Hotel Slots

Note: This topic provides a generic description of a commonly used structure or function in terminal data or XML transactions. While this description applies to many transactions, individual transactions may deviate in their use of this structure or function. Always confirm usage by reviewing documentation specific to that transaction.

A slot array is used to specify and prioritize search qualifiers for a hotel, which are used to indicate the desired attributes for a hotel property, such as indoor pool, suites, price ranges, and conferences rooms. Search qualifiers, as well as reference points, are commonly used in the following tasks:

Slots allow search qualifiers to be added to a hotel index or availability request to narrow down the hotel properties returned in the search response. Search qualifiers are optional, but are frequently used if the traveler has very specific requirements for a hotel property, or if a search in a specific location yields an unreasonably large amount of properties.

In some cases, such as searches in small towns or isolated areas that have few hotels, reference points and qualifiers are not as necessary. However, qualifiers and reference points can be crucial to locating a desired property in urban or tourist areas. For example, requesting a hotel in central London can yield up to 800 properties. However, using reference points and/or qualifiers can reduce the number of returned properties to a dozen or fewer. Furthermore, these properties will most closely match the traveler's desired hotel attributes.

Note: For OTA-compliant equivalents to RoomMaster search qualifiers and explanations for weighting those qualifiers, see Hotel Search Equivalents in the Hotel OTA-Compliant Web Service.

Slots in XML Transactions

In XML transactions, hotel slots are represented as an array, <SlotAry>, with up to 15 slots, <Slot>, in the array. Only one search qualifier can be included in a slot, and only the required number of <Slot> elements must be included in the request.

Each <Slot> elements contains three subelements:

Request

For example, in a standard availability, the hotel request could include three slots for search qualifiers that respectively indicate weekend rates at a resort within 40 kilometers west of the city center of Kyoto, Japan. See Hotel Search Qualifiers for the full list of qualifiers and associated values.

 

Begins the slot array.

<SlotAry>

Begins the first slot.

<Slot>

Distance and Direction qualifier.

<ID>D</ID>

First priority for ranking in hotel property response.

Note: The priority value must be unique for different slot IDs. However, all qualifiers with the same <ID> value must be assigned the same priority. For example, two slots for Amenities, where <ID> = A, must both be assigned the same Priority number.

<Priority>1</Priority>

The distance and direction value indicates that the search is for a ranges of 0 to 40 city code in the hotel availability request. A reference point or geocode can also be used as primary location.

A CDATA structure is required for distance and direction values to ensure that the data is not parsed before reaching the CRS.

<Data><![CDATA[ 000KW -040  ]]></Data>

Ends the first slot.

</Slot>

Begins the second slot.

<Slot>

Rate Category qualifier.

<ID>C</ID>

Second priority for ranking in hotel property response.

<Priority>2</Priority>

Weekend rate.

<Data>W</Data>

Ends the second slot.

</Slot>

Begins the third slot.

<Slot>

Property Type qualifier.

<ID>P</ID>

Third priority for ranking in hotel property response.

<Priority>3</Priority>

Resort property value.

<Data>09</Data>

Ends the third slot.

</Slot>

Ends the slot array.

</SlotAry>

 

See Transaction Flow 1: Step 2 for additional examples of hotel slot arrays.

Response

The order of hotel properties in a response is based on the data entered into the slot array. A Relaxation Indicator, <RelaxInd> can be used to specify if the hotel properties in the response must conform to all search qualifiers in the request, or if other properties can be returned if no qualifying properties are available.