Distribution Solution Setup

Starting a new project can be challenging as it's hard to accurately estimate the required resources and time. This can result in inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and wasted time. At TravelgateX, we aim to simplify this process by providing you with all the necessary information, roadmap, and timings to calculate the required resources effectively. To achieve this, we have divided the Distribution Solution setup into 5 steps.

1. Activate your Sellers✅

You will find more information on our Auto-Activations process here. If you are going to start only with your own direct portfolio (static rates), you can jump straightly to the next step.

2. Inventory Setup🛠️

You will find more information on Inventory Setup here. The Inventory Setup step will be required in three scenarios:

1. Uploading your direct portfolio (static rates): since it is your direct portfolio, you should keep availability and prices updated manually.
2. Connecting Channel Managers
3. Both

You can skip this part if you are only going to connect with Hotel Pull Sellers.

3. Hotel-X Mapping🏨

Our Distribution solution is multi-layered, with the Hotel-X API being one of its key components. This API consolidates all your products, both direct and third-party, enabling you to distribute them to your Buyers.

To facilitate this, the Hotel-X API needs to know the correlation between your unique codes and those of the Seller.

FTP access and credentials
You can access our FTP from any FTP application by configuring the following information:

• Port: 21
• Host: ftp.xmltravelgate.com
• Credentials: Provided to the Organization Owner at TravelgateX.com, along with the Welcome Email (from: jenkins-ci)

Hotel-X Mapping files Hotel-X utilizes six mapping files to enhance the accuracy of your aggregation. We suggest starting with at least the following:

• Hotel Map
• Board Map
• Room Map

How can I upload my mapping files to the FTP?

Our mapping formats share a common structure, so you just need to follow the instructions below:

• Create the Mapping Directory: Unfold your Organization folder and click in the "F0_" folder. Then, click in the "HotelX_" folder and create the "Maps" folder. The "Maps" folder will be the one where you will have to allocate all the mapping files.

  

• Hotel-X Mapping Files format: You should follow the below format when generating the mapping files:

  • File Name: BuyerContext_SupplierContext_entity_map.csv
    • BuyerContext: it corresponds to your own codes.
    • SupplierContext: it corresponds to the Supplier codes.
    • Entity: the field to be mapped (hotel, board, room, etc.).
    • 1 file for each Supplier
  • Header Row:
    • Buyer Context: Buyer's context code
    • Supplier Context: Supplier's (Seller's) context code. This code can be found in the My Connections section on the TravelgateX website.
  • Delimiter: Comma (“,”)
  • Directory: /F0_0000/HotelX_0000/Maps/[entity]

File names:

• Hotel Map: BuyerContext_SupplierContext_hotel_map.csv
• Board Map: BuyerContext_SupplierContext_board_map.csv
• Room Map: BuyerContext_SupplierContext_room_map.csv

Master files definition
With the Master files, you can easily customize the Static Content that your Buyers will download when they connect to you. This includes your own codes for hotels, rooms, boards, and more.

There are up to 10 master files, but we suggest starting with at least the following:

• Hotels
• Rooms
• Mealplans

Master files directory

You should upload the Master files into the Distribution folder as per below:

Master files format

You should follow the format detailed for each of them:

• Master Hotels
• Master MealPlans
• Master Room List

We have introduced a new feature that allows you to upload your Master and Mapping files directly from our website using our Distribution APP. It's now easier than ever to manage your files. Don't forget to give it a try!🚀

4. Distribution Setup🛠️

In order to connect your first Buyer, it is necessary to create the Agency or Agencies that will represent your Buyer's credentials in our Distribution Extranet. Once the agency is created, you will have the ability to configure the Distribution Rules that apply to that specific Agency.

5. Activate your Buyers and sell your product🚀

Now, all that's left is to request the activation of the Buyers you have an agreement with through our Connect Form:

1. In order to request the activation you should first retrieve the user and the access token from our Distribution Extranet:

   • User: It is the ID of the Agency you created for the Buyer you want to connect:

     

     In case of multiple accesses for the same Buyer (e.g. B2B/B2C), you should repeat this process for each of them.

   • Access Token: Automatically generated once you create the Agency, it can be obtained by clicking in the "Token" button:

     

2. Request the activation through our Auto-Activations form: Once you click in New Connection, remember to add the User and Accesstoken to the form:

   

3. Create a test hotel and set up your product!
   Check out our articles How to connect to a Channel Manager via TravelgateX and How to set up and load product in Inventory for further information.

tip

Don't forget to check our Documentation in order to learn all about Distribution and make the most of your connections!