If you have an overbooking but cannot find the reservation, whether you're checking on desktop or in the Little Hotelier mobile app, follow these steps to locate the booking and resolve the discrepancy.
Verify if the reservation is in Little Hotelier
Go to the Reservations page and search by guest name or arrival date.
If the channel booking is not in your Little Hotelier platform:
It is likely an unmapped channel rate. Check for any unmapped rates
Check for Channel Issues: If a channel is "Disabled," it stops receiving updates and will sell rooms based on outdated availability.
Check if there are any known connection issues affecting the channel
You will receive a notification (if Distribution notifications are turned on) when a guest books using a channel rate that isn't mapped in your platform.
What causes overbookings?
Overbookings happen because your platform cannot update your inventory (availability) for unmapped rates.
Unmapped Rates: The channel keeps selling a rate that Little Hotelier is not controlling
Incorrectly mapped/multi-mapped rates: if one room is mapped to multiple conflicting channel rates, inventory cannot update correctly
Disabled Rates: No inventory updates are sent for rates that are switched off
Channel Issues: Check for any connection alerts or disabled channels
Synchronisation Delay: Availability can take up to 5 minutes to update across all channels. If two guests book on different sites at the exact same time, a double booking can occur
Steps to resolve
Locate the missing reservation
If you cannot find the booking in Little Hotelier, you must check the booking source.
Check the channel extranet: Log in to the channel extranet directly.
Search for the booking: Use the guest name or dates to find the reservation and note which rate plan was used.
Handle the missing reservation
Immediate actions:
Manual Entry: Manually add the reservation and guest details to Little Hotelier from the channel extranet.
Reduce Inventory: Manually lower your availability to stop more bookings.
Contact the channel: Contact the booking channel directly to manage the guest's relocation if necessary. Little Hotelier is unable to contact the channel on your behalf.
Fix mapping and setup
Mapping and rate fixes must be done on desktop. These settings are not available in the mobile app.
Log in to your account on your computer.
Go to Distribution > Channels > Edit room rates mapping.
Look for unmapped rates or disabled rates with errors.
Map any unmapped rates to prevent future overbookings.
Fix errors for disabled rates and re-enable the rate.
Note that some channel rates could exist on the channel but won't appear in the unmapped filter. To identify these, click Configure on an existing mapped rate in the right column. The dropdown will show all the rates that exist on the channel.
Request XML Log: If mapping is correct, ask the channel for the Reservation XML log and share it with our support team to investigate the delivery.
Note: Reservation inclusions can differ between channel and Little Hotelier
If the reservation is delivered and mapping is correct but some details (such as breakfast) are missing, note that some channels do not send full inclusions or meal plan details in the reservation message to your Little Hotelier platform. Contact the channel to confirm which inclusions are set up and what the guest booked.
How to prevent overbookings
To help reduce the risk of overbookings:
Audit your mapping: Ensure one platform room type/room rate is mapped to the matching room type/room rate on the channel
Regularly check availability: Ensure the availability on your inventory matches your actual physical rooms
Use Yield Rules (Auto-Close): You can set up an automatic closure yield rule to apply a "Stop Sell" when your room availability reaches 1
Manage the last room: If you only have one room left and expect a booking, manually place a stop sell on low-performing channels and only keep it open on your highest-performing channel