Requesting Hotel Rules

Business Description

The Hotel Rules request supplies booking requirements for rates at a specific hotel property. Hotel availability transactions (Standard and Complete Availabilities) often list general rules associated with a hotel property. However, hotel rules lists rule requirements and penalties associated with a specific rate at that property.

Because rules at a single property can vary based on the booking code, hotel rules should be viewed, particularly for discounts, promotional offers, or other non-standard rates that may have more stringent requirements. Rules are displayed from RoomMaster, or from the vendor's own host system if they have an Inside Availability link to Apollo or Galileo.

Checking a property’s rules and requirements can help a traveler to avoid unnecessary confusion, and possibly expense. Hotel rules include information such as:

• Whether a credit card number is required to guarantee a room for late arrival.

• Credit cards that accepted by the hotel for guarantee or deposit.

• The latest time a traveler can cancel a booking without incurring a no-show charge.

• Whether the hotel accept pets, and if so, is there a refundable or non-refundable deposit.

• Rate changes during the stay.

• More detailed room description information.

• Property location and direction information.

Request

The minimum request for hotel rules includes the check-in and check-out dates, booking code (room rate), the RoomMaster Property ID, and the number of travelers.

Response

Depending on the participation level of the hotel vendor, the response data is returned either from RoomMaster or from the vendor's database.

Recommended Use

Hotel rules are not technically required, although they are typically recommended as a best practice to provide travelers with the full requirements for the rate. Although this function can be implemented as a stand-alone request, it typically follows a request such as for complete hotel availability or hotel sell.

Retrieving hotel rules from a complete hotel availability requires a hotel vendor with Inside Availability participation (direct access by the CRS to the vendor's database) to be assured of confirmed room rates.

Hotel rules can be made for any level of participation after the segment is sold.

Technical Overview

Associated Transactions

For more information about the functionality of this task, see the associated transaction: HotelRules_10.

Sample Transaction Flow

Hotel Transaction Flow 2: Step 4