directly with their guests

BookDirect.com offers an open API for all partners.

This approach reduces the need for manual processes and simplifies mapping. Using our API, partners can:

• Create Property

• Create Room Types

• Create Rate Plans

• Content (Coming Soon)

Create Property

Traditionally you would setup systems manually and map them with a CSV file or via API.

We believe it will be simpler to create the property via API.

You can choose to create the property when you require it or automatic for each account you have. If you have many properties you can mass create properties also with a script.

Create Room Types

Creating a Room Type is best practice, we would require some information regarding the name and occupancy

Create Rate Plans

Create Rate plan via API saves a lot of time since by creating you would auto map it to your internal room and rate combination.

If you set Room Type to 2 Persons you cannot create Rate Plan for above 2 persons. It will cause an error.

Content (Coming Soon)

We will have a content module active in BookDirect.com soon please check back to see when this is in production.

You will be able to push images, tax information, descriptions for Property and Room Type.

Mapping Screens

For BookDirect.com you have 2 ways you can map from your system

1. Traditional Way

2. Automated Way

Traditional Mapping Screens

Traditional screens lets you map to an account that already exists or allows you to create. This is the most flexible as it allows you to map existing properties, rooms and rates or if it is an empty account to create everything.

Once the property is chosen or created, they you must map the room types and rate plans.

As you notice the mapping screen allows you to map to existing room/rate or to create new.

The Reload Inventory button allows you to pull room and rate information from BookDirect.com to show what is already created. This is useful if they user wants to create in BookDirect.com then map manually.

We also allow you to delete rooms and rates via API. There will be an error if it is mapped to a channel. It's optional if you want to delete in your mapping screen, you can do this in the BookDirect.com interface.

Automated Mapping

For some PMS or systems it might be simpler to auto create and map and to keep the mapping interface to the administrator.

This method would be handy if you want to provide easy self service to your users.

• Auto create property, rooms and rate plans on new accounts

• Auto sync new rate plans that are created

• Delete any removed rate plans (Make sure you check its deleted from BookDirect.com before deleting in PMS as it could be mapped to channel)

• Provide an iframe of channels from BookDirect.com to users to self map to our channel.

It is advisable to have the traditional mapping screens for admin to fix any issues that might come from the auto methods.

Be sure to auto create and remove rates and rooms, you also need to check if it's removed from BookDirect.com before removing in the PMS or you will break the chain.

Send ARR to BookDirect.com

At BookDirect.com we like to receive updates for Availability and Rate & Restrictions separately.

Example: To update BookDirect.com for 10 days you would send 10 days of Availability information in one message and prices and restrictions in another.

BookDirect.com we like to have separate message for availability. We push these updates to the front of the queue for processing.

Push ARR Best Practices

• Please sent all changes immediately to BookDirect.com

• If lots of changes try to collect into as few messages as possible for faster processing

• Reuse the authentication token for future messages

• Advisable to send a daily full update

• Message size should be less than 10mb

We are always happy to have a chat on best practices. We don't have any API limits but we would monitor and advise if your connection could be improved to be more efficient.

Receiving Bookings

Receiving bookings will be the last stage of the connection process. You can create test bookings and see if they are received successfully.

We support credit cards in PCI secure manner and also extras in the bookings.

If you want to chat about ways to keep your system out of scope for credit cards please get in touch. We can tokenise cards in a payment gateway before passing you the reservation.

Advanced Stuff

At BookDirect.com you may notice we have some advanced tools or methods for controlling availability or mapping to our channel. It would be better to do a basic connection first then look to add any advanced features required later.