Below, we provide some instructions and tips to help you make the most of your API Out and TC Connect connections.
Once the connection with other technology providers and platforms is established, we recommend evaluating together the possibility of limiting the volume of requests made through the API to avoid overloading your L2B (Look 2 Book). Establishing control over query traffic will help you prevent system overloads and reduce operational costs. For example, by having them limit searches to destinations or countries where you know you are competitive and/or have your own product.Â
Offer attractive rates through the API to achieve the same conversion rate as you have in your TravelC under your license (for example: a 1% conversion on your main site vs. 0.2% conversion via API could mean you’re not filtering properly or are offering products that aren’t worth promoting).
From your Back Office, you will have the option to limit the properties you offer through the API, as well as block those that are not relevant to your business or that don’t have competitive prices.
Simply access:
Menu: Web Content > Submenu: Accommodation Priority > Priority or Excluded Accommodations > Feature: Accommodations Priority > Click on Exclusive Result
Also, in the Priority or Excluded Accommodations screen, you can ban those establishments that you don’t want to appear as results.
From the Accommodation Rules screen, you can create conditions to exclude properties from search results based on their category, rating, meal plan, or cancellation policy.
Click here to explore these points in more detail.
In the API Book Maintenance page of your Back Office, you can filter which providers are connected to each client.
It’s important to know that offering third-party XML connections to companies that already work directly with those bedbanks or DMCs often leads to low sales. Your prices will likely include an extra markup, making them less competitive than the client’s direct rates. Plus, if any of those third-party providers are slow to respond, it can delay your overall response time.
Therefore, it’s always best to offer content coming from your own contracts specifically, from the Hotel Contracts connection.
In any case, if you still want to connect third-party providers, we recommend first speaking with your client to find out which suppliers they already have direct connections with. This will help you avoid duplications where you're unlikely to be chosen, which could hurt your competitiveness in conversion rate comparisons.
Finally, if you still decide to go ahead with this setup, keep in mind that connecting more than 10 providers puts your response speed and operating costs at risk.
To filter these connections, go to:
Ideas & Users > Api Book Maintenance
On this screen, you’ll see the providers connected for each client, both for API Out and API TC Clients.
If you click on Edit, you’ll be able to configure the providers connected for the selected client.
Click here to see it in more detail.
From the Trip Quote Report screen in your Back Office, you can track quotations and download custom reports based on searches made through your API Out Microsite.
In a simple and intuitive way, you can analyze, under the Totals by Agency tab, the number of quotations requested by agencies, as well as those that were booked or even canceled. You can filter all this data by date, agency, trip type, sales channel (API, API TC Clients)...
Data > Trip Quote Report > Totals by Agency
Click here to see it in more detail.
When a client connected to your API generates a very high volume of quotes, that is, many requests for prices and availability without a proportional number of bookings it can lead to operational costs without returns.
You can set up a model where, if an agency exceeds a certain volume of quotes, an additional fee or commission is applied.
As mentioned earlier, on the Trip Quote Report screen, you can track the number of requests and their conversion rate to maintain closer control.
Please remember that if the credentials surpass our limitations regarding the number of parallel calls and per minute, our response will be an error and credential will be banned for 10 minutes, after that period, the credential will be automatically unbanned.