Sabre API: A Guide to Hotel Booking Automation

Traditional travel booking methodologies are not enough to help businesses make their space in this tech-driven landscape. We’re living in a time when every traveller prefers a seamless digital experience without any hitch. In such a competitive market, automation is not a luxury but a necessity. Thankfully, Sabre API GDS provides an efficient way for OTAs, travel agencies, B2B and B2C businesses to streamline their operations by reducing manual workload and elevating customer satisfaction. In this blog, we’ll discuss how the robust Sabre API can help you build a scalable hotel booking solution with its key features, integration strategies, and more.

What is Sabre API? Beyond the Basics

Sabre is one of the biggest Global Distribution Systems (GDS) connecting distributors with suppliers with a wide inventory of content and services. This global marketplace allows multiple travel suppliers to get real-time information in their custom travel portal with a variety of services like:

• 420+ airlines
• 1.3 million+ hotels
• 40+ car rental vendors
• 50+ rail carriers
• 17+ cruise lines and more.

From management to corporate travel departments, approximately 425,000 travel agents across the world are connected with Sabre GDS API. What’s more, this API is not limited to providing data but also equips travel solutions with advanced automation features.

The Sabre hotel API allows businesses to automate multiple tasks, such as enlisting best properties, providing instant booking confirmations, cancelling or modifying bookings, and so much more. Additionally, the Sabre API performs seamlessly on mobile, web and B2B hotel booking engines.

Top Benefits of Automating Hotel Bookings with Sabre API

Sabre API empowers an OTA (Online Travel Agency), a hotel chain, or a B2B travel reseller to offer customers dynamic hotel booking services with minimal friction and maximum scalability. Below are some benefits of integrating Sabre API into hotel booking software.

Table of contents

• Get instant access to a vast database of over 1.3 million hotel properties with current pricing, availability, and types of rooms.’
• Use a streamlined interface to manage, modify, cancel, or update bookings.
• Cater to an audience worldwide with multilingual support and accept payments without any restrictions.
• Improve the customer experience with multiple search filters highlighting parameters like ratings, amenities, distance, and pricing.
• Extensive developer resources via Sabre Dev Studio for faster deployment and support.
• Reduce booking friction by allowing the customers to personalize their experience by integrating more API modules like flights, car rentals, cruises, etc.

Key Features of Sabre API for Hotel Booking Automation

By leveraging the booking management Sabre API, businesses can automate tasks like creating, handling, and canceling reservations. The Content Services for Lodging (CSL) APIs provided by Sabre to access hotel content and services provides the following set of features. 

Faster Booking Processes

One of the most consistent problems for hotel booking portals is managing the rush during peak seasons. A large customer base can often overwhelm the business operations. However, by automating tasks like search, selection, and confirmation for customers, Sabre API improves the workflow management of such portals.

Expanded Reach

Being one of the top GDSs, Sabre API brings a vast library of hotels, allowing you to cater for an audience of all budget preferences. The expanded reach not only makes your custom travel solution a fan-favorite but also boosts the overall customer experience. A variety of options enables the customers to personalize their journey as desired.

Reduced Operational Costs

For a big hotel booking engine, there are multiple tasks at hand with significant operational costs. However, Sabre GDS API automation helps you to get rid of redundant tasks like manual entry, saving time and resources. Since the advanced API modules of Sabre take care of such tasks, the room for error also reduces eventually.

Data Accuracy & Synchronization

With real-time information of all the global distributors, your customers will be able to choose from updated pricing and availability. Your B2B hotel booking solution will stand out from all the competitors in the market due to its fast-paced synchronization and ability to provide accurate data with instant booking or cancellation updates.

Improved Customer Experience

Handling a growing customer base is not an easy task, especially for a hotel booking engine where every user expects a personalized experience. However, with Sabre API, you can attend to all customer queries via AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. These small integrations are also trained to help travellers with helping customers craft a unique itinerary.

Better Scalability

Even though you start small with a hotel booking engine and decide to offer more services later in the future, Sabre API has got you covered. By registering to Sabre Dev Studio, you can try out multiple APIs for your travel solutions and provide services like flights, activities, and ancillary services without overhauling systems.

Security & Compliance

All the travel portals powered by Sabre API comply with global data protection standards like GDPR, PCI-DSS, CCPA, etc. This ensures that your business and customer data will be protected against all fraudulent activities. Such parameters help in improving the customer relationship in the long run.

Step-by-Step Guide to Integrating Sabre API

Now that we’ve covered all the benefits and key features provided by Sabre API for hotel booking automation, let’s quickly take a peek at its integration process.

Preparation

Before setting off to get approval from Sabre API, you must collect a set of documents important for registration. Before providing the approval, Sabre ensures that your business is legitimate and has been operating for some time. Additionally, you’ll have to register in Sabre Dev Studio to choose the desired APIs.

Define Your Requirements

Once the registration is complete, you must make a well-informed decision about your target audience and regions. This is crucial as the selected API can end up providing you outdated data. Choose the right hotel API modules based on criteria such as availability, details, booking, and cancellation.

Integration & Development

After selecting the APIs, you’ll have to choose a suitable format according to the developer’s requirements. Sabre API is available in both REST/JSON and SOAP/XML formats. If desired, you can even test the APIs in Sabre Sandbox.

Certification

Now, for the final test, all your documents will be verified by Sabre before providing access to the production environment. Once passed, you’ll be assigned a dedicated manager who will assist you with the next steps.

Deployment

And just like that, you can get the credentials of Sabre API for hotel bookings, which can be integrated with your portal. Now, you just have to monitor the performance of the platform and optimize the strategies for a better chance at success. 

Common Challenges & Best Practices

Below are some common issues that travel agents and hotel chains often deal with during API integration or post-deployment of the solution. Let’s take a quick glance at some challenges and the possible ways of addressing them.

• Sometimes, the documentation or data formats like XML or JSON can be too complex for businesses to understand. As a result, you must first prepare a team of trained, dedicated developers who are well-versed in the GDS integration process.
• After the integration is complete, you’ll be required to manually sync all the platforms to improve the workflow efficiency. If not, managing inventory synchronization across multiple platforms can be a tedious task.
• During the peak booking periods, your travel solution may experience high uptime, downtime, or latency issues. To counter such problems, implement caching layers, API failover, and retry mechanisms.
• A hotel booking automation solution is an ever-evolving technology. Hence, you must regularly update your API version to get access to all updates, security enhancements, and compliance requirements.
• One good practice is to always keep scalability in mind. This will allow you to expand your business whenever necessary or even fallback if things don’t work out as expected.

Automate, Innovate & Elevate with Sabre API

Sabre API is no longer just an optional add-on for tech-savvy travel businesses, it’s a fundamental building block for digital transformation. Whether you’re looking to scale your operations, improve your user experience, or gain a competitive edge, hotel booking automation via Sabre is the way forward. With OneClick’s strategic integration support, you can elevate your travel business to new heights.

FAQs