Auto Replenishment
Auto Replenishment is a feature managed by Booking.com and is unable to 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 will calculate available inventory for the Property in this scenario outside the inventory updates provided by RMS and make the adjustment.
Properties using Oversell Allotments in RMS may encounter the following scenarios in conjunction with Booking.com's Auto Replenish feature.
Oversell Allotments
Properties using Oversell Allotments may find that once overbookings have been accepted from Booking.com and a cancellation occurs for the same date and Category. Booking.com's auto replenishment of inventory will open up inventory that no longer exists in RMS even if the original Oversell Allotment has been removed.
Reservation Category Changes
Booking.com do not receive updates of Category changes on a reservation in their system.
If a Property changes the Category of a Booking.com reservation in RMS and this Booking is later cancelled, the auto replenish feature will add inventory in Booking.com for the originally booked Category.
Properties should contact their Booking.com market manager for any enquiries related to Auto Replenishment.
Cancel Reservations
Properties have the ability to cancel a reservation in RMS after the deadline for updating invalid credit card details has passed.
Following the on screen prompts in RMS this booking cancellation will be sent through to Booking.com and alert the guest.
Credit Cards
Booking.com offer an opt-in feature to allow accepting reservations without credit card details for same day reservations booked after 4pm.
Reservations are limited to a one night stay, with this option only offered when the property has 3 or more Areas 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.
GST
Following changes to GST legislation in both Australia and New Zealand, Booking.com is now obligated by law to collect 10% GST in addition to the regular invoice if the property has not provided an ABN and is not registered for GST purposes in Australia.
All properties located in Australia & New Zealand will need to log into their Booking.com extranet and insert their ABN or NZBN if applicable and select an answer to the question 'Is your accommodation registered for GST purposes.'
An official communication from Booking.com was sent to all partners and can be found in the extranet's inbox or by making contact with the property's Booking.com Account Manager.
Instant Promotional Rates
Booking.com provide the ability to setup 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 as a Derived Rate would in RMS, basing itself off of 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.
Invalid Credit Cards
Properties can mark credit cards invalid in RMS if the card doesn't meet validation conditions on receipt from Booking.com (card expired, incorrect number, insufficient funds etc.)
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.
No Show Reservations
Guests that fail to arrive for their reservation on the booked arrival date can be marked as 'No Show' in RMS.
Properties can follow the on screen prompts in RMS to mark the reservation as 'No Show' in Booking.com and alert the guest.
Rate Mixing
Booking.com offer 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.
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.
Unique Guest Email Addresses
Effective 21st April 2015, guest email addresses will be made anonymous in order to provide an extra level of security.
Regular email traffic between clients and guests is still possible, the difference is that the identity of clients and guests will be protected.
Below is an overview of the most frequently asked questions.
Why does the guest's email address look strange?
The email addresses partner's see in an anonymous, auto-generated email address. This is a randomly created address connected to the actual address of the sender and receiver.
How long is the anonymous email address valid?
The email address will remain valid until 2 months from the departure date of the reservation made in Booking.com.
A new anonymous email address will be generated for each reservation that guest makes at the property.
Can a partner use their anonymous email address for any other purposes?
No. The anonymous email address will only allow communication between a partner and a specific guest.
Will the guest see the accommodation partner's real email address?
No. The guest will also see an anonymous email address which is linked to the partner's email address.
Does Booking.com support all types of attachments sent via the anonymous email addresses?
The most common file formats are supported as email attachments, including .doc, .docx, .xcl and .pdf.
Booking.com do not support .exe, .bat, .com or zip files.