07-19-2022, 10:50 PM
Dear WuBookers,
following some cases of overbooking encountered by our Support Team
in recent weeks, we want to focus your attention on an important one option
present in Booking.com, which may relist, without you know it, rooms that
you had closed for sale in your Channel Manager.
This option is "OPEN ROOMS" CLOSED", enabled by default for all properties
on Booking.com.
What does this option do?
Allows Booking.com to relist a room, following one reservation canceled,
even if the room is set by you as "closed" in your WuBook calendar.
To be clear, on Zak's Tabla is the restriction identified by the “On/Off” button
which, if activated, colors with black the day/room box:
While on Woodoo's Tabla it is the restriction identified by the green/black
rectangle, which is activated (sell closed) by setting it to black:
Below is a real example where you can determine the impact of this
Booking.com option on your daily practice.
1- A customer books the last room, of a certain type, on Booking.com portal;
2- then the hotelier gets in touch with the booker, and they agree to cancel the
reservation on Booking.com and create a direct one (therefore without
intermediation costs);
3- hotelier cancels the B.com reservation within WuBook.
(NB: this does not have impact on the original Booking.com reservation
where reservation still remain confirmed). Then he quickly creates a new
direct reservation to reset the availability and set the room as close for sale
for the dates involved (closure made just to prevent overbooking due to
reopen for sale of the room).
4- Finally, the booker calmly cancels the original reservation on Booking.com
Following the example above, when point 4 occurs:
- with REOPEN CLOSED ROOMS “ENABLED”, Booking.com will reopen the
room for sale again in their portal, even if the channel manager had closed
the sale of that room type for involved stay dates;
- with REOPEN CLOSED ROOMS “DISABLED”, the room remains closed
(even availability restored), thus respecting the closure for sale set by
Channel Manager.
Solution / Tips
1- Do not make a fuss with Ota reservations and, if you really want to do it,
do it with the utmost attention!
2- Ask the Booking.com Support Team to disable the REOPEN CLOSED
ROOMS option (it is not possible to do this autonomously from the extranet)
AND always remember to close rooms where you go to cancel and
recreate the reservation.
From the cases we have seen, we have understood that not everyone was aware
of this option and whether it was active or not. For those who have this doubt,
check and see the option as you wish.
We remind you that neither the Channel Manager nor you own an OTA booking:
that is, only the portal itself can modify or cancel a reservation received from it.
Changes made in WuBook to an Ota reservation (such as room change), have
no impact on the reservation of the Ota, which "officially" will remain in the room
originally booked.
If any user of the community has suggestions or other info on the subject,
they are welcome!
Good work
following some cases of overbooking encountered by our Support Team
in recent weeks, we want to focus your attention on an important one option
present in Booking.com, which may relist, without you know it, rooms that
you had closed for sale in your Channel Manager.
This option is "OPEN ROOMS" CLOSED", enabled by default for all properties
on Booking.com.
What does this option do?
Allows Booking.com to relist a room, following one reservation canceled,
even if the room is set by you as "closed" in your WuBook calendar.
To be clear, on Zak's Tabla is the restriction identified by the “On/Off” button
which, if activated, colors with black the day/room box:
While on Woodoo's Tabla it is the restriction identified by the green/black
rectangle, which is activated (sell closed) by setting it to black:
Below is a real example where you can determine the impact of this
Booking.com option on your daily practice.
1- A customer books the last room, of a certain type, on Booking.com portal;
2- then the hotelier gets in touch with the booker, and they agree to cancel the
reservation on Booking.com and create a direct one (therefore without
intermediation costs);
3- hotelier cancels the B.com reservation within WuBook.
(NB: this does not have impact on the original Booking.com reservation
where reservation still remain confirmed). Then he quickly creates a new
direct reservation to reset the availability and set the room as close for sale
for the dates involved (closure made just to prevent overbooking due to
reopen for sale of the room).
4- Finally, the booker calmly cancels the original reservation on Booking.com
Following the example above, when point 4 occurs:
- with REOPEN CLOSED ROOMS “ENABLED”, Booking.com will reopen the
room for sale again in their portal, even if the channel manager had closed
the sale of that room type for involved stay dates;
- with REOPEN CLOSED ROOMS “DISABLED”, the room remains closed
(even availability restored), thus respecting the closure for sale set by
Channel Manager.
Solution / Tips
1- Do not make a fuss with Ota reservations and, if you really want to do it,
do it with the utmost attention!
2- Ask the Booking.com Support Team to disable the REOPEN CLOSED
ROOMS option (it is not possible to do this autonomously from the extranet)
AND always remember to close rooms where you go to cancel and
recreate the reservation.
From the cases we have seen, we have understood that not everyone was aware
of this option and whether it was active or not. For those who have this doubt,
check and see the option as you wish.
We remind you that neither the Channel Manager nor you own an OTA booking:
that is, only the portal itself can modify or cancel a reservation received from it.
Changes made in WuBook to an Ota reservation (such as room change), have
no impact on the reservation of the Ota, which "officially" will remain in the room
originally booked.
If any user of the community has suggestions or other info on the subject,
they are welcome!
Good work