Hotel Booking Flow Explained, Search, Prebook and Book
Short answer: most hotel booking integrations follow three steps. Search returns available rooms and indicative prices; prebook, or rate check, confirms the exact price and conditions of one room; book creates the reservation and returns a confirmation. Splitting the steps keeps searches fast and bookings accurate.
Part of our guide to hotel connectivity for partners.
The three steps
Search
Destination or hotel, dates, and occupancy in; available rooms and prices out. Fast, and run many times.
Prebook
One chosen room in; the confirmed price, board, and cancellation conditions out. Run once, just before payment.
Book
Guest details and the prebook reference in; a booking reference and confirmation out.
What can go wrong, and how the flow handles it
| Situation | Handled at |
|---|---|
| Price changed since search | Prebook returns the current price for the traveller to accept |
| Room sold out since search | Prebook fails, and the system offers alternatives |
| Conditions differ by rate | Prebook returns the cancellation terms that will apply |
| Booking needs a change or cancellation | Separate retrieve, modify, and cancel calls after booking |
Questions
What is a prebook in hotel booking?
A rate check made just before booking that confirms the exact price and conditions of the chosen room.
Why not book directly from search results?
Search prices are indicative and can change. The prebook step confirms the price and conditions before the booking is made.
Do manual bookings follow the same steps?
In effect, yes. A quote confirms price and conditions, and the booking is binding once confirmed in writing.
Bedtara offers a direct connection by invitation to partners with a steady booking history. See Partner API.
Hotel booking API explained Static vs dynamic content API vs XML vs extranet
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