Getting Started with Booking.com

This article will guide you through the process of getting your ThinkReservations account connected with Booking.com.

Make sure you meet these requirements before you reach out to ThinkReservations for a connection meeting. 

• An active Booking.com account that you can log in to before you connect with ThinkReservations.
• Your prepayment (deposit) policy set up the way you would like on Booking.com.
• Rooms set up on Booking.com for every room type you have in ThinkReservations that you would like to share with Booking.com. Open any rate type in ThinkReservations to see your list of room types.
• If you charge any additional guest fees, Booking.com needs to first enable "Derived Pricing" for the rooms that have those fees. https://partnerhelp.booking.com/hc/en-us/articles/213806349
• Although not a requirement, set a "Custom name" in your Booking.com Room Details page for each room.
• Using your Booking.com Extranet, follow the steps below to get to  Provider Confirmation.

Your Booking.com market manager can help you set up your account. During the process, you will need to create your rooms on Booking.com -- in most cases, you will want a separate room on Booking.com for each room on ThinkReservations, unless you have distinct room types that you offer (e.g., King Bed, Deluxe King Bed, etc.), and you have those same room types set up in ThinkReservations. It is also good practice to get your "property page score" as high as possible as this affects things like where your property appears in search results.

If you like, we would be happy to schedule a 30-minute meeting with you to get connected.

Please log into your Booking.com Extranet and follow these steps:

This link will take you straight to the connection for ThinkReservations.
https://admin.booking.com/hotel/hoteladmin/extranet_ng/manage/channel-manager/profile.html?provider_id=473

1. Click the circle Account button on the top right, and then Connectivity Provider.
   You may be prompted to authorize the account again.
   
2. Next, click the blue Start button if you are not connected with an existing system. If you are currently connected with another provider, you will need to deactivate that connection first; then you will see the blue Start button.
3. Then you will be able to complete Booking.com's five steps to confirm the connection:
   
   1. Click on the Search for providers field and type "Think." Click on the blue box below that says, "Think Reservations (Think Reservations)." Ensure that the connection type is a Full Connection (two-way), and then click the blue Next button.
      
      
      Make sure to clear the checkbox labeled "Content & Photos." You will manage content and photos for your Booking.com account directly on Booking.com.
   2. Accept the XML Service Agreement. Check the box after you have read and accepted the agreement. Then click the blue Accept button.
      
   3. Waiting for Provider Confirmation: Once you accept the agreement, ThinkReservations needs to confirm the connection and set up the mappings.
      
      To set up the mapping, please click here and make an appointment with a member of our OTA team. During this call, be prepared to provide ThinkReservations with your Booking.com mapping information so we can link the rooms you have on Booking.com with the rooms you have in ThinkReservations and synchronize your rates. We can also help you create your OTA Rate in ThinkReservations if you don't already have one.
      Once these actions are complete, go back to the Channel Manager section in your Booking.com Extranet to refresh the page. (We will walk you through this over the phone.)
   4. For the next step "Confirm": Read the note displayed and then click the blue I confirm the connection with provider Think Reservations button. This will establish the connection to ThinkReservations! This step is typically done with ThinkReservations on the phone.
   5. After a few seconds, your status will update to "XML Connection currently active". Now ThinkReservations can push rates, restrictions, and availability to Booking.com.

      

Once complete, your XML Rate Plans on Booking will be synchronized between ThinkReservations and Booking.com automatically with your OTA Rate in ThinkReservations. When a new/modified/canceled reservation comes in from Booking.com, the reservation will immediately be reflected on ThinkReservations.

If you want to adjust the pricing that is sent to Booking.com, you will adjust the rates in ThinkReservations in your OTA Rate. You won't manage your pricing on Booking.com. Similarly, if you want to adjust your restrictions like minimum nights, you will do so in ThinkReservations, not in Booking.com. If a room/date combination does not have pricing set (the box in the OTA rate is empty) then we will show your room as sold out on Booking.com. Depending on how many rate types you have on Booking.com, you may have multiple OTA Rates to match in ThinkReservations. Note that only XML Rate Plans are eligible to by synchronized to ThinkReservations, and non-XML rate types won't have restrictions in sync.

► To verify the rate types you have set up in Booking.com, log into the admin.booking.com extranet. From there you can select Rates & Availability > Rate Plans

► To verify what rate plans in ThinkReservations are mapped - or linked - to the room types and rate plans you have in Booking.com, navigate to ThinkReservations > Settings > Booking.com. If you are logged in, click here.

► If you see a warning message that says: The occupancy for this room does not match Booking.com then please check the Maximum Occupants listed for that room type on Booking.com does not exceed the occupancy settings in ThinkReservations.

► Please see this article for more information on how to work with your OTA Rate!

► Booking.com Partner Help (Booking.com support)