How to connect to OTAs in HotelFriend Channel Manager
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia allow guests to book rooms at your hotel via third-party platforms. With the HotelFriend Channel Manager, you can easily connect your PMS to OTAs and manage availability, prices, and reservations.
Before you begin: Make sure that relevant rooms are created in your PMS, and that your base Room Rates are set up and linked to the Channel Manager.
- In the left-hand menu of your PMS, open the Channel Manager module.
- Click the Add new channel button in the top-right corner.
- In the pop-up window, select the OTA you want to connect (e.g., Booking.com, Expedia) from the drop-down list.
- Click Save to confirm.
Action 1: Add channels
- After adding the channels, log in to the Extranet (your OTA’s connectivity portal) and send a connection request to Channex.io as your channel manager.
Action 2: Send connection requests
- Click Manage or the channel logo to open the Connect channel window.
- In the Connect channel window, click Create.
- A new window will open. In the Channel section, select the desired channel, add channel Title and Currency.
- In Connection Settings, enter your Hotel ID.
- Click Test Connection to verify the connection.
- Сlick Next to proceed.
- Map your room types and rates:
- Under the Room Types section, click Not mapped next to a room type and select the corresponding one from your PMS.
- Repeat the same step for Rates.
- Click Save.
Action 3: Complete channel mapping
After that, you need to activate your mapping by going to Manage > Actions > Activate.
Extra instructions on Channex.io
If you need more detailed or technical guidance on connecting specific channels, please refer to the Channel Mapping Guides section available here. These step-by-step setup guides cover the configuration process for each supported channel.
For example:
Additionally, you can access the relevant setup guide directly from the Info window within each channel in HotelFriend.
What happens after the connection is active?
Once mapping is complete and the connection is live:
- Bookings from OTAs will be delivered directly to your PMS.
- At the same time, HotelFriend will automatically send updates to the OTAs about availability, rates, and restrictions for all connected rate plans, keeping your data synchronized across platforms.
Important setup limits
Before connecting, make sure your property settings follow these limits:
- A maximum of 20 Room Types
- A maximum of 200 Rate Plans per property
- A maximum of 18 guests per rate when using Per Person pricing
Always refer to the Channex documentation for specific channels and contact our support team if you need assistance during setup.
