Channel Manager Setup
Connect distribution channels, map room types and rates, push initial availability, and monitor connection health.
Connecting a new distribution channel to your property is a process that requires careful mapping between your room types and rates in Veridien and the corresponding products on the channel's platform. A misconfigured connection can result in wrong room types being sold, incorrect rates being displayed, or availability not syncing — all of which lead to guest complaints and operational headaches.
This guide walks you through the setup process step by step. Take your time with the mapping phase — it is far easier to get it right during setup than to fix errors after bookings have started flowing in.
Administrator access required
Channel manager setup requires the Administrator or Revenue Manager role. These actions affect your property's external distribution and pricing. If you do not have the required access, contact your property administrator.
Connecting a new channel
The connection process involves seven steps. Each step must be completed before proceeding to the next.
Obtain channel credentials. Before starting in Veridien, ensure you have an active account with the OTA or distribution partner. You will need the property ID, API key, or login credentials that the channel provides for connectivity. Some channels (like Booking.com) require you to authorize the connection from their extranet as well.
Add the channel in Veridien. Navigate to Channel Manager > Channels > Add Channel. Select the channel from the list of supported partners. Enter your credentials and click Validate Connection. Veridien tests the connection and confirms that your property is recognized on the channel's side.
Map room types. The channel displays the room types configured on their platform. For each channel room type, select the corresponding room type in Veridien. For example, if Booking.com lists a "Deluxe King Room," map it to your Veridien room type "Deluxe King." Every channel room type must be mapped before the connection can go live.
Map rate plans. Similarly, map the channel's rate plans to your Veridien rate plans. A channel may have "Non-Refundable," "Flexible," and "Breakfast Included" rates, each of which should correspond to a rate plan in your system. Rate mapping determines what price the channel displays to potential guests.
Configure rate delivery. Decide how rates are sent to the channel. Options include: Automatic (rates push whenever you update them in Veridien), Manual (you push rates on demand), or Scheduled (rates push at a set time each day). Most properties use automatic delivery for real-time accuracy.
Push initial availability. Click Sync Availability to send your current room availability to the channel. This initial push establishes the baseline. After this, availability updates are sent automatically whenever a booking is made, modified, or cancelled in Veridien.
Activate the channel. Review your mappings one final time, then click Activate. The channel is now live. Reservations made on the channel will flow into Veridien, and availability will sync bidirectionally.
Test before going live
Some channels offer a test or sandbox mode. If available, use it to place a test booking and verify that it arrives in Veridien with the correct room type, rate, dates, and guest information. Fix any mapping issues before activating the live connection.
How OTA reservations arrive
When a guest books your property through a connected OTA, the following happens automatically:
- The OTA sends the reservation details to Veridien via the channel manager connection.
- Veridien creates a new reservation with the booking source set to the channel name (e.g., "Booking.com").
- The room type is determined by the mapping you configured during setup.
- The rate is set according to the rate plan mapping.
- Guest information (name, email, phone, and any special requests) is attached to the reservation.
- If the OTA provides a virtual credit card for payment, it is stored securely on the reservation's folio.
- Availability is updated across all connected channels to reflect the new booking.
The entire process typically takes less than 30 seconds. The reservation appears in Reservations and on the Front Desk > Arrivals list for the check-in date, indistinguishable from a direct booking except for the booking source tag.
OTA reservations can be modified in Veridien just like direct bookings, but certain changes (date changes, cancellations) should ideally be made on the OTA's platform so that the guest and the OTA are both aware. Modifications made directly in Veridien are not automatically pushed back to the OTA.
Monitoring connection health
After a channel is activated, ongoing monitoring ensures that the connection remains stable and data is flowing correctly. Navigate to Channel Manager > Dashboard to see:
- Connection status for each channel — a green indicator means the connection is healthy; yellow means there have been intermittent issues; red means the connection is down.
- Last sync time — when the most recent availability update was sent to each channel.
- Reservation count — how many reservations have arrived from each channel in the current month.
- Error log — any failed syncs, rejected reservations, or mapping errors.
If a connection shows a yellow or red status, click into the channel details to see the error log. Common issues include:
- Expired credentials — The channel API key or password has expired. Update it in the channel settings.
- Mapping conflicts — A room type or rate plan was deleted or renamed in Veridien but still exists in the channel mapping. Update the mapping.
- Rate restrictions — The channel rejected a rate update because it violates their minimum or maximum rate rules.
Set up alerts
Configure email or in-app alerts for connection failures in Channel Manager > Settings > Notifications. A down connection means your availability is not syncing, which increases the risk of overbookings.
Scenario: connecting Booking.com
The Grand Marina Hotel has been accepting direct bookings and phone reservations for six months. The revenue manager, David, decides it is time to expand distribution by connecting to Booking.com.
Preparation: David logs into the Booking.com extranet and confirms the property listing is complete with photos, descriptions, and policies. He navigates to the connectivity settings and finds the property ID and generates an API key for Veridien.
Step 1 — Credentials: In Veridien, David goes to Channel Manager > Channels > Add Channel, selects Booking.com, enters the property ID and API key, and clicks Validate Connection. The system confirms the connection is valid.
Step 2 — Room type mapping: Booking.com shows four room types: Standard Double, Superior Double, Deluxe King, and Junior Suite. David maps each one to the corresponding Veridien room types. The names are slightly different on Booking.com (they use "Superior" where Veridien uses "Premium"), so he pays close attention to match the right rooms based on description and occupancy, not just name.
Step 3 — Rate plan mapping: Booking.com has three rate plans: Non-Refundable, Flexible, and Breakfast Included. David maps Non-Refundable to Veridien's "Advance Purchase" plan, Flexible to "Best Available Rate," and Breakfast Included to "Bed & Breakfast." He double-checks that the pricing logic aligns — the Advance Purchase rate is 15% below BAR, matching what Booking.com shows as the non-refundable discount.
Step 4 — Rate delivery: David selects Automatic rate delivery so that any rate changes in Veridien push to Booking.com immediately.
Step 5 — Initial availability: David clicks Sync Availability. The system sends the next 365 days of availability to Booking.com. He verifies on the Booking.com extranet that the calendar shows the correct open and closed dates.
Step 6 — Testing: Booking.com offers a test reservation feature. David creates a test booking for a Standard Double, Flexible rate, arriving in two weeks. Within 20 seconds, the reservation appears in Veridien with the correct room type, rate, dates, and the booking source tagged as "Booking.com." He cancels the test booking, which also processes correctly.
Step 7 — Activation: Satisfied with the mapping and test results, David clicks Activate. The Booking.com channel is now live. Over the next 24 hours, David checks the Channel Manager > Dashboard periodically to confirm that the connection status stays green and availability syncs are going through on schedule.
Within the first week, the Grand Marina receives 11 reservations through Booking.com. Each one arrives in Veridien automatically, availability updates across all channels, and the front desk processes the arrivals just like any other booking. David monitors the channel's contribution to overall revenue through the Analytics > Distribution report.