SiteMinder Channel Management: Frequently Asked Questions

Your Secret Escapes Contracts Manager will complete the setup work on our end within 2 working days. The remaining mapping process depends on the turnaround time between your hotel and Siteminder, but usually the end-to-end process can be completed within a few days. 

The reason why we need two rate codes per offer is to generate a discount (% or strikethrough discount) on our website. 

The discount will be automatically calculated by the system and is updated in real-time, based on the rate difference between SE promo rates vs. Supplier BAR for exactly the same offer plus inclusions.

The preferred rate code names are: 

SERETAIL - The base price, (i.e. BAR rate) that we check our Secret Escapes sell rate against 

SESELL - The actual, discounted sell rate on the Secret Escapes website

Commercially, there is no difference in our criteria for whether a sale is connected via channel manager or not.

To set up the commercial aspect and agreements of the sale with Secret Escapes, please speak with your Contracts Manager.

No, it is not possible to work on net rates with SiteMinder. 

Currently, it is not possible for us to add any sort of percentage or monetary mark-up on top of rates provided via SiteMinder, as we are working on a real-time pull connection. We are not storing any rate or inventory data in our system.

SE only accepts commissionable rates for our connected sales with SiteMinder

Absolutely, you're able to set restrictions in your offer, like MLOS, release dates and black-out dates. You can  set up these restrictions during the initial rate setup in SiteMinder. 

Please make sure the preferred restrictions are discussed and agreed upon with your Secret Escapes Contracts Manager.

Yes, you will be able to set different discounts in the same sale. This can be set directly in your rate plan setup in SiteMinder.

We are consuming both the “AmountBeforeTax” and “AmountAfterTax” from SiteMinder, so rates can be loaded as inclusive or exclusive. You will be able to set this up however you prefer.

Please make sure your preferred settings are discussed and agreed upon with your Secret Escapes Contracts Manager.

When viewing the booking in your reservation system, the provider will be displayed as the connectivity provider name. This will show as 'Secret Escapes' for our bookings.

You will receive your weekly booking summaries as usual, also for connected sales. 

If you want to receive the booking summary on request, please speak to your Contracts Manager at Secret Escapes.

Yes, cancellations will be transmitted in real-time via the API and automatically updated in your reservation system or PMS.

Yes, it is possible to set different cancellation terms. This can be done by the hotel per rate code under 'Policies', during the setup of said rate codes. 

Please make sure the cancellation terms are discussed and agreed upon with your Secret Escapes Contracts Manager.

We have default brand policies

• FREE date change or cancellation of the accommodation up to eight days before check-in date

• FREE date change or cancellation of the accommodation up to 30 days before check-in date

Yes, you will receive the SUVC/VCC details 5 minutes after you receive the booking confirmation as a booking modification. 

Yes, you are still able to receive your payments via bank transfer. 

We do recommend that you discuss this matter with your Contracts Manager, to ensure that we're on the same page and the payment is running smoothly from our side.

Yes, the commission invoices will remain the same. They are still handled the same way by our Finance department. 

Nothing will change on this front when you switch to the SiteMinder channel management connectivity,

You are of course always welcome to propose any changes in your offers. Please contact your Contracts Manager to discuss the potential changes.

Please be aware that any changes you make in the conditions of the rate plan on SiteMinder side (e.g. board basis, room type, discount etc.) will need to be amended by SiteMinder as well. Please inform your SiteMinder account manager of any changes you have made, so they can input this for you in the SiteMinder rate code on their end.

The rates will be reflected immediately on our website. Every time a member opens up the calendar on your offer, we pull the new data in from the SiteMinder connection.

Please be aware that we are only able to show changes in the actual rates. If you change any settings in your rate code (e.g. lower discount, change board basis, etc.), you will need to contact SiteMinder to have the rate code settings changed. Please make sure your amendments have been discussed and agreed upon with your Secret Escapes Contracts manager in this case.

Absolutely, you will still be able to participate in promotions & campaigns, and we strongly encourage our partners to do  so.

The promotion should be agreed with your Contracts Manager, following which you can amend any rate codes to fit the marketing campaign.

Secret Escapes will complete a price & criteria check before and during the campaign to ensure compliance with the mutually agreed terms. Any price & discount change will automatically update in our system.

Unfortunately, this is not possible at the moment. We are working on a solution to get this fixed as soon as possible and will inform our connected partner hotels once this feature is available.