A practical A–Z glossary for hoteliers covering channel management, direct bookings, hotel distribution, revenue terminology, integrations and the technology used across modern accommodation businesses.
Technical vocabulary becomes useful when the definition explains what the term means for the hotel’s actual operation or commercial strategy.
Search by term, abbreviation or concept, or choose a letter to narrow the glossary.
The average room revenue earned for occupied rooms during a defined period. It is commonly calculated by dividing room revenue by the number of rooms sold.
A structured way for software systems to communicate with each other, exchange information or request defined actions.
The quantity of rooms or accommodation units that are available for sale for a particular date, room type or rate configuration.
Software that allows a traveller to search available accommodation, review rates and complete a reservation through a hotel-controlled booking route.
An identifier assigned to a reservation so the booking can be located, managed or referenced in communication between the guest, hotel and relevant systems.
The conditions that determine whether and when a reservation can be cancelled and whether charges or refunds may apply.
Hotel technology used to manage and distribute rates, availability and related booking information across supported sales channels.
The process of matching room types, rate plans or other hotel inventory between a hotel system and an external distribution channel.
A central system used to manage reservation-related information, rates, availability or distribution across one or more properties or channels.
A reservation generated through a hotel’s own sales route rather than through a separate third-party accommodation marketplace.
The process of making hotel rooms or accommodation inventory available through different booking routes such as the hotel website, travel platforms, agencies or other supported channels.
A pricing approach in which room rates may change according to factors such as demand, occupancy, timing, market conditions or other pricing rules.
A distribution infrastructure traditionally used by travel agencies and other travel sellers to access travel inventory including accommodation.
A technical connection between two systems that allows defined information or actions to move between them.
The rooms or accommodation units a property can make available for sale, usually organised by date, room type or other product structure.
The process of linking equivalent rooms, rates or products between different systems so information reaches the correct destination.
A hotel-search or comparison environment that can show accommodation options or rates from multiple booking sources and direct travellers toward a booking route.
A rate supplied before a distributor or travel seller adds an applicable markup or margin under the relevant commercial arrangement.
A measure of how much available room capacity is occupied or sold during a particular period, often expressed as a percentage.
An online travel business or marketplace through which travellers can search and book accommodation and potentially other travel products.
A situation in which confirmed reservations exceed the accommodation inventory that can actually be provided for the relevant date or room type.
Software used by accommodation businesses to manage operational hotel functions such as reservations, guest stays, rooms and other property workflows.
A pricing concept concerning whether the same or comparable hotel rate is offered across different booking channels.
A defined hotel pricing product that can combine a price with conditions such as cancellation terms, included services, meal plans or booking restrictions.
The practice of using demand, pricing, inventory and other information to make commercial decisions about how hotel rooms are sold.
A hotel performance metric that relates room revenue to the total number of rooms available during a defined period.
A category used to group accommodation units with similar characteristics, for example Standard Double, Family Room or Suite.
An instruction or rule that prevents a room, rate or other accommodation product from being sold through a particular route for a defined period.
A method by which one system can automatically notify another system when a defined event occurs.
A business that can contract accommodation inventory for onward distribution to other travel sellers or booking channels under a defined commercial model.
A structured data format that has historically been used in many travel and hospitality system integrations to exchange information.
You do not need to become a software engineer to make good hotel technology decisions. These concepts are a strong starting point.
The goal is not to memorise acronyms. It is to understand what each system, metric or distribution concept means for the hotel.
Use the HotelConnect24 Hotel Tech Glossary whenever an acronym, distribution term or technical concept gets in the way of understanding how your hotel technology actually works.
