This article provides step-by-step troubleshooting for when rates, availability, or inventory changes made in RMS are not reflected on a connected Online Travel Agent (OTA) channel.
Overview
The RMS Channel Manager automatically pushes rate and availability updates to connected channels when certain changes are made in RMS. However, some changes require a manual resync, and other issues, such as incorrect mapping, configuration errors, or channel-side caching, can prevent updates from appearing on the OTA.
This guide walks through the diagnostic steps in order, from the most common causes to escalation.
Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.
Step 1 - Verify Channel Mapping
Incorrect or incomplete mapping is the most common reason updates fail to reach a channel. If an RMS Category or Rate Type is not mapped to the corresponding channel room and rate code, updates will not be sent.
In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.
- Select the channel connection and click Edit.
- Review the Room/Rate Mapping section.
- Confirm each RMS Category and Rate Type is correctly mapped to the corresponding channel room and rate codes.
- Use the Channel Category Comparison Report to compare mappings across all channels.
Tip! If a mapping row shows 'No Update', RMS will not send rate or inventory updates for that combination. Complete the mapping if the channel should receive updates.
Step 1b - Check Disable Rate Updates (Sabre, Hoseasons, AxisRooms, Ascott & Best Western only)
For the Sabre SynXis HTNG, Hoseasons OneConnect (Awaze), AxisRooms, Ascott ODX (Shiji) CRS and Best Western connections, a Disable Rate Updates checkbox is available on each mapping row. When this is ticked, RMS will not send rate updates for that room/rate even though availability, restrictions, and reservations continue to sync. This is a common cause of rates appearing to be 'stuck' on these channels while everything else updates correctly.
In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.
- Select the Sabre SynXis HTNG, Hoseasons (OneConnect), AxisRooms, Ascott ODX (Shiji) CRS, or Best Western connection and click Edit.
- In the Room/Rate Mapping section, review the Disable Rate Updates column for the affected room/rate.
- If rates should be sent from RMS, untick Disable Rate Updates and Save.
- Perform a Manual OTA Resync for the affected date range, category, and rate type.
Tip! If availability is updating on the channel but rates are not, Disable Rate Updates is the first thing to check on these connections.
Step 2 - Check for Stop Sells or Restrictions
A Stop Sell applied to a Category, Rate Type, or Channel will close availability for the affected dates, preventing bookings from being made on the connected OTA.
- Go to Charts > Rate Manager.
- Set the Display to Stop Sell.
- Expand the relevant Category and Channel rows.
- Check if a Stop Sell is active for the affected dates.
- If a Stop Sell is applied unintentionally, untick the checkbox to release it.
If no Stop Sell is ticked but same-day arrivals are closed on every channel and on the RMS Booking Engine, while future dates remain available, the property may have a Release Back Time set. When the release back time is reached each day, RMS closes same-day arrival availability on all connected channels and the RMS Booking Engine for that property. No Stop Sell appears in Rate Manager for this closure.
- Go to Setup > Online Bookings > Online Options.
- Select the Property (if applicable).
- Select the Page Settings tab.
- Check whether Use Release Back Today is ticked, and the Default or Daily time is set.
- If same-day arrivals should stay open online, untick Use Release Back Today or set a later time, then select Save/Exit.
Please Note! Allow up to 30 minutes for a change to the Release Back Time to reach all connected channels.
Where the channel is showing a minimum stay you did not set, the restriction is a length-of-stay rule rather than a Stop Sell, so it will not appear while Rate Manager is displaying Stop Sells. Two length-of-stay restrictions exist, and they are assessed differently: Minimum Nights (MLOS) is assessed on the arrival date alone, while a Soft Close is assessed across every date of the stay. Where more than one applies to a date, the longest applicable restriction wins, and a restriction set in the Control Panel overrides one set on the Rate. For how the two interact with everything else that can set a minimum, see Length of Stay Restrictions and Hierarchy.
Step 3 - Confirm the Category is Available Online
If a Category is set to Inactive or has "Available to RMS Online" disabled, connected channels will not receive updates for that Category.
- Go to Setup > Category/Area.
- Select the affected Category.
- Confirm the Category is Active.
- Confirm Available to RMS Online is enabled.
If the Category is active and available online but the channel always shows one or two fewer than the Availability Chart, or the last Area in the Category never sells online, check the Category's Hold Back Areas value. Areas held back are taken off the availability RMS sends to the RMS Booking Engine and to connected channels.
- Go to Setup > Online Bookings > Online Options.
- Select the Property (if applicable).
- Select the Category Setup tab and find the Category.
- Check the Hold Back Areas value. Set it to 0 if every Area should be sold online, then select Save/Exit.
Please Note! The hold-back is ignored when the Category contains only one Area. It reduces the figure sent on connections using Full Availability. Where a connection uses Channel Allotments or Default Allotments the allotment itself is not reduced, but the availability sent will not exceed the Category's availability minus the held-back Areas.
Step 4 - Review the Channel Log
The Channel Log records all updates sent to and received from connected channels. Reviewing the log can reveal errors or failed updates that explain why changes are not reaching the OTA.
- Go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.
- Select the channel connection and click Edit.
- Navigate to the Channel Log section. Select the Log tab.
- Review recent entries for errors or failed updates.
- Note any error messages for troubleshooting or to provide to RMS Support.
Step 5 - Perform a Manual OTA Resync
If the mapping is correct and no restrictions are blocking the update, a Manual OTA Resync will push current rates and availability to the channel.
- Go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.
- Select the channel connection and click Edit.
- Navigate to Room/Rate Mapping and select Manual OTA Resync.
- Select the Date Range, Category, and Rate Type to resync.
- Click Apply.
Please Note! Depending on the date range and number of combinations selected, it may take several minutes for the update to appear on the channel's extranet.
Important! Do not repeatedly perform Manual OTA Resyncs for the same issue. If a single resync does not resolve the discrepancy, the cause is likely a mapping or configuration issue that requires investigation.
Step 6 - Check the Channel Extranet
After performing a resync, verify the data has arrived on the channel side.
- Log in to the channel's extranet portal (e.g., Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb).
- Verify the rates and availability match what is set in RMS.
- If the extranet shows the correct data but the guest-facing pages do not, contact the channel directly as this is a caching issue on their side.
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