This article describes the Booking.com channel connection in RMS, including the data exchanged between Booking.com and RMS.

Overview

Booking.com is an online booking channel that can be connected to RMS via the Channel Manager. Once connected, Booking.com and RMS exchange availability, rate, restriction, and reservation data automatically.

This article outlines which data is sent and received between Booking.com and RMS, and provides a reference for the supported and unsupported functions of the integration.

Key Points

• Booking.com supports single reservations, group reservations, cancellations.
• Email confirmations for bookings made through Booking.com are sent by RMS to the Property Booking.com to the Guest (booking confirmation)., not by RMS.
• Live availability is limited to 540 Days.

Connecting Booking.com to RMS

To connect Booking.com as a channel in RMS, follow the general Channel Connection process. This involves activating the channel in the RMS Channel Manager, mapping your properties, categories, and rate types, and then enabling the connection.

Availability, Rate & Reservation Data Exchange

The following tables show which availability, rate, restriction, guest, and reservation data is sent and received between Booking.com and RMS.

Additional Features

The Booking.com connection can be set up with a Pricing Model of:

• Occupancy‑Based Pricing

• Per Day Pricing

• Full Pattern Length of Stay

To ensure your rates sync correctly, the pricing model must match in both systems. If you need to update your current pricing model on Booking.com to match your PMS, please contact our Customer Support team for assistance.

The following additional features are available with the Booking.com connection.

Auto Replenishment

• Auto Replenishment is a feature managed by Booking.com and cannot be deactivated by RMS.

• Using Auto Replenishment enables Booking.com to automatically increase the property's inventory for a Category once a cancellation has been processed by Booking.com.

• Booking.com calculates available inventory for the property in this scenario outside the inventory updates provided by RMS and makes the adjustment.

Oversell Allotments

• Properties using Oversell Allotments in RMS may encounter specific behaviours when this is combined with the Booking.com Auto Replenishment feature.

• If RMS allows overselling a Category and Booking.com has already sold into this oversell, then a cancellation for the same date and Category can trigger Auto Replenishment.

• In this case, the Booking.com auto‑replenishment can reopen inventory that no longer exists in RMS, even if the original Oversell Allotment has since been removed.

Example

RMS allows 2 oversold rooms for the Category “Queen Room” on 25 December.

Booking.com sells those extra 2 rooms, and the property is now effectively full for that date in RMS.

A guest cancelled one “Queen Room” for 25 December on Booking.com.

The Booking.com Auto Replenishment re‑opens 1 “Queen Room” for 25 December based on its own inventory calculation.

RMS, however, still has no physical availability for that date, so any new Booking.com reservation for 25 December will result in an overbooking.

Properties using Oversell Allotments should monitor Booking.com inventory carefully or discuss Auto Replenishment settings with their Booking.com Market Manager.

Reservation Category Changes

• Booking.com does not support receiving Category (room type) change updates from RMS via the channel connection.

• If a property changes the Category of a Booking.com reservation in RMS, Booking.com will continue to hold the reservation against the original Category.

• If that Booking.com reservation is later cancelled, the Auto Replenishment feature will add inventory back to the originally booked Category in Booking.com, not the Category it was moved to in RMS.

• For questions about how Auto Replenishment behaves with Category changes, properties should contact their Booking.com Market Manager.

Additional Charge Mapping

If the property has setup charges on Booking.com that aren't included in the rate, they must be mapped in the Additional Charge Mapping screen in RMS. This will help ensure the charges are applied when saving the Booking.com reservation into RMS.

In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings >Channel Management.

Select Booking.com > Edit.

Select the Additional Charge Mapping tab.

Select Add.

Enter the External Charge Description, select the Type of Charge and select the Sundry Charge then Save\Exit.

Please make sure the External Charge Description matches exactly as it is set up in Booking.com to avoid any issues with creating the charge.

Credit Cards

Booking.com offers an opt‑in feature to allow accepting reservations without credit card details for same‑day reservations booked after 4 pm.

• Reservations are limited to a one‑night stay.

• This option is only offered when the property has three or more Areas (individual rooms/sites/units) available for booking on Booking.com at the time the guest is booking.

• For assistance with allowing late same‑day reservations without credit card details in Booking.com, contact the property's Booking.com Account Manager.

Instant Promotional Rates

Booking.com provides the ability to set up Promotional Rates directly in the Booking.com extranet that will automatically flow through to RMS without the need for additional mapping.

• Setting up a promotional rate in Booking.com behaves similarly to a Derived Rate in RMS, basing itself on a Parent Rate in Booking.com.

• Reservations made via Booking.com using one of these Promotional Rates will include the Promotion Rate ID in the OTA Notes of the reservation in RMS, with the relevant rate amount applied.

• For assistance with creating Promotional Rates in Booking.com, contact the property's Booking.com Account Manager.

Messaging API

Users can message guests who have made their reservation on Booking.com using the RMS Message Centre. The messages will show under the Online Travel Agent tab in the Message Centre.

• Users can set the conversation as Read by Property.

• The Guest will need to log in to the Booking.com portal to see the conversation and manage their reservation.

• Self‑Service Requests are not supported via the Messaging API; only direct messages between the Property and the Guest are available.

A conversation can be initiated by either the Property or the Guest.

Properties can send messages to guests within the following time frames:

• From the time of booking until 7 days after the guest checkout.

• From the time of booking until 7 days after the booking is cancelled.

Guests can send messages to the Property within the following time frame:

From the time of booking till 66 days after checkout.

Turning off Booking.com Messaging API

To stop Booking.com messages appearing in the RMS Message Centre, you need to disable the Messaging API permissions in the Booking.com extranet.

1. Log in to the Booking.com Extranet.

2. Go to the section where you manage your Channel Manager / Connectivity provider, and remove RMS as the current provider.

3. Reconnect RMS as your connectivity provider. During this process, Booking.com will ask which features you want to allow (rates, availability, reservations, messages, etc.).

4. Do not select/grant the “Messages” (Messaging API) permission.

After this, new Booking.com guest messages will no longer appear in the RMS Message Centre. Existing historical messages already stored in RMS will remain, but no new ones will be pulled.

Mapping Multiple Accounts

When setting up a connection to Booking.com, users can configure multiple Booking.com accounts while mapping by Property (Category level).

This is done in the Channel Management – Channel Mapping screen in RMS:

1. In RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.

2. Change Channel Connection Status from Connected to All.

3. Double‑click 'Booking.com' to open the channel setup screen.

4. In the Channel Mapping screen, complete the Connection Information section:

   • Hotel ID = Booking.com Hotel Code

5. When multi‑account is supported and configured:

   • You can set up Connection Information for multiple Booking.com accounts while mapping by Property (Category).

   • Use the Account Label field (mandatory) to give each account a unique, descriptive name (e.g. Account 1, Account 2, Motel, Resort).

   • The Account Label is not communicated to Booking.com; it is used only in RMS so staff can easily identify and switch between accounts in the Channel Mapping screen.
     

Opportunities API

• The Booking.com Opportunity Centre provides properties with actionable insights that can be used to improve the property listing on Booking.com and increase the number of reservations made.

• The Booking.com Opportunities API can be enabled in the Channel Connection for Booking.com.

• Booking.com Opportunities will appear in the Online section of the Message Centre once activated.
  

• The Stay_ID displays the Booking.com Room Code and the |Stay Dte the opportunity applies to.

• Actionable opportunities will include an option to Enable or Dismiss.

• Selecting Enable will redirect the user to the relevant page on the Booking.com extranet to complete the process.
  

Rate Mixing

Booking.com offers guests the ability to receive the lowest possible rate for their entire stay by allowing multiple Rate Types to be booked during the stay. When this occurs, only the Minimum Length of Stay (MLOS on Arrival) for the reservation's Arrive Date applies.

Example

• Night 1 uses Rate Type A with a Minimum Length of Stay = 2 nights.

• Nights 2–3 use Rate Type B with a Minimum Length of Stay = 3 nights.

• The guest books a 3‑night stay.

• Only the MLOS on Arrival (2 nights for Rate Type A on Night 1) is enforced.

• The 3‑night booking is accepted because it meets the 2‑night minimum on the arrival date, even though later nights are linked to a rate with a 3‑night minimum.

Properties should take advantage of the Soft Close feature in RMS to ensure that the appropriate length of stay required is still booked by guests on Booking.com.

Risk-Free Reservations

In cases where a cancellation is made on Booking.com and a replacement guest is found, Booking.com will send a Reservation Modification to RMS to update the Guest Details instead of a Reservation Cancellation.

Reporting API

• The Booking.com Reporting API enables additional options for properties on reservations received by Booking.com, including the ability to mark a Credit Card as invalid, and can be enabled in the Channel Connection setup for Booking.com.

• Changing the Reservation Status to No Show will notify Booking.com automatically.

• The option to notify Booking.com of a Reservation Cancellation is only available if the Credit Card has been marked invalid and the deadline for the guest to update has passed without new details being provided.

• Reservations that can be cancelled in RMS with a notification sent to Booking.com will display in Booking.com with a status of “Ok, ready to cancel”.

Invalid Credit Cards

Properties can mark a Credit Card as invalid on the Credit Card Token area of the reservation if the card doesn't meet validation conditions on receipt from Booking.com (for example: card expired, incorrect number, insufficient funds).

To report an invalid Booking.com credit card from RMS:

1. Open the reservation in RMS.

2. Use the Credit Cards / Credit Card Token option on the reservation to open the list of stored cards.

3. Highlight the relevant Booking.com credit card token.

4. Use the option available to mark the card as invalid.

RMS will then send this invalid‑card report to Booking.com via the Reporting API.

• An invalid credit card can be reported immediately after the reservation is made up until midnight (00:00) on the day of check‑in, in the property's local timezone.

• After a credit card is reported as invalid, the guest receives an email and SMS from Booking.com inviting them to enter different, valid credit card details before a deadline.

• The deadline depends on when the reservation was made relative to the planned check‑in day and time.

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