I have set a minimum stay on Ciaobooking but I still received a booking for 1 night (or shorter than I wanted) through booking.com

This is a problem that can occur and the most common cause is related to the derived rate plans on Booking.com that are not directly managed by CiaoBooking.

Why it happens

When you create a "derived" rate plan on Booking.com (such as a "Weekly Rate" or a "Non-refundable" based on a discount from the Standard Rate), Booking.com only derives the price and discount from these rate plans. However, it does not automatically apply the restrictions that you set on CiaoBooking, such as minimum stay, check-in/check-out restrictions, or sales closures. The restrictions set in CiaoBooking are only correctly synchronised on the rate plans that are directly linked (mapped) to our system, such as the Standard Rate and Non-refundable if mapped correctly.

In practice, if you have a derived rate plan on Booking.com that is not mapped with CiaoBooking, the restrictions you set on our management system will not reflect on that specific rate plan in Booking.com. This can lead to bookings for a duration shorter than your desired minimum stay.

How to check it

To understand which rate plan was booked by the guest, you need to check the booking details directly in the Booking.com extranet. In the price details, you will find the purchased rate plan. If this rate plan is derived in Booking.com, it means that the minimum stay, check-in/check-out restrictions, or sales closures have not been recognised by Booking.com. 

You can check if a rate plan is managed by Booking.com from your extranet in the Rates and Availability section -> Rate Plans. Here, if in the price column you see "X, more expensive/cheaper than RATE PLAN NAME" then what has been explained above is confirmed. 

Solutions

To resolve and prevent this type of issue, you have several options:

  1. Remove derived rate plans from Booking.com (simplest solution): If you do not need complex rate plans and want all CiaoBooking restrictions to be applied, the most straightforward solution is to remove the derived rate plans directly from your Booking.com extranet. This way, you will only have the rate plans managed and controlled by CiaoBooking, and all restrictions set in our system will be correctly reflected on Booking.com.
  2. Manually modify restrictions directly in Booking.com (not recommended solution): If you do not want to remove or map derived plans in CiaoBooking, you can also manually set restrictions (such as minimum stay) directly in the Booking.com extranet for that specific rate plan. However, this option is not ideal, as it requires managing restrictions separately on CiaoBooking and Booking.com.
  3. Create and map derived rate plans also in CiaoBooking: Alternatively, if you wish to maintain these rate plans (for example, for specific discounts like "2days rates" or "Weekly rate"), you can create the same rate plans also on CiaoBooking (with the same pricing and discount rules) and then map them correctly with those present in Booking.com. This process requires more labour-intensive setup but will ensure you have complete control over all your rate plans. 

Here’s how to proceed with this solution: 

1. Modify the rate plan on Booking.com

  1. Log in to your Booking.com extranet.
  2. Go to Rates and Availability â†’ Rate Plans.
  3. For all plans where in the "Price" column you see "based on another plan", follow these steps:
    • Click on the name of the plan.
    • Scroll down and click on Edit.
    • On the "Price" line, click on Edit.
    • Change the option from “based on one of my rate plans” to â€śSet as new rate plan”.
    • Save the changes.

REPEAT THESE OPERATIONS FOR ALL THE RATE PLANS YOU WANT TO START MANAGING THROUGH CIAOBOOKING

2. Creating the rate plan in Ciaobooking

  1. Go to Settings → Properties → Units and Rates → Rate Plans.
  2. Click on + ADD.
  3. Give a consistent name to your rate plan.
  4. Select the types of accommodation to associate with this rate plan.
  5. Choose the included treatment (“breakfast included”, "room only" etc).
  6. Set cancellation conditions and rules. Keep them the same or similar to the corresponding rate plan on booking.com
  7. Define a minimum price.
  8. In the Derivation section:
    1. Choose the rate plan from which to derive, usually from "Standard".
    2. Activate the necessary derivations:
      1. By activating "restrictions": check-in and check-out will be copied.
      2. By activating "Length of stay": minimum and maximum stay will be copied.
      3. By activating "sales closure": the black cell in the calendar will be copied.
  9. Save by clicking on CREATE.

REPEAT THESE OPERATIONS FOR ALL THE RATE PLANS YOU WANT TO START MANAGING THROUGH CIAOBOOKING

3. Mapping the rate plan

  1. Go to Settings → Properties → Channel Connections.
  2. Click on Actions → Mapping for Booking.com.
  3. Click on Import portal rates and wait for the upload.
  4. Drag the new rate plans you set as "Set as new rate plan" in step 1 and move them above the one you created in CiaoBooking, ensuring that name and occupancy match.

The mapping will be saved automatically.

Finally, remember to reprocess the prices of the new plan on the calendar:

  • Go to Calendar → click on the chain icon next to the new rate plans.
  • Activate the â€śReprocess rates” option and click on Edit.

Soon (usually within 5/10 minutes) you will see the new prices with the applied restrictions also on your Booking.com calendar 
 

Article Index