This article explains why Booking.com or Expedia can show rooms for sale that RMS does not have after a guest cancels, and what to check in RMS before contacting the channel.

Booking.com and Expedia both use a feature called Auto Replenishment. When the channel processes a cancellation, it reopens inventory for that room type using its own calculation, outside the availability updates RMS sends. RMS cannot switch Auto Replenishment off, although a Manual OTA Resync corrects the figure, and on Booking.com the property can turn the feature off in the extranet. The result is a channel showing availability that RMS does not hold, and a risk of an overbooking if a guest books it.

Applies to: properties connected to Booking.com or Expedia through Channel Management. Both channels behave the same way.

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.

Quick Checks

Run through these first to confirm the extra availability is coming from the channel and not from RMS.

1. Check the same dates and Category in RMS on the Availability Chart or with Quick Quote. If RMS also shows the room as available, this is not Auto Replenishment. Continue with Troubleshooting: Rates or Availability Not Updating on a Channel.
2. Check when the availability reopened on the channel. Auto Replenishment happens straight after a cancellation is processed on the channel, not after a rate or availability change in RMS.
3. Check whether the Category uses an Oversell Allotment. Properties that oversell are the most likely to see this problem.
4. Check whether the cancelled reservation had its Category changed in RMS after it was booked.

Possible Causes

Booking.com or Expedia reopened the availability itself after processing the cancellation

Auto Replenishment is a Booking.com and Expedia feature. After a cancellation, the channel increases the inventory for that room type based on its own calculation of what was sold and cancelled. RMS did not send that availability and cannot turn the feature off.

Fix:

1. Confirm the availability RMS currently holds for the dates and Category on the Availability Chart.
2. Run a Manual OTA Resync for the affected channel, Category and date range. A resync re-sends RMS's current rates and availability to the channel. RMS sends availability as the total number of rooms to sell for each date, so the resync replaces the figure the channel is holding, including rooms the channel reopened itself.
3. Check the channel extranet to confirm the availability now matches RMS.
4. If Booking.com keeps reopening rooms after cancellations, turn the feature off in the extranet: click Rates & Availability, then Calendar, select the settings symbol (three vertical dots) or Availability settings, click Auto-replenishment and select No. On Expedia, Auto Replenishment is managed by Expedia, so contact your Expedia market manager. RMS Support cannot change either setting.

The resync works because RMS sends availability as a total figure for each date rather than as a change, so the channel replaces the number it holds with the number RMS sends. RMS also marks the room type and rate as closed whenever availability reaches zero or a Stop Sell applies, which is designed to stop the channel reopening it. The channel can still reopen the room after the next cancellation, so treat the resync as a correction rather than a permanent fix.

An Oversell Allotment let the channel sell rooms that RMS no longer has

If RMS allows a Category to oversell and the channel has already sold into that oversell, a later cancellation for the same date and Category can trigger Auto Replenishment. The channel reopens inventory that no longer exists in RMS, and it can do this even after the Oversell Allotment has been removed.

Example: RMS allows 2 oversold rooms for the Queen Room Category on 25 December and Booking.com sells them, so the property is effectively full. A guest then cancels one Queen Room for that date on Booking.com. Auto Replenishment reopens one Queen Room on Booking.com, while RMS still has no physical availability. Any new Booking.com reservation for that date is an overbooking.

Fix:

1. Open the Availability Chart for the date. With an Oversell Allotment, the Category figure shows the remaining reservations that can be made, not the remaining physical Areas, so zero means the Category is full.
2. Run a Manual OTA Resync for the Category and date range so the channel receives RMS's current availability.
3. Monitor the channel extranet closely on dates where the Category has oversold, or discuss Auto Replenishment with your market manager before relying on Oversell Allotments for that channel.

The cancelled reservation was moved to a different Category in RMS

Booking.com and Expedia do not receive Category changes made to a reservation in RMS. The channel keeps the reservation against the room type that was originally booked. When that reservation is later cancelled, Auto Replenishment returns the inventory to the original room type on the channel, not to the Category the reservation was moved to in RMS.

Fix:

1. In the channel extranet, check which room type the cancelled reservation was held against and compare it with the Category in RMS.
2. Run a Manual OTA Resync for the original Category and the affected dates.
3. Where possible, avoid moving channel reservations between Categories, or expect to resync the original Category after a cancellation.

Prevention

Auto Replenishment cannot be prevented from RMS, although RMS closes the room type on the channel whenever availability reaches zero. On Booking.com, turn Auto-replenishment off in the extranet calendar settings if cancellations keep reopening rooms. If your property uses Oversell Allotments on a Category sold through Booking.com or Expedia, expect a cancellation on that Category to reopen availability on the channel, and check the channel extranet after each cancellation on a date that has oversold. Where possible, keep channel reservations in the Category they were booked in, so a later cancellation returns inventory to the right room type.

Still Not Working?

Auto Replenishment is controlled by the channel. On Booking.com the setting is in the extranet calendar settings; on Expedia your Expedia market manager is the right contact. If you need RMS Support to confirm what RMS sent to the channel, submit a ticket and include:

• The property name and the channel.
• The Category and the dates where the channel shows availability RMS does not have.
• The reservation number of the cancellation and the time the availability reopened on the channel.
• Whether the Category uses an Oversell Allotment.

Related Articles

• Booking.com: Channel Information
• Expedia: Channel Information
• Manual OTA Resync
• Oversell allotments on the Availability Chart
• Troubleshooting Overbookings
• Overbooked: a channel booking arrived when RMS had no availability