FAQs

We hope the following information will answer all your questions regarding the Active Hotels Distribution Partner Programme. To enroll online, please go to Become a Partner.

If you have any further questions, we will be delighted to talk to you. Please do Contact Us.

What is Active Hotels?

Active Hotels is one of the leading online reservation providers to the hotel industry, offering the best choice of hotels and room prices available across Europe. We have over 25,000 hotels in Europe. Active Hotels was founded in 1999 in Cambridge, UK. For more information, see About Us.

What is the Distribution Partner Programme?

Active Hotels Distribution Partner Programme is a revenue sharing initiative, which allows websites to earn commission on hotel bookings.

What will I gain from joining The Distribution Programme?

By becoming an Active Hotels Distribution Partner you will gain access to Active Hotels content-rich information to help your customers find the perfect place to stay. With simple and convenient online booking facilities we will help you drive reservations and realise real revenue through your site.

Who can become a Distribution Partner?

Any website can become a Distribution Partner with Active Hotels. You don't have to be a travel website. However, we do insist that you agree to our terms and conditions.

What will it cost to become a Distribution Partner?

Nothing. It is free to become a Distribution Partner. The Active Hotels Distribution Partner Programme works on a commission-only basis (see later).

How many hotels does Active Hotels have?

Active Hotels has over 25,000 properties signed-up to its service. Our coverage in the UK and France is second to none, and we are currently rapidly growing our hotel base across Europe.

What are the characteristics of the properties?

Active Hotels properties range from small independent properties, including B&Bs and guesthouses, to 5-star quality leisure and corporate hotels throughout Europe.

How does the technical integration of content work?

The Active Hotels Search facility can be integrated into your website in a number of ways:

  • Integration of our search facility
  • Integration of our hotel brochure content
  • Integration of our booking pages
  • XML Interface

For more information on these ways of integrating Active Hotels in to your site, see: Product Examples.

How long does it take to integrate the properties into my property listings?

This depends on which version of integration you want to use. Generally integration is very quick and easy. If you want to use XML integration, this can take a few days of testing, depending on whether you already have XML capability.

What technical work is required at my end to present Active Hotels properties?

No technical work is required to integrate our Search facility onto your site. We provide you with a customised URL and icons, which is all you need to add to your site!

For integration of our hotel content, we provide you with the hotel description data which can be added directly to your database, or used to create static HTML pages. You have to ensure that the appropriate button is available to link to the hotel's booking page. The most effective way to drive reservations is to add a 'Click to Book' button that highlights the fact our properties are real-time bookable.

For XML integration, the technical work required depends on whether you already have XML capability in order to interrogate our rates and availability. For more information on XML integration, please Contact Us.

Can I customise the search page?

Yes. We can brand the search page to match the 'Look and Feel' of your own site, adding your colours and logos onto it.

Can I customise the hotels' websites?

Yes. You can change for instance the background colour of the pages and the size, font and colour of the text. We can also add your headers and footers if you provide us the html to do so. For more information on customisation,see: Product Examples.

Can I select only a subset of properties?

Our advice is to display all our properties on your site as they represent excellent coverage across Europe. It also makes the updating process easier. However, if you are only interested in a specific subset of our hotels, please contact us at partners@activehotels.com, or you can modify download criteria through your Partner Account Center.

How does a consumer make a reservation?

A consumer clicks through from the hotel listing to a booking page resident on the Active Hotels server. Through a very simple booking process, the customer can make an instantly confirmed reservation in 4 easy steps. Confirmation is also sent to the customer by e-mail.

In the case of an XML integration, the customer will use your own booking process to book our hotels through a seamless connection. For more information, please Contact Us.

What happens when a reservation is cancelled?

If the customer books through the hotel's own site, the booking can be cancelled on the cancellation page. The customer is made aware at this point whether or not a cancellation fee will be charged, according to each hotel's policy. If the customer has booked through a partner website with its own cancellation facilities, the customer will be informed as per the partner's cancellation policy.

For all cancellations on reservations made through Active Hotels servers, the guest is immediately sent confirmation of cancellation in an email. The hotel receives notification of the cancellation by fax and email. The hotel's online availability is adjusted automatically.

If the method of integration of Active Hotels is via XML, the cancellation procedure will depend on how the XML integration is set up. For more information, please Contact Us.

How can I monitor reservations I generate for properties?

We give you access to a comprehensive Partner Account Center that provides detailed information on all reservations that have originated on your site. You can monitor activity by date, destination hotel, and country of origin of guest.

How do you know which partner has generated each reservation?

All the links we send you are suffixed with a three letter abbreviation specific to you. This suffix is logged at every referral and stays with the customer throughout his session. Even if the page is book-marked, the suffix is maintained, crediting you in the future for any reservations made.

Do I have to collect commission payments directly from the hotel?

No. Active Hotels has direct debit arrangements with all of its hotels so that commission payments can be collected automatically. We then credit you for your portion of the commission.

When do I get paid for reservations?

Hotels are billed at the end of the month for fulfilled reservations during that period. Hoteliers are given 30 days to respond to the Direct Debit statement before payment is made. Once we have received payment from the hotels, we send you a statement indicating the commissions we owe you for invoicing purposes. After receiving your invoice, we will credit you by electronic fund transfer within 30 days.

Recently, Active Hotels has instituted a self-billing procedure whereby we generate the invoice on your behalf. Please write to us at partners@activehotels.com if you wish to sign up to this service.

Can I market your service to hotels I currently have a relationship with?

Yes! We encourage our partners to promote our service to the hotels they currently have a relationship with, so they can receive commission payments for all bookings made through their site. We do have specific criteria for recruiting hotels (minimum number of rooms, credit cards accepted,…), but they are quite easy to fulfill. For further information, please email sales@activehotels.com

How do I market your service to my hotels?

Our sales team will be happy to help you design a marketing and sales campaign to promote our service to your hotels. Please contact us at sales@activehotels.com

Who do I contact if I need help?

If you have any questions, issues or need technical advice, our Partner Support Team is on hand to help. You can contact us from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Please use the following contact details...

Email: partners@activehotels.com
Telephone: +44 (0)208 6128031

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