About GDS Settings

The GDS Settings section of chameleon is designed to allow for 3rd in chameleon™ enable third party interfaces to connect into the properties to a property's Visual One database. Each of these interfaces requires an additional item on the contract

Each interface must appear on the property's purchase order.

Currently, the available GDS interfaces included areinclude:

• Siteminder (channel manager).
• Pegagsus (global distribution system).
• Expedia Quick Connect (online travel agent).
• Trip Advisor Quick Connect (online travel agent).
• Avvio (hotel booking engine).

Restriction Hierarchy for

GDS and OTA

Platforms

Tariff Restrictions

1. All restrictions can be set on the daily restrictions or quick tariff restrictions/yielding.
   
   
2. chameleon chameleon™ will always look to the daily restrictions first.
   
   
3. Tariff restrictions will only be utilized if the daily restrictions permit the reservation to be made.
   
   
4. If a tariff is associated with a package, and “Ovr Pkg Restrictions” flag is set on the tariff, chameleon will look at the attached tariff yield restrictions instead of any restrictions set on the package yield.
   
   

Package Restrictions

1. Package restrictions must be set on the package yield module or daily restrictions.
   
   
2. chameleon will always look to the daily restrictions first.
   
   

3. Package restrictions will only be utilized if the daily restrictions permit the reservation to be made.

Restrictions Currently Respected

1. The following daily info restrictions will be respected:
   
   
1. Closed to Arrival
   
2. Closed to Departure
   
3. No Sell Through
   
4. Minimum Nights Stay
   
5. Oversell
   
   
2. The following package yield restrictions will be respected:
   
   
1. Closed
   
2. Closed to Arrival
   
3. Closed to Departure
   
4. Minimum Nights Stay
   
5. Maximum Nights Stay
   
   
3. The following tariff restrictions are currently respected:
   
   
1. Closed
   
2. Closed to Arrival
   
3. Closed to Departure
   
4. Minimum Nights Stay
   
5. Maximum Nights Stay
   
6. Override package yield (if tariff is attached) flag
   
   
   

Adding a GDS Interface

First, the property must be enabled to allow the GDS accessibility:

1. The property record must be created under “Manage Your Properties”. 
   
   
2. Select “Settings” then “Manage GDS Settings”.
   
   
   
   
3. Select “+Add New GDS”.
   
   
4. GDS Type: select the GDS interface required.
   
   
5. Active: this will enable this GDS interface to operate with the booking engine.
   
   
   1. Note: the active flag is required in order to set the rate plans and room types as available to the GDS platform. However, this task should not be completed until the GDS account is set-up to accept information from b4checkin.
      
      
6. GDS Hotel ID: this is the hotel ID provided by the GDS platform.
   
   
   1. Note: for Expedia, a b4checkin developer must enter the account information and associated account number(s) into the database and provide an ID value from that database
      
      
7. GDS Service URL: this is the connection URL provided by the GDS platform.
   
   
   1. Note: this URL must always be https for security purposes.
      
      

   2. The URLs are as follows:
      
      Pegasus, GDS:  https://book.b4checkin.com/pegasus/
      
      Expedia Quick Connect: https://book.b4checkin.com/expedia/
      
      TripAdvisor Instant Booking: https://book.b4checkin.com/tripadvisorconnect/
      
      Avvio: https://book.b4checkin.com/avvio/
      
      Siteminder: https://book.b4checkin.com/siteminder/
      
      

8. Source Type: this field determines where rates, availability and restrictions data is obtained from Visual One. 
   
   
1. It is recommended to use the “Regular Tables – General Avail” option.
   
   
2. Regular Tables – General Avail: Using the general availability option will always send the total number of rooms available in the property for each room type, whereas the web availability should send the total number of rooms available up to a maximum set under the web avail column in web settings within Visual One for each room type.
   
   
3. Regular Tables – Web Avail: The number of rooms that is sent will always be the total set under the web avail column and is not reduced based on actual number of rooms available; example, if web avail for LDELK is set as 10 and only 2 LDELK rooms are available at the hotel the availability for LDELK sent to the third party will be 10, not 2. 
   
   
4. GDS Tables: This option is used when a property would like to manage rates, availability and restrictions data using their OTA Monitor.  It is possible for Visua One to provide different rates, availability and restrictions data for GDS than what the chameleon booking engine will receive.  For example, using this option can allow a property to close BAR tariff on GDS but still allow BAR tariff to be booked on the booking engine for selected dates. 
   
   
9. OTA Type: this value will be provided by the Agilysys team.
   
   
10. Save.

Second, the property must have the GDS interval enabled on the PMS settings:

1. Select "manage your properties" then select the property in question.
   
   
   
   
2. Select "PMS settings".
   
   

3. Adjust the "V1 GDS Cache Interval" field. Note that this is in minutes.
   
   

   1. Note that this value is required for Pegasus GDS, Expedia, Siteminder, TripAdvisor's Instant Booking and Avvio.
      
      

4. Save.
   

Once enabled, the rate plans and room type records must be marked to be allowed on the GDS:

1. The room types and rate plans must be created either before or during this process. See sections Agilysys Visual One Room Types & chameleon™, Adding, Editing & Removing a Tariff in chameleon™ and Adding, Editing & Removing a Package in chameleon™.
   
   
2. Select “Rate Plans” then “Manage Rate Plans”.
   
   
3. Add or edit the applicable tariff or package. 
   
   
   1. Note: the hours to cancel and change field must be set and should be set to 0 hours (setting no value is not acceptable). The property will set a cancellation period in their GDS extranet which will be respected by that GDS provider. If the change or cancellation request then hits the b4checkin interface, it will need to be accepted (hence why 0 hours must be set). If this is set to a larger value, the reservation will fail.
      
      
      
      
4. Select the check box “Is Used in GDS Platform”. Example: “Is Used in Siteminder”.
   
   
5. Save.