"Fail to update rates outside of the threshold". What does it mean?

Users of the Hotel Link Channel Manager occasionally receive a notification email when attempting to synchronize rates with an OTA.

OTAs often implements certain rate limitations to ensure pricing consistency and avoid sudden drastic changes that could impact the competitiveness and overall user experience on their platform. These rate thresholds are designed to maintain a reasonable pricing structure and prevent abrupt changes that might confuse or discourage potential guests.

When you encounter this message, it suggests that the rate changes you're trying to sync are beyond the acceptable limits defined by the OTA's system.

In essence, this error occurs when the rates you've provided are either higher or lower than the values permitted by the OTAs. OTA acceptance criteria for rates can vary. Rates may either be pre-set as defaults by the OTA or determined based on recent bookings (such as with Expedia). For specific information about accepted rates, kindly reach out to the connected OTAs.

For example , if the minimum rate verification threshold is $10, and you provided $9.77 for that rate plan, the OTA will inform you that this update has failed.

How to fix this error?

There are two possible ways to address this error. First, you can remove the current rate restrictions you have with your OTA. The second option is to update the rates in the Hotel Link extranet and then push them again to the OTA. 

1. Review Rate Thresholds: It's important to examine the rate thresholds and limits established by the specific OTA you're collaborating with. This step is crucial to ensure that your rates align with the acceptable range. Hotels have the option to access their OTA extranet in order to review or remove rate thresholds. If this option is not available in the OTA extranet, you'll need each out to your OTA account manager for assistance.
   
2. Adjust Rates in Hotel Link: If the error message indicates that the rates are outside the threshold, adjust the rates accordingly. Make sure they are within the permissible range provided by the OTA. In the example provided above, if the minimum rate for a particular rate plan is $10 and you provided $9.77 for that rate plan, technically all you need to do is adjust the rate to any value equal to or above $10. For instructions on how to update your rates in the Hotel Link extranet, please refer to this article.

Once you've updated your rates, review your mapping with the OTA that reported the 'outside of the threshold' error by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the Channel Manager and choose the OTA that has reported the error.
2. On the mapping page, click 'Fetch rooms'. This action will once again retrieve all rate plans from your OTA extranet.
3. After performing the fetch, make sure that all the rate plans are mapped correctly. 
4. Click 'Save'. This action will re-send your data to that OTA.