Hotelbeds API Integration: Hands-on Experience with a Leading Bed Bank

In the ever-evolving travel industry landscape, the seamless integration of global accommodation providers is pivotal. OTAs, TMCs, and other travel resellers require real-time access to a wide range of accommodations to cater to the diverse needs of their customers. Hotelbeds, a leading accommodation wholesaler, offers an extensive inventory and advanced technology solutions, making it a top choice for many.

This article delves into the core of Hotelbeds, its offerings, and a step-by-step guide, including our experience working with its APIs.

What is Hotelbeds: Key things to know

Hotelbeds is a leading global bed bank, providing lodging and other travel offerings worldwide. It sources hotel rooms in bulk from hospitality providers at discounted wholesale rates and offers them to more than 60,000 B2B partners like OTAs, travel agents, tour operators, and airlines.

With the strategic acquisition of Tourico Holidays and GTA wholesalers, Hotelbeds expanded its portfolio to encompass over 300,000 hotels across 170+ countries. To break it down, there are roughly 70,000 properties in the Americas, nearly 130,000 in Europe, and approximately 100,000  accommodations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions.

Hotelbeds operates as the flagship lodging distribution brand within HBX Group, a broader travel technology and B2B marketplace that brings together lodging, mobility, experiences, and travel-tech solutions.

At AltexSoft, we have worked with Hotelbeds’ API across multiple projects, gaining hands-on experience along the way. Our work spans both direct integrations and implementations via third-party providers, giving us a well-rounded view of the available integration approaches. In this guide, we share the key insights and practical lessons drawn from that experience.

Hotelbeds offers a diverse range of inventory, from traditional hotels to alternative accommodations. Whether someone is looking for a luxury experience, a family-friendly environment, or a budget stay, they can find a suitable place since the range includes

• hotels,

• resorts,

• boutique hotels,

• hostels,

• apartments,

• homes/villas,

• B&Bs, and

• aparthotels.

Hotel profiles come with tags, such as "best for beach" or "luxury," guiding users to find options best suited to their preferences. For instance, resellers can directly look for hotels with the "best for sightseeing" tag.

Furthermore, Hotelbeds maintains direct partnerships with several major global hotel brands, reinforcing its position as a leading player in the hospitality distribution landscape. Notable partners include IHG, Hilton, Sheraton, and Hyatt. 

Other travel inventory

Understanding that travelers seek more than accommodations, Hotelbeds offers an extensive "Beyond the bed" portfolio.

Experiences. In addition to lodging, the bed bank offers a portfolio of more than 23,000 experiences, including theme parks, guided tours, museums, sightseeing activities, sporting events, and other leisure offerings. For travel resellers, this creates opportunities for cross-selling and upselling, helping increase revenue per customer and overall booking value.

Mobility. Hotelbeds collaborates with 150 car rental suppliers, featuring major brands such as Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, and SIXT. It also offers transfer products over 9.000 routes, ranging from VIP chauffeur-driven options to cost-efficient airport and resort shuttles. 

Connectivity solutions

Hotelbeds offers APItude, a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) that collectively process over 80,000 bookings and 14 million searches daily. Key use cases include

• building a hotel, experience, or mobility booking website/mobile app; 

• building an OTA platform;  

• integrating Hotelbeds travel services into an existing travel platform; and

• pulling Hotelbeds content into a centralized CMS.

If you're new to the concept of APIs, we recommend checking the API explainer in our blog and watching the brief video below.

For resellers that do not require or prefer direct API integration, Hotelbeds provides a booking engine, enabling participation in the global marketplace with lower technical overhead.

Suppliers can use a partner portal (extranet) to manage rates and availability, handle bookings, upload and update property content, and access reports in real time.

Hotelbeds also collaborates with channel management providers, such as SiteMinder and HotelRunner. These integrations help ensure that hotel data remains accurate, up-to-date, and widely distributed across Hotelbeds’ network.

Core components and functionalities of the Hotelbeds APItude

APItude suite comprises three sets of APIs to access content from accommodation, activity, and transfer providers. Each set includes 

• Booking API — manages the booking process and retrieves dynamic content (information that is often updated, such as availability and rates ;

• Content API (for hotels and activities) — delivers addresses, descriptions, photos, rules and other static content (information that rarely changes). You must store the data provided by this API in your system and update it at least once a week; 

• Cache API — provides snapshots of pricing and availability, specially optimised for high-traffic platforms.

All APIs follow a modern RESTful architecture, using standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. Both JSON and XML message formats are supported, with JSON as the preferred option.

APItude Hotel APIs

APTitude Hotel APIs enable you to develop a hotel booking website or app with access to over 250,000 hotels worldwide. 

Hotel Booking API encompasses the entire booking workflow, enabling real-time reservations, often in as few as two steps. Its functionalities range from generating hotel lists and confirming bookings to managing cancellations and modifications, as well as retrieving detailed booking information.

Hotel Booking API relies on three methods to manage reservations:

• /hotels—used to request room availability. It supports filters and flexible date searches, returning a comprehensive list of hotels with room types, board options, and final rates, with discounts applied. The response may also contain information on cancellation fees.

• /checkrates—retrieves the most up-to-date availability and pricing. While most hotels follow a two-step booking flow, some require a refresh to reflect dynamic content. This method may also present upselling options.

• /bookings—supports five actions: booking confirmation, retrieving a list of bookings, viewing booking details, modifying a booking, and cancelling a booking.

The booking cancellation feature can also be used in simulation mode to retrieve information about applicable cancellation conditions without completing the action.

Hotel Content API exposes static hotel data, including descriptions, images, location details, comments, and other accommodation-related information for inventory available through the Booking API. It complements dynamic content such as rates and availability.

The recommended approach is to pull content in batches at regular intervals. Hotelbeds advises storing the retrieved data in your own database so it can be reused efficiently whenever needed.

Hotel Cache API is designed for users who need broad access to pricing and availability data within a specific time frame—for use cases such as product bundling or price comparison.

It provides access to the Hotelbeds Databank, enabling you to:

• view updated prices and inventory details on demand;

• build dynamic packages;

• present accurate, up-to-date offerings;

• display pre-calculated availability on your website; and

• populate and maintain your inventory cache.

Data is updated hourly ad delivered as a single CSV file.

APItude Activities APIs

APItude Activities APIs enable travel businesses to distribute tickets and excursions across online platforms, including desktop, mobile, and tablet applications.

Activities Booking API searches for excursions and tickets, based on request filters  such as specific dates, activity category, location, price range, and more. It returns a listing of available options with basic information. If more information is needed, the system makes a call to retrieve details for a particular activity. The API also allows users to confirm, modify, and cancel bookings.

Activities Content API delivers supplementary data, including geographic information such as countries and destinations. It also provides detailed information when users request specifics about an activity. From images to commercial descriptions, the Content API ensures that all aspects of the experience are clearly presented.

Activities Cache API provides concise snapshots of current offerings, including prices, modalities, and operational date ranges. This allows users to stay up to date with real-time availability and pricing.

APItude Transfers APIs

APItude Transfers APIs provide access to mobility services and, like the Hotel and Activities APIs, can be used to build a standalone booking website or app or to extend the content of an existing travel platform. The Transfer Booking API  allows users to check available transfer services for a specific area, date, and passenger group. For pickup and drop-off locations, the API supports the following code types:

• IATA codes—  for airport locations (e.g., JFK for John F. Kennedy Airport or LHR for Heathrow Airport);

• GPS — latitude and longitude coordinates; and

• Hotelbeds custom codes for hotels (ATLAS), ports (PORT), and bus or train stations (STATION).

The API also supports requesting availability for up to 20 routes in a single call — for example, when building a full itinerary. Instead of checking each route individually, the platform can submit one request containing multiple routes and receive available transfer options and pricing for each leg in a single response.

Other functions include booking confirmation, retrieval of booking details, and cancellation options, such as full or partial cancellation, as well as simulation to preview applicable policies and penalties.

Transfers Cache API allows you to download transfer-related content in JSON format. This includes data on

• hotels, with names, descriptions, coordinates, addresses, and other information;

• currencies;

• transfers—categories, types, and vehicles; and

• physical locations of transfers—countries, destinations, and terminals.

Now that you know all the key things about Hotelbeds API offerings, we’ll break out their integration process.

How to integrate with Hotelbeds API

This section will guide you through integrating with the Hotelbeds API. From technical requirements to live deployment, learn how to ensure a seamless user experience with Hotelbeds. 

Pre-integration assessment

Before initiating the Hotelbeds API integration, a comprehensive assessment is necessary.

Defining requirements. Start by mapping out the specific Hotelbeds services vital to your platform. Whether it's hotel reservations, activity bookings, or transfers, pinpointing your needs will determine the precise API endpoints and services you'll engage with.

Technological proficiency. The integration process necessitates a solid understanding of programming languages like Java, Python, or PHP, given their widespread use in API integrations. The individual or team leading the integration should be proficient in handling APIs, interpreting comprehensive documentation, and troubleshooting potential issues.

Documentation. Familiarity with the Hotelbeds API documentation is pivotal for an uninterrupted integration experience. This roadmap instructs users on best practices and how to sidestep potential issues.

Reflecting on our experience, Oleksandr Gerashchenko, Solutions Architect at AltexSoft, remarked, "What I really appreciated about Hotelbeds' documentation is its clarity and thoroughness. It's concise yet covers everything you need."

Having set the stage with a thorough assessment, it's time to delve into the intricate details of the integration.

Integration setup

Starting your integration with Hotelbeds’ APItude requires a clear understanding of the initial setup and the overall development process. The following overview outlines the key steps to help you navigate the integration efficiently and with confidence.

Registration and API Key acquisition. The integration process starts with registration. After signing up, you can generate your API credentials, which are required to access APItude endpoints and begin development.

Credential configuration and authentication. After registration, you receive three API keys — one for each API set (Hotel, Activities, and Transfers) — available in your personal dashboard. Each API key is paired with a corresponding secret, which is used for request authentication.

Simply possessing API keys is not sufficient — each request must be properly authenticated. Authentication requires sending both the API key and an X-Signature, which is a SHA-256 hash in hexadecimal format. The signature is generated using the API key, its corresponding secret, and the current timestamp (in seconds).

Initiating API requests for testing. With credentials configured and authentication in place, you can begin testing requests against the APItude test endpoint.

Working on a test project for AltexSoft, Oleksandr Gerashchenko notes: “The search for hotels starts with location and dates. The API returns cached results, which may show a specific hotel and rooms with approximate pricing. Once a particular hotel is selected, the API returns more detailed information about room availability and prices.”

Oleksandr also highlighted challenges related to the distinction between sandbox and production environments, particularly the sandbox limitation of 50 requests per day. Besides, booking requests sent to the test environment do not result in actual reservations or credit card charges. That said, the test servers closely mirror production behaviour. 

To get started, you may find it helpful to use the provided Swagger specification or Postman collections when making your first requests. 

Certification: bring your integration to life

Ensuring the quality and reliability of your Hotelbeds integration necessitates rigorous adherence to their certification process. This protocol evaluates integrations on various technical, functional, and operational standards to guarantee an impeccable end-user experience.

Once you build the integration, initiate the certification via email atapitude@hotelbeds.com, providing information on your Hotelbeds workflow, other distribution channels, commercial choices, certification URL, etc. The Hotelbeds review will cover the following areas. 

Technical aspects. This stage verifies that API requests comply with Hotelbeds’ technical requirements. It also evaluates the use of GZIP compression, a file-compression technique that reduces payload size and improves data-transfer performance.

Workflow. Hotelbeds validates that the booking process follows the correct sequence of API calls. The workflow must minimise the number of availability requests, ensuring that each request covers as many hotels as possible, with a maximum of 2,000 hotels per call.

Availability, CheckRate, and Confirmation. This step ensures that your system correctly retrieves and displays Hotelbeds offers, including availability, pricing, travel dates, hotel rates, board types, and room details. It also verifies the correct implementation of key features such as filters, cancellation policies, multi-room bookings, opaque rates (which must only be used when bundled with other products such as flights, transfers, or car rentals), guest count selection, and children’s age specification. 

Voucher. After a reservation is successfully completed, the system must generate a voucher for the end user. The voucher serves as the official booking confirmation and must include hotel details, reservation specifics, and payment information.

Content. Although integration with the Content API is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended. If implemented, the Hotelbeds team will assess the performance and correctness of the content integration as part of the certification process.

Live environment. The final step involves testing in the live environment. At this stage, you must create a real booking for dates at least six months in advance, with two adults and two children, and provide Hotelbeds with both the booking price and the generated voucher. Once the booking is confirmed in the live system, it must be cancelled promptly; otherwise, the reservation will be charged.

Third-party integration considerations

Sometimes, the integration journey with Hotelbeds can be streamlined using aggregator services. These aggregators consolidate multiple APIs, ranging from bed banks like Hotelbeds to other service providers like Booking.com or airlines. One evident advantage of this approach is the ability to tap into numerous suppliers through a single API. It saves time, reduces technical overhead, and eliminates the need to undergo multiple certifications.

Olga Ladyk, a Delivery Manager at AltexSoft, reflects on one such experience: "Choosing a third-party aggregator for our Hotelbeds integration was a strategic move. It fast-tracked our project by avoiding certain certification steps. Moreover, including Hotelbeds' services greatly enriched the project, and we received very positive feedback."

At the same time, while the technical integration becomes faster, businesses still have to engage in individual negotiations with each end provider whose inventory they wish to access.

Deployment and management

Before unveiling the Hotelbeds integration to your user base, decide on the strategy: Choose a phased introduction or make it available to all users simultaneously. Once deployed, consistently monitor how the integration performs and collect feedback directly from users, especially regarding the features provided by Hotelbeds. The integration should be a living entity that evolves over time. Utilise the accumulated performance data and user feedback as a roadmap, making necessary refinements and enhancements to the system.

Integrating Hotelbeds API: Key lessons learned

Integrating with the Hotelbeds API reveals several practical lessons that only become apparent during hands-on implementation. AltexSoft’s experience offers a first-hand perspective on these nuances.

Strategic query planning. While the sandbox environment is a safe space to test integrations, it's essential to use it wisely as there are limitations on excessive queries. Adopting a strategic approach in extracting and storing content is advisable, ensuring you maximize the information retrieved while staying within potential bounds.

In-depth analysis of the documentation. Any integration journey requires a compass; for Hotelbeds API, it's their documentation. Oleksandr Gerashchenko's insights underscore its significance: "Reading the documentation is more than just a routine step; it's the key to a smooth integration. This not only offers a pathway but also highlights potential pitfalls, making the process more predictable.”

Local content storage strategy. Storing content locally is essential for performance and scalability, especially when working with large datasets like Hotelbeds. Rather than querying the API in real time for every request, a local content layer helps ensure faster response times and a more stable user experience. As Oleksandr Gerashchenko explains, “We implemented a separate process that periodically accessed Hotelbeds to extract content. At first, we extracted all the content and stored it in our database. Then, once a day, we checked for any content changes and only extracted those updates.”

This approach reduces unnecessary API calls, minimizes data transfer, and keeps content reasonably fresh. Periodic synchronization strikes a balance between data accuracy and system efficiency, making the overall integration more responsive and reliable.

Hotelbeds competitors and alternatives

In the competitive landscape of hotel distribution platforms, Hotelbeds faces stiff competition from several key players. So you can consider the following wholesalers.

WebBeds

WebBeds is a global B2B accommodation supplier under Web Travel Group (formerly Webjet Limited). Since its launch in 2013, WebBeds has grown into one of the leading global hotel wholesalers, offering access to over 500,000 hotels and more than 21,000 ground services (transfers, tours & activities, visa support, etc.) across over 38,000 locations worldwide.

WebBeds operates a portfolio of regional and specialist brands, including JacTravel, Sunhotels, Destinations of the World (DOTW), FIT Ruums, Lots of Hotels, and UmrahHolidays International. 

WebBeds provides an XML-based API, but its documentation and development environment are not publicly accessible. Integration requires direct commercial onboarding: interested partners must contact WebBeds, after which API documentation and sandbox or test credentials are shared once commercial terms are finalized.

HPro Travel (HotelsPro)

HPro Travel (previously known as HotelsPro) is a leading B2B hospitality marketplace with access to a very large global accommodation inventory — including hotels, apartments, and other lodging options. Its platform claims access to around 1,000,000 properties across 70,000+ destinations worldwide. The company has a strong presence in Europe and has expanded its reach globally. Inventory spans a broad range of accommodation types from budget stays to luxury resorts.

HPro Travel provides two API connectivity options to support third-party integrations. These include:

• A modern JSON-based REST API, known as the Coral API, which allows registered clients to programmatically access inventory, search availability, pricing, make bookings, manage cancellations, and retrieve booking status. The Coral API uses standard HTTPS communication and JSON payloads.

• Traditional XML connectivity is also available and widely supported through technology partners and channel manager integrations, reflecting a legacy API option alongside the newer REST API.

While Coral API documentation is publicly available, for integration, developers must first register as an HPro Travel affiliate; a test environment with credentials is provided during the development phase, and production access is granted after implementation and approval.

Bonotel

Focusing on the luxury travel segment, Bonotel Exclusive Travel offers a curated portfolio of upscale and luxury properties, with a strong concentration in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. While its hotel inventory is smaller compared to mass-market bed banks, Bonotel emphasises depth over scale, representing select luxury properties from well-known brands such as Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and MGM Resorts–affiliated hotels.

Bonotel supports system-to-system integration for hotel distribution and bookings, through XML-based APIs, with access and technical documentation provided as part of commercial onboarding rather than via a public developer portal.