Connecting Siteminder to Booking Factory: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you are looking to connect Siteminder to Booking Factory (BF), this guide will walk you through the necessary steps to complete the setup on your end. 

Please note that while Booking Factory provides the platform for the connection, Siteminder is a separate service that you need to sign up for independently. Unlike Channex, which is bundled into your BF subscription, Siteminder is a separate service. You’ll need to sign up with them directly, pick your plan, and manage your subscription independently. Also, heads-up: we don’t provide support for overbookings or booking issues tied to Siteminder. If something goes wrong, we’d need XML logs from Siteminder showing BF sent incorrect inventory before our team can dig into it.

Ready to get started? Here’s how to connect Siteminder to BF, step by step:

Step 1: Set Up Your Siteminder Account

• Contact Siteminder to sign up for their services.

• Decide which room types and rate plans you want to offer through their channels. This is all handled on their end, so work with your Siteminder Account Manager to get this sorted.

Step 2: Request the Configuration Form from Siteminder

Once you have your Siteminder account set up, you’ll need to get a configuration form from your Siteminder Account Manager. This form will include important codes that we need to map your rooms and rates correctly.

They should send you a file that looks like this:

(You can share this example with your Siteminder Account Manager to ensure accuracy)

Here they show what rooms and rates they have for your property with them. The only thing that needs to be done on our end is to fill up the yellow sections, where it says "PMS provides".

Codes for your setup:

• Room Code: Describes your room type (e.g., "DBL" for double room).

• Rate Code: Identifies your rate plan (e.g., "BAR" for best available rate).

• Inventory Code: Tracks availability (this can match your Room Code).

Tip: Make these codes descriptive—it’ll make mapping easier later. For example, “DBL” for a double room and “DBL-BAR” for its rate. Room and Inventory Codes can be the same, but the Rate Code should be unique.

Example: Here’s what the form will look like when filled out

Step 3: Complete and Submit the SM Configuration Template

Once you have the codes from your configuration form, send them to your Siteminder Account Manager. After you receive confirmation, open this template from our company drive:

Download Configuration Template

- Option 1: Fill in the information from the form provided by Siteminder into this template. Once complete, save the file as a CSV and use your property name instead of “TEMPLATE” in the filename.

Here is an example as they had more than 1 rate plan to map:

- Option 2:  We Handle Our Configuration Template

Once we get the form from Siteminder, we’ll populate our own template with your codes and save it as a CSV file named after your property (e.g., “OasisHotel.csv”).

We’ll send this back to your Siteminder Account Manager and confirm they’ve received it. (You don’t need to worry about this part—we’ve got it covered!)

Step 4: Add Siteminder in Booking Factory

• Log in to Booking Factory and go to Settings > Connectivity Settings > Channel Manager.

• Click Add Channel and select “Siteminder.”

• Fill in these details:

  • Tick Active: Yes

  • Siteminder Username: TheBookingFactory

  • Siteminder Password: Ask us for this—it’s stored securely and the same for all our Siteminder connections.

  • Hotel Code: You’ll find this in the Configuration Form from Siteminder (e.g., “TBF11111”).

  • Region: Choose APAC/EMEA (based on your location—confirm with your Account Manager if unsure).

  • Days to Sync: Set to 550 (unless you’ve agreed on something else with us).

  • Room & Rate Configuration: Upload the CSV file we prepared in Step 3. This will load your inventory into BF.

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Step 5: Map Your Rooms and Rates

• In BF, match the Room Codes and Rate Codes from the CSV to your actual rooms and rates.

• Hit Save and Sync. Wait a few minutes, then check for the “Is Synced” confirmation to ensure it’s working.

Step 6: Test the Connection with Siteminder

• Once everything’s set, let your Siteminder Account Manager know we’re connected.

• Schedule a test session with them. They’ll verify the connection and might ask you to share sample availability and pricing for random dates (e.g., “5 double rooms at $150 on March 15”).

• If all looks good, they’ll confirm the connection is live and let you know you’re ready to go!

All Done!

At this point, your Siteminder connection should be up and running. You can start pushing bookings through their channels, and your Account Manager will take it from there. If you hit any snags during setup, feel free to reach out to us for the BF side or Siteminder for their side.

Happy booking!