Know About Agoda as a Supplier – Types, Steps, Time for API Integration, & Business Models
Know About Agoda as a Supplier – Types, Steps, Time for API Integration, & Business Models Overview Different Types of Agoda API Agoda’s Commission Range & Partnership Models Reasons to Integrate Agoda API With Your Booking Engine Technical Requirements to Integrate Agoda API The Time and Steps Required to Become an Agoda API Affiliate Conclusion ZentrumHub is Certified & Official Hotel API Provider & Integration Partner for Agoda. Connect Agoda’s Hotel Inventory with your Hotel Booking Engine Instantly! Overview about Agoda?Agoda, a part of Bookings Holding Group, is an Asia-based OTA that has multiplied since its inception in 2005. Though perceived as OTA, Agoda is also one of the largest and most recognized suppliers of inventory and rates to travel agencies. It primarily focuses on and is strong in the Asian market, predominantly Southeast Asia, but offers listings worldwide, with over 2 million properties available. Agoda caters to various accommodations, including hotels, hostels, vacation rentals, and guesthouses. Since Agoda is an online retailer and is self-service oriented, it offers APIs related to all those functionalities, which helps its partners to resemble the look and feel of the Agoda website. This modular architecture allows you to integrate the functionalities that your business requires. So, if you want to include Agoda as a supplier to your inventory and offerings, below are things you should keep in mind as they will guide you – Different Types of Agoda API ? 1. Content API Agoda provides hotel content in 2 different forms – Data File and Data Feed. Your account manager shall provide the URL to download. Data File Content is in CSV format provided in the preferred currency and language Content covers only hotel-level information Used for collection of the hotel data to store in the database Hotel-level content included in the data file Data Feed Content is in XML format that covers whole hotel and room-level information Used to fill hotel content initialized in the data file Hotel-level content included in the data feed 2. Search API Availability Search API sends the availability and rates for all room types of specified hotel(s) based on the search criteria, like number of passengers, time duration of stay, currency, etc. Currently, Agoda provides two forms of search API: Short Search API Short Search is optimized for that function if you require minimum room information. You should use the Agoda URL landing in the response to make bookings. This API will be suitable for the MSE or Online Affiliates model. Long Search API If you plan to display complete room information, including surcharges and cancellation policies, then Long Search provides in-depth information on rates and availability at room level. Searching for a single hotel and a list of hotels can be done through both the APIs. 3. Book API This API offers you a gateway to make bookings in the Agoda system. There are two URL endpoints: PreCheck API, optional, and Book API, a must to make bookings. Agoda’s rates and availability are dynamically generated, and constant changes in prices and allotments may fail bookings; therefore, it is recommended to implement the PreCheck API for verifying if the previously selected offer is applicable right before booking. PreCheck API The PreCheck service is designed to improve the booking success pace by offering to pre-check the rates and allotments before sending the booking request. This PreCheck API can work in the background while the end customer enters their details in the booking form. If the PreCheck response is successful, the room booking process will be completed without any issues, but when there is a failure, you could warn the end customer to look for a new offer. This API can fail in two circumstances – when price changes, especially during peak seasons, and when the selected room is no longer available. There are also other auxiliary APIs like – Post-book API – This is meant for all post-booking activities, like retrieving bookings, sending special requests, canceling a booking, and filtering the booking list by date, tag, & DateTime. NHA API – Non-hotel Accommodation is a popular option, but partners couldn’t directly reach the property owner or receptionist. Therefore, this new “GetHostContact” feature is developed to connect to the host or property owner through the given email address. CDS API – This one is meant to improve the accuracy of cache data and visibility of updated properties. Agoda’s Commission Range & Partnership Models Talking about commissions, Agoda typically charges around 10 to 20% commission based on your contracts, service offerings chosen, and inventory consumption. So, for example, each $200 booking at a commission rate of 5% earns you $10. But here are the different partnership models that you must consider based on your requirements: MSE Model or Online Affiliates This is the simplest integration model. If you compare and aggregate hotel prices from many other online travel agencies on your website, then the MSE model will suit you better. This model speedily offers detailed information about availability or rate API that can be displayed on your website with simple integration and minimal development. Search Short API should be used here. Agoda Fulfill Assisted Model If you wish to integrate your booking form with Agoda’s API but do not have post-booking customer services, then this model suits you. Through this model, Agoda will provide post-booking customer services and directly charge and send hotel vouchers to your customers. Search Long API and Book API are used in this model. Partner Fulfillment Model This model would fit you if you fully want to handle the post-booking flow with customer services. Through this model, you can handle cancellations and special requests. It will also help to process the payment and offer post-booking customer services to travelers. The Search Long API, Book API, and Post Book API are used in this model. Reasons to Integrate Agoda API With Your Hotel Booking Engine Global property access with daily content refreshing. Allotments and prices are pretty dynamic. Retrieve available rooms and rates at each property with a proper
15 Ideal Features – You Must Check in Hotel Booking Engine
Ideal Features that a Hotel Booking Engine Must Have Overview Essential Features to Consider in a Hotel Booking Engine Reasons to Choose ZentrumHub Booking Engine Are you thinking about switching from your current booking engine provider to a new one? Or, going from an offline to an online booking model? Finding the right hotel booking engine that fits your requirements is challenging. However, defining precise requirements will help you choose the right vendor. Below are some things that can help you to outline your needs clearly and in selecting the right vendor as well. Let’s start with the basics of a hotel booking engine. A hotel booking engine is a versatile software designed to cater to Hotel Business Owners and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). It is a centralized platform to showcase hotel information and enables seamless online bookings for end-users. Read “Understand Hotel Booking Engines – Functionality, Cost, Types, & Ways to Build an IBE” for more in-depth insights. 15 Essential Features to Consider in a Hotel Booking Engine Before you compare different booking engines, evaluating the features they offer and how they can benefit your business is crucial. Here’s a list of must-have features to look for in a hotel booking engine: Online Travel Agents Integrations: Flexibility to add or remove travel agents based on your business requirements. Revenue Management: Systematic dashboard to show all bookings, discounts, offers, cancellations, and revenue generated. Supplier Management: Access to an expansive hotel inventory with the option to add, remove, or pause individual suppliers from the booking engine. Easy-to-Use Interface for OTA & Customers: A simple, readable, and tailored to meet user requirements Customizable Booking Engine: The ability to customize options within the system to suit your specific needs. Back Office: Easy way to manage bookings, analytics, suppliers, revenue, and other essential aspects. Mark-Up: Flexible mark-ups for different suppliers, different kinds of hotels, city-wise mark-ups, seasonal mark-ups, etc Device Compatibility: Responsiveness for smooth UI on various devices, like mobile, laptop, and tablet Fast & Accurate Search Results: Option auto-suggestions and varied results based on search queries for a seamless user experience. Zero Booking Failure: Ensuring that booking failures are minimized to avoid further issues AI-enabled Search Patterns: Auto-suggest and search patterns based on ratings, customer feedback, and user behavior. Multi-Language and Multi-Currency Support: The ability to adapt language and currency preferences based on user locations. Deduplication or Mapping: Hotel and Room capability for deduplication and accurate listing Reporting and Analytics: Detailed booking reports for effective analysis and data-driven decision-making SEO Potential: Built-in SEO capabilities to enhance online visibility and attract organic traffic to your booking platform. As an OTA, finding the right booking engine can significantly impact your business’ success. If you’re looking for previously mentioned features, we have carefully developed a hotel booking engine that Fortune 500 companies globally trust. Reasons to Choose ZentrumHub Booking Engine ZentrumHub is an emerging travel tech company renowned for its cutting-edge hotel booking and supplier connectivity platform. With an easy-to-operate interface and AI-enabled features, the intelligent booking API ensures lightning-fast access to hotel inventory within 2 seconds, guaranteeing swift and efficient services. Leveraging a vast network of 50+ global hotel suppliers, including names like HotelBeds, Expedia, Web Beds, Agoda, Yalago, OYO, Yatra, and more, ZentrumHub offers unparalleled business connectivity options. Whether supplier integration or end-to-end booking engine requirements, ZentrumHub’s universal single platform makes it effortlessly manageable. ZentrumHub is becoming a preferred choice among travel businesses for global hotel supplier integration and booking engine platforms. Let’s explore the key features that make ZentrumHub the industry leader: Features: ChatGPT Integration: ChatGPT-based search feature to find the best suitable hotels in the intended destinations Supplier Management: Seamlessly integrate hotel suppliers for a diverse hotel inventory. Revenue Management: Systematic dashboard to show all bookings, discounts, offers, cancellations, and revenue generated. Easy-to-Use Interface: User-friendly interface for a smooth booking experience. Multi-channel: Accepts Booking from mobile, website, and travel agents. Customizable Booking Engine: Tailor the platform to your brand and unique requirements. Mark-Up Facility: Flexible mark-ups for different suppliers, different kinds of hotels, city-wise mark-ups, seasonal mark-sups, etc Fast & Accurate Search Results: Quick loading times and precise search results for user engagement. Zero Booking Failure: Seamless booking confirmation process to avoid discrepancies. AI-Enabled Search Patterns: Personalized search options based on user preferences. Deduplication or Mapping: Hotel and Room capability for deduplication and accurate listing Price Comparison: Users can easily compare prices, amenities, and special offers from different hotels to find the best deals. Multi-Language and Multi-Currency Support: Adapts to diverse languages and currencies for global users. White Label Solution: The platform offers a white label solution, allowing travel agencies and tour operators to brand the system as their own, enhancing their brand presence in the market. Support and Training: Software provides ongoing technical support, training, and assistance to clients for a smooth implementation Reporting and Analytics: Detailed booking reports for informed decision-making. B2B and B2C Portals: ZentrumHub develops B2B and B2C portals, enabling travel agencies and tour operators to manage their business operations SEO Potential: Built-in SEO capabilities for enhanced online visibility and traffic. 24/7 Customer Support: Access experienced assistance via call, chat & email, with a separate dashboard to track your support tickets. XML Integration: XML integration with a wide range of suppliers, including global distribution systems (GDS), hotel aggregators, and other travel content providers, expands travel product offerings. Select the solution that best suits your travel business and maximize your revenue with Zentrum Connect and Zentrum Booking Engine. Choosing the right hotel booking engine is crucial for success, and each top-ranked booking engine has unique strengths and features. Hotel businesses should carefully evaluate their needs and requirements to find the best fit that enhances their efficiency, customer experience, and revenue generation. Read more blogs on Booking Engine Step-by-Step Guide – Go Live with ZentrumHub Know all about Hotel Booking Engine, Functionality, Cost, Types, and Ways to Build Ideal Features that a Hotel Booking Engine Must Have Why Must Every Travel Business Invest in Online Booking Engine?
Know All About Expedia API – Integration, Cost, Time, Business & Pricing Models
Know All About Expedia API – Integration, Cost, Time, Business & Pricing Models Overview Different Types of Expedia API Reasons to Integrate Expedia API With Your Travel Agency Technical Requirements to Integrate Expedia API The Cost, Time, and Steps to Integrate Expedia API Business & Pricing Models of Expedia API Expedia’s Pricing Models for End Customers Takeaway We are Certified and Official Hotel API Provider and Integration Partner for Expedia Group. Connect Expedia’s hotel inventory with your hotel booking engine instantly!——————————————————————————————————————————————— Let’s start with the primary question – What is Expedia API? As you know, Expedia is a well-known online travel company offering a vast inventory of hotels, cars, and flights. It works as a travel agent and the supplier providing retail rates in the booking transaction. Under its brand name, Expedia provides net booking rates. Its API is designed for software developers who wish to develop apps that enable other businesses to integrate and share this inventory data. In this era of big data, online travel agencies must equip themselves with the right analytics tools to make data-driven decisions and understand evolving consumer behaviors. We know data analysis can be time-consuming, so we are here to explain which data analytics OTAs must focus on to make data-driven decisions. Different Types of Expedia API Expedia’s APIs are tailored to specific business needs, and here are the 4 types of APIs that you can choose from 1. Rapid API This API helps to build custom end-to-end lodging booking experiences for OTAs, the world’s leading airlines, and loyalty and membership programs. It offers all the essential data you and your travelers require to book a property. Based on how you wish to build the user experience, you can access properties, region mappings, rates, and much more. This API’s modular design helps quickly customize the traveler booking journey per your business needs. Rapid API offers leading lodging inventory, with 700,000 properties across 250,000 destinations and over 25 different property types & their intelligent geography mappings make search smarter. It also provides over 29 million high-resolution property images and 21 million high-resolution room images optimized for increased conversion. It shows over 82 million traveler ratings and over 57 million traveler reviews across Expedia Group brands. Also, unique user-generated content is refreshed on the API every day. 2. Booking API The Booking API helps to book rooms where the Price Check response confirms rates. The Booking API’s primary itinerary method helps reserve the chosen property, room, occupancy, and rate. Payment details, like billing/cardholder contact information, are included in the request. The successful booking response has the links to fetch the itinerary or cancel the reservation. You can make multi-room bookings for the same room type through a Shop request and pass the occupancy parameter separately for each room. You should include corresponding separate room instances in the array for each booking. 3. Shopping API This helps get the rates and availability of different room types for chosen properties (maximum 250 properties per request). The response consists of rate details like promos, cancellation penalties, whether the rate is refundable, and a total price breakdown to meet your market’s price display requirements. Multiple instances of the occupancy parameter can request numerous rooms of the same type. If one request has various calls for the same occupancy, the response will have a single set of rates. Only eight rooms may be requested at a time. You must contact the account manager about their group booking for more than eight rooms simultaneously. 3. Content API These APIs provide you with access to content for all of Rapid’s properties. Property Content The Property Content returns a list of property IDs or complete details for the selected active properties in the chosen language. This API can be used to retrieve property IDs or complete content based on your search criteria. Inactive Properties The properties can become inactive for the time being for various reasons; therefore, the Inactive Property API can be used to get the inactive property list from a provided whole date, helping you update your storage or cache to exclude unsellable or unbookable properties within Rapid. Reasons to Integrate Expedia API With Your Travel Agency? Expedia API is a top-rated travel company with a vast network of suppliers and vendors, allowing you to offer multiple choices to your customers. This API lets your customers get detailed information about the room and destination, such as availability, reviews, pricing, etc. The booking experience becomes more seamless with proper content and a wide choice of relevant options. Integrating such reputed APIs has multiple advantages, such as providing advanced search and booking functionalities, a wide range of travel products/services, and a comprehensive set of tools for business growth. Let’s take a look at the features of Expedia API. It facilitates the following: Integrating advanced functionality into agents’ travel portals. Checking all hotel-related information like pricing, room availability, and ratings before booking or cancellation. Offering faster responses from multiple hotels to provide accurate and real-time availability with rates Receiving customer booking information in almost real-time. Reading, creating, and editing room types and rate plans without depending on any market manager. Technical Requirements to Integrate Expedia API It is crucial to have specific technical requirements, like TLS 1.2 for encryption, XML messages for bookings, and secure communication protocols to integrate any API. It is a time-consuming and cost-consuming task, even if you have a skilled in-house development team. So, travel businesses looking for suppliers like Expedia often choose supplier connectivity platforms like Zentrum Connect to quickly yet efficiently integrate the API and manage all its complexities. The Cost, Time, and Steps to Integrate Expedia API Integrating any API is a tricky process and requires a lot of expertise, but here are the surface-level steps that you will have to follow to become an Expedia API partner – First, you will have to register on the Expedia Partner Solutions website. Complete the API application form. Submit the form for review. Once your form is approved, you will
RateHawk Joins Hands with ZentrumHub to Facilitate Smooth Hotel Inventory Distribution
RateHawk Joins Hands with ZentrumHub to Facilitate Smooth Hotel Inventory Distribution Last Updated : Oct 18 2023 | 11:35 PM IST Wilmington (Delaware) [US], October 18: RateHawk, a leader in hotel inventory distribution and an online system for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers, establishes a strategic partnership with ZentrumHub, an emerging hotel booking engine and supplier connectivity solutions provider, to organize better and control its 2.2 million+ extensive accommodation inventories. RateHawk has long been recognized for its comprehensive range of hotel offerings. Its recent focus is expanding and localizing products while partnering with various vendors for inventory distribution. With this seamless integration, ZentrumHub’s customers can tap into a vast selection of accommodations worldwide through its product – Zentrum Connect. RateHawk’s Launchers Team Head, Erik Akhmetgaliev, said, “Our business thrives on innovation, and we collaborate with firms that provide top-notch solutions in the travel industry. By joining forces with ZentrumHub, we have expanded our reach and made our offerings more accessible to travelers worldwide. Together, we are poised to deliver a streamlined and efficient experience to businesses and travelers alike.” “We are proud to have Ratehawk as a trusted partner,” said Bhushan Tamhankar, Co-founder and Head of Global Partnerships – ZentrumHub. “With RateHawk’s extensive offerings, our customers can now offer travelers an even broader selection of accommodations, all seamlessly integrated through Zentrum Connect. This collaboration is a testament to our dedication to enhancing the capabilities of Zentrum Connect and making it a preferred choice for businesses seeking high-quality hotel inventory.” For media inquiries and further information, please contact: Pasha Sheikh pasha@zentrumhub.com Read Full Release.
VisitorsDeals Chooses ZentrumHub’s Booking Engine Platform to Showcase its Unique Travel Offerings
VisitorsDeals Chooses ZentrumHub’s Booking Engine Platform to Showcase its Unique Travel Offerings Last Updated :12 October, 2023 VisitorsDeals, a one-of-a-kind travel agency that offers free roaming passes to its customers and the best room booking options has partnered with ZentrumHub, an emerging market leader in hotel booking engine solutions and hotel supplier API connectivity. VisitorsDeals, a well-known and celebrated travel business from Malaysia made headlines for offering FREE roaming data in 121 countries to its customers who book hotel rooms through their website. To widen their user base , VisitorsDeals has partnerships with mobile operators, they have launched FREE mobile roaming with their 1st mobile operator from Malaysia called Yoodo which is owned by Celcom , they are in midst of launching FREE roaming service with their 2nd mobile operator next month . Intending to provide a seamless and dynamic booking experience for travelers, VisitorsDeals was searching for a platform that could match the innovation and flexibility of its business model. It needed a partner that could showcase its unique offerings and provide travelers with an unparalleled and user-centric experience. With ZentrumHub, VisitorsDeals found the perfect match. ZentrumHub’s dynamic Booking Engine Platform and the hotel Supplier Connectivity Solution – Zentrum Connect, offer many features that align with VisitorsDeals’ vision. This new customer sign-up clearly aligns with ZentrumHub’s focus on Asia Pacific markets. As a part of that strategy, ZentrumHub has already partnered with suppliers and other vendors from the same region to have extensive and comprehensive inventory coverage and technology solutions for its clients. The co-founder and CEO of ZentrumHub, Abhinav Sinha, mentioned, ” VisitorsDeals’ innovative approach to travel is impressive. We are committed to providing a platform that reflects the dynamic nature of their business and highlights their unique offerings. Together, we aim to set a new standard in the travel industry.” VisitorsDeals’ CEO, Bala Subramani Rao, said, ” Our goal is to make travel a stress free and enjoyable experience for all. With ZentrumHub’s cutting-edge technology, we can now offer travelers a seamless booking experience that truly showcases our unique value proposition.” For media inquiries and further information, please contact: Sourabh PatidarZentrumHubsourabh@zentrumhub.com Read Full Release. About VisitorsDeals VisitorsDeals focuses on giving travellers special dining deals and FREE data for roaming when travellers book their rooms through their website.They aggregate the rates from multiple suppliers and always offer the lowest rate possible for the room the user has selected. VisitorsDeals always strive to improve travelers’ experience so that people can have a stress-free vacation or stay. Due to these offerings, people keep coming back to them. About ZentrumHub At the forefront of travel technology, ZentrumHub has carved its niche in the industry with a SaaS- and PaaS-based travel technology approach. The company’s ingenious hotel booking engine and supplier connectivity platform are designed to enable suppliers, channel managers, and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Zentrum Booking Engine and Zentrum Connect streamline supplier connectivity, white-label solution, the booking process, and the back office, ensuring a seamless experience for all.