3.7 KiB
3.7 KiB
Chapter 4 - Data Exchange Actions
These actions define how clients and servers exchange hotel data. For every data exchange request both action and request parameters are mandatory, and the XML payloads must validate against OTA2015A plus the stricter AlpineBits schema.
Action Summary
| Known as (since) | Usage | Action parameter | Request XML | Response XML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeRooms (2011-11) | Client sends room availability notifications | OTA_HotelInvCountNotif:FreeRooms |
OTA_HotelInvCountNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelInvCountNotifRS |
| GuestRequests (2012-05) | Client asks server for quote/booking requests | OTA_Read:GuestRequests |
OTA_ReadRQ |
OTA_ResRetrieveRS |
| GuestRequests Push (2018-10) | Client pushes quote/booking requests to server | OTA_HotelResNotif:GuestRequests |
OTA_HotelResNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelResNotifRS |
| GuestRequests Status Update Push (2022-10) | Client sends status updates for quote/booking requests | OTA_HotelResNotif:GuestRequests_StatusUpdate |
OTA_HotelResNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelResNotifRS |
| GuestRequests Acknowledgments (2014-04) | Client acknowledges requests it received | OTA_NotifReport:GuestRequests |
OTA_NotifReportRQ |
OTA_NotifReportRS |
| Inventory/Basic Push (2015-07) | Client sends room category info and room lists | OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotif:Inventory |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotifRS |
| Inventory/Basic Pull (2017-10) | Client requests room category info and room lists | OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfo:Inventory |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfoRQ |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfoRS |
| Inventory/HotelInfo Push (2015-07) | Client sends additional property descriptive content | OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotif:Info |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveContentNotifRS |
| Inventory/HotelInfo Pull (2017-10) | Client requests additional property descriptive content | OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfo:Info |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfoRQ |
OTA_HotelDescriptiveInfoRS |
| RatePlans (2014-04) | Client sends rate plans with prices and booking rules | OTA_HotelRatePlanNotif:RatePlans |
OTA_HotelRatePlanNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelRatePlanNotifRS |
| BaseRates (2017-10) | Client requests rate plan information | OTA_HotelRatePlan:BaseRates |
OTA_HotelRatePlanRQ |
OTA_HotelRatePlanRS |
| Activities (2020-10) | Client requests hotel activity information | OTA_HotelPostEventNotif:EventReports |
OTA_HotelPostEventNotifRQ |
OTA_HotelPostEventNotifRS |
Encoding and Schema Requirements
- All XML documents must be UTF-8 encoded. Expect arbitrary Unicode (including emojis or non-Latin characters); validate and sanitize before storage to avoid visualization or data corruption issues.
- Requests and responses must validate against OTA2015A. The AlpineBits schema provided in the documentation kit is stricter: every document that passes AlpineBits validation also passes OTA2015A, not vice versa.
- Sample XML files and the stricter XSD are included in the AlpineBits documentation kit for each protocol version.
- Currency codes follow ISO 4217 (EUR shown in samples but any ISO code is allowed). If a server receives an unsupported currency it must reply with a warning outcome; a client should discard responses using unsupported currencies.
Copyright and Licensing of Multimedia Content
- Many messages carry URLs to multimedia objects. Since XML has no place for license data, AlpineBits recommends embedding licensing metadata (e.g., IPTC/EXIF for images) in the files themselves and preserving it in derived works.
- Alternatively (or additionally), include HTTP headers
X-AlpineBits-LicenseandX-AlpineBits-CopyrightHolderwhen serving multimedia content. Receivers should honor and propagate these headers to derived assets.