RDPWin

RDP Expedia 2-Way Interface

RDP Expedia Interface (SE Module) Required
RDPWin Monitor Must Be Running on the data server, IRM server, or on the workstation.

GDS Expedia Interface Topics
Configuration Monitor Requirements	Expedia Expedia Rate Plans and Room Types Other Expedia 2-Way Information on Website

GDS Expedia Interface Topics

Configuration

Monitor

Requirements

Expedia

Expedia Rate Plans and Room Types

Other Expedia 2-Way Information on Website

Overview

RDP is certified on a full two-way Interface to Expedia. For properties already using Expedia, the Expedia Interface allows availability and rates to be updated using the RDP software and potentially provide Expedia with last room availability to ensure selling as many room nights as possible.

Expedia QuickConnect provides an electronic interface for RDPWin customers to send Expedia updates on availability (inventory) and rates automatically.

When a customer returns to Expedia to review their reservation, or when confirmations or updates are received for reservations via e-mail, Expedia can include the hotel’s confirmation number. The presence of the hotel confirmation number guarantees that the booking was properly received and confirmed by the hotel system and thereby raises customer confidence at check-in. The confirmation number also makes consolidation between Expedia and the hotel easier for accounting and tracking purposes.

Communications Diagram

Once the Expedia Interface is installed and configured correctly, the property can:

Send rates and inventory (last room availability) periodically to Expedia. Expedia can only access the rates and inventory information sent by RDPWin (Additional Allocation).
As bookings are made through Expedia, the Interface requests those reservations.
Expedia then sends the reservation information to RDPWin through the interface.

Definitions

Base Allocation

When a hotel partner has a base allocation agreement with Expedia, the partner makes available to Expedia and its affiliates a predetermined and agreed upon inventory count. This inventory is defined by room type and made available to all attached rate plans. This allocation can vary by day of week, by month, by season, or can be static for the entire year, depending on the commercial agreement. A hotel can increase its base allocation by using the Expedia Hotel Extranet. Conversely, a hotel must contact its Market Manager to decrease its base allocation inventory.

Base allocation values are not exchanged through QuickConnect™.

When a room is sold from base allocation, inventory is decremented and displayed as "Sold" inventory in the Extranet. In the sample below, one room has been sold out of the initial base allocation of 5.

Thursday, 7/10/2008
Sold	+ Base	+/- Addtn	Inv.Avail
1	Avail:4	Avail:0	4

Any cancelled inventory returns into base allocation until base allocation is replenished to its initial value.

Rate Plan

A rate plan is the pricing for a room. This includes cancellation policies and restrictions on dates and guests and may include "package components" such as a free breakfast, an activity, or a massage at a spa. In Expedia QuickConnect^TM , it refers more specifically to a named set of attributes describing the pricing information for a room, such as room rate and various fees, as well as describing how a room type can be sold, such as cancellation policy and length-of-stay restrictions. A room type can have multiple rate plans.