When to Contact the Connectivity Team

• Requests to connect to a live Distribution API partner
• Requests for clients with an existing API connection to a live Distribution API partner
  • Troubleshooting, new item connection, mapping update(s)

How to Contact the Connectivity Team

• Client-facing request form
• Internal request form

The Connectivity team works out of Zendesk. Forward tickets to support@fareharbor.com and tickets will be triggered to the API Connectivity team.

If there are urgent or quick questions, reach out in the #connectivity room using a workflow.

Escalations

To escalate a Connectivity-related request, please make sure to submit a ticket to Connectivity first. You can then post in #connectivity to get eyes on the ticket faster.

Part of an essential strategy for diversifying revenue streams and building a more resilient business. In the tour and activity industry, channel mix refers to how operators receive their bookings and the different pathways customers use to find and book their tours and activities. These pathways could include direct online traffic, affiliate partnerships, OTAs (online travel agencies), or even in-person sales.

Businesses should have a healthy channel mix for their unique situation, with a mixture of sales through direct, affiliate, and paid marketing channels. Of course, the more direct online sales, the better.

More info around client mix that can be shared with clients here.

Channel mix by shortname report.

Distribution APIs can be built and managed in two different ways:

1. The partner builds to our API specifications and manages mappings in their system (External API).
2. FareHarbor builds to a partner’s API specifications and manages mappings in the FareHarbor dashboard (Channel API).

The Connectivity team supports both Channel and External API connections.

We have over 200 API partners, only 5 of which are Channel API partners as these are much more time consuming connections to create and manage.

While External API connections require less manual work on our side, please note that we have less visibility into the functionality of External API connections, and often advise clients to contact the partner for mapping updates/initial troubleshooting, etc.

To see the latest updates related to Connectivity, check out the product release Airtable and sort by the Affiliates – API category.

• Over 200 individuals of FareHarbor employees are currently involved by close or far with our API – that’s 1 in 4!
• Yet, the API Team (developers, support, etc) is looking to double its head count by the end of 2025
• We are staffing up our Enterprise Connectivity team to better support ENT clients
• Since August 2023, we have finally be able to invest in and launch critical API features and new API Partnerships such as Airbnb Experiences and Booking Experiences.
• Infrastructure upgrades were brought in, reducing time-to-live for integrations (TTL – time between a connection is requested and going live)by 80% for GetYourGuide, 38% for Viator, and 40% for Google Things to Do. These improvements mean faster service and less manual work for our clients, driving both efficiency and satisfaction.

Find complete information here.

The API fee is a percentage of the total amount collected by the OTA (the retail rate listed on the OTA) for any successful, uncanceled API bookings.

To see API Fees for a specific AE, AM, shortname, region or period of time, use the Tableau report API Fees by Availability. Toggling between tabs, you can also see previously issued invoices.

For clients, the API Fee Reconciliation Report gives clients a clear view of which bookings are subject to API fees and are grouped by Payment Processing Document. The report is available now under the “Accounting” section in Reports, no setup required.

In the United States and Puerto Rico:

• Clients opt in to the fee by selecting “Allow API Bookings to be charged a fee” in their advanced dashboard settings before their effective date. The “Enable API Booking Creation” checkbox must also be checked to allow API bookings to be successfully created.

In all other markets:

• Clients opt in to the fee by adding a billing method to their dashboard before the effective date. The “Enable API Booking Creation” checkbox in their advanced dashboard settings must also be checked to allow API bookings to be successfully created.

If a client does not have API affiliates, they don’t need to opt in to the API fee. But if they might add API affiliates in the future, opting in can save them a step down the line.

Exception process can be found here.

Connectivity-related audits can be requested by AMs in the #connectivity room using the AM to Connectivity Request workflow. Audits should be reserved for escalated clients and should be requested at least 1 week in advance to give the Connectivity team enough lead time to complete the request.

AMs can request that the audit be mapping-related (making sure the items listed on OTAs match what we have mapped in FH) or feature-related (helping the client utilize Connectivity-related features to their benefit).

• Airbnb (Experiences only)
• Expedia (Activities only)
• GetYourGuide
• Google Things to do
• Viator
• Booking.com (through FHDN only)

Within the Dashboard object of a shortname in Close, search for the Connectivity – Live field. The field will list the Channel APIs that that shortname is live on.

Check the status of your clients’ connection in the Connectivitiy Queue Airtable.

How to read the Airtable in this Help Page.

Channel API partners collect payment in full at the time of booking. For API bookings, payouts are sent to the client (and initiated automatically by the partner) the month after the activity takes place. Payout amounts will be based on the retail rates listed in the OTA minus commission. Invoicing these partners is not necessary.

Google is the only exception. Google bookings are made through FareHarbor booking links and payments are processed through Stripe like other online bookings.

Because payments are collected by the partner, cancellations, rebookings, and refunds should be initiated through the partner’s system and eligibility for refunds is dictated by the policy set in the OTA. Bookings are marked as refunded, or not, in FareHarbor based on the cancellation policy assigned to the affiliate.

There are discrepancies at times between the OTA cancellation policy and the policy listed in FareHarbor, which only affects reporting and not payouts from the OTA.

QR codes are sent per whole booking, not per customer level. Clients will need to select whole booking upon check-in to scan QR codes on vouchers from API partners.

Full help page here.

Clients can request the connection by navigating to Dashboard Integrations → OTA Connections and clicking the “Connect Now” button on the Airbnb OTA card. This will take them through an authorization process in their Airbnb account, which will trigger an email notification to the Connectivity team to start the connection process.

New account connection requests don’t have standard completion timelines as they are dependent on various factors: product setup, client response times, number of products to connect, etc.

New product connection requests for already established accounts follow Connectivity’s regular SLAs.

Airbnb does not send customer email addresses or phone numbers through the API at this time. Clients can communicate with end customers through their Airbnb supplier portal.

The Pricing API refers to connected pricing between FareHarbor and the OTA, where Airbnb displays the pricing on the price sheet attached to the Airbnb affiliate in FareHarbor.

Not currently supported. Dynamic pricing also not currently supported. Coming soon.

The Expedia signup link is currently not active because Expedia is not onboarding new suppliers.

For existing Expedia suppliers, clients should reach out to Expedia and say they’d like to connect to the API with FareHarbor.

Expedia will send the Connectivity team a mapping file and we will coordinate with the client and Expedia from there.

Expedia sends email addresses and phone numbers through the API. Clients can send FareHarbor emails to end customers using the email address on Expedia bookings.

Follow up emails are sent automatically. Confirmation and reminder emails can be set to be sent automatically in affiliate permissions.

Phone numbers can be used to contact end customers. Automated text messages are not supported at this time.

The Pricing API refers to connected pricing between FareHarbor and the OTA, where Expedia displays the pricing on the price sheet attached to the Expedia affiliate in FareHarbor.

Not currently supported. Dynamic pricing not supported.

Only transportation custom fields can be mapped for Expedia. This is a unique integration that does not require the custom field checkboxes in FareHarbor’s advanced dashboard settings to be enabled.

To enable transportation custom field mapping for Expedia, clients must use the transportation module in FareHarbor and must also enable hotel pickup in Expedia. Hotel information entered by an end customer will populate the lodging name, pickup location, and route information on the FareHarbor booking if the name and/or address of the hotel entered in Expedia matches the lodging name and/or address in FareHarbor.

Sign-up page here.

Once the client has signed up for GYG and has built out products, they/you can contact the Connectivity team and we will provide the client with the necessary information to connect their products.

New account connection requests don’t have standard completion timelines as they are dependent on various factors: product setup, client response times, number of products to connect, etc.

Some clients in target regions may receive communications about a special sign-up offer in partnership with GetYourGuide. For those clients, encourage them to use the sign-up link in the Integrations section of the dashboard. More information about the partnership can be found here.

Product IDs are used by suppliers to connect GYG products in their GYG accounts. These product IDs are generated by the Connectivity team in the mapping process and are different from FareHarbor item IDs.

Submit a ticket to the Connectivity team and Connectivity will coordinate with the client to create and send the product ID.

Products are sometimes deactivated by GetYourGuide’s system if a booking is rejected by the API. The Connectivity team gets an automated email that is also sent to the client when a product is deactivated. We then work with the client to solve the issue if needed or will instruct them to reactivate the product.

GetYourGuide sends “traveler protected email addresses” and phone numbers through the API.

These email addresses are used to forward emails to the personal email address that an end customer enters during the GetYourGuide checkout process.Clients can use this travel protected email address to successfully send FareHarbor emails to end customers.

Follow up emails are sent automatically. Confirmation and reminder emails can be set to be sent automatically in affiliate permissions.

Phone numbers can be used to contact end customers. Automated text messages are not supported at this time.

GetYourGuide can pull pricing from FareHarbor on a product-by-product basis. For products with the pricing API enabled, the pricing displayed on GetYourGuide will match the prices listed on the price sheet (or schedule) attached to the GetYourGuide affiliate for the mapped customer types.

Dynamic pricing is also possible with this feature, but only for capacity-based rules, not time-based rules.

Note that dashboard admin notes will list any GYG products that have price over API enabled.

A set list of custom fields can be added to a client’s Viator account to collect at the time of booking. Those options are:

• Comments
• Full Name
• Customer Phone Number
• Height
• Weight
• Date of Birth
• Hotel Pickup

If one or more of these custom fields are added to a GetYourguide account, we can transfer that information into FareHarbor custom fields if the FareHarbor custom field has a similar name and is a compatible custom field type. A full explanation of that functionality can be found here.

Clients should have an active, claimed, up-to-date Google Business Profile (GBP). If they’d like to connect to Google Things to do, their GBP business category determines their eligibility for the integration and which module they’re eligible for.

When they’re ready to connect, they can submit a Connectivity Support Request Form with the GBP they’d like to connect to and the FareHarbor items they’d like listed.

From there, the Connectivity team will map the items and work with the client to get their items listed.

The Google Business Profile business category controls eligibility for Google Things to do. Google Business Profiles can have more than one business category selected and business categories determine which Things to do module the GBP is eligible for.

Most of our clients are eligible for the Operator Booking Module, which supports tour and activity listings. This is a non-exhuastive list of business categories (primary, secondary, or tertiary) that make a business profile eligible for the Operator Booking Module.

Some of our clients are eligible for the Admissions Module, which supports listings for General Admission tickets to a Point of Interest or Attraction. Business categories that trigger the Admission module include, but are not limited to, historical place/landmark, attraction, museum, castle/palace, etc.

If a client is connected to Online Travel Agencies, it is common for those OTAs to be able to distribute the client’s tours within their own distribution network. If the client wants tours listed by a certain OTA removed from their GBP, they would need to contact the OTA directly.

The Connectivity team does not have specific contacts on the Google support team to help with these situations. Clients will need to continue working with Google to re-verify or re-instate their GBP account.

Sign-up page here.

Once the client has signed up with Viator and has built out products, they/you can contact the Connectivity team and we will coordinate with the client to connect their products.

New account connection requests don’t have standard completion timelines as they are dependent on various factors: product setup, client response times, number of products to connect, etc.

These errors can result from out-of-date mappings, FareHarbor resource incompatibilities, system errors (bugs, timeouts, latency in either FH or Viator), products not being connected at all, etc.

In order to troubleshoot, have the client forward the Viator Confirmation email that they receive in the event of an API error to support@fareharbor.com. If they can’t find that email, the Viator Booking Reference number (should look like BR-XXXXXXXXXX) is also helpful.

Viator sends “traveler protected email addresses” and phone numbers through the API.

These email addresses are used to forward emails to the personal email address that an end customer enters during the Viator checkout process. Clients can use this travel protected email address to successfully send FareHarbor emails to end customers.

Follow up emails are sent automatically. Confirmation and reminder emails can be set to be sent automatically in affiliate permissions.

Phone numbers can be used to contact end customers. Automated text messages are not supported at this time.

A set list of custom fields can be added to a client’s Viator account to collect at the time of booking. Those options are:

• Comments
• Full Name
• Customer Phone Number
• Height
• Weight
• Date of Birth
• Special Requirements
• Pickup Location

If one or more of these custom fields are added to a Viator account, we can transfer that information into FareHarbor custom fields if the FareHarbor custom field has a similar name and is a compatible custom field type. A full explanation of that functionality can be found here.

The Pricing API refers to connected pricing between FareHarbor and the OTA, where Airbnb displays the pricing on the price sheet attached to the Airbnb affiliate in FareHarbor.

Not currently supported. Dynamic pricing also not currently supported. Coming soon.

All partners listed in the API Partner Glossary except for Airbnb, Expedia, GetYourGuide, Google Things to do, and Viator.

We are unable to confirm live product connections in FareHarbor. OTAs are granted the correct FareHarbor permissions to connect but they will need to complete the mapping process in their system directly. FareHarbor does not have access to their connectivity settings.

Clients should contact the OTA directly to confirm whether they’re live/connected.

External API partners collect payment at the time of booking. Any custom pricing or invoicing details unique to that partnership are confirmed in advance. Clients may invoice certain partners while others follow a direct deposit schedule. Clients can refer to their OTA contracts for more detail.

Some partners will request net rates through the API vs. retail rates. Commission, in those cases, is not tracked in FareHarbor and reports must be provided by the OTA directly.

Because payments are collected by the partner, cancellations, rebookings, and refunds should be initiated through the partner’s system and eligibility for refunds is dictated by the policy set in the OTA. Bookings are marked as refunded, or not, in FareHarbor based on the cancellation policy assigned to the affiliate. No monetary transactions are completed in FareHarbor.

There are discrepancies at times between the OTA cancellation policy and the policy listed in FareHarbor, which only affects reporting and not payouts from the OTA.

QR codes are not supported by all External API partners. Clients should confirm with partners directly whether QR codes are supported for FareHarbor suppliers.

Sign-up links here.

Once the client has registered as a supplier and has built out products, they/you can contact the Connectivity team and we will provide the client with necessary information to connect their products. Clients can submit their request via a Connectivity Support Request Form.

Once their request has been received we will add the affiliate to their dashboard with the necessary permissions to connect and notify the client to follow up with their partner for the final steps.

Questions around troubleshooting connections should first be directed to the OTA. This includes:

• Product is unavailable or missing availability
• Bookings/cancellations/amendments are failing through the API
• Custom fields are not reflecting
• Transportation details are not coming through
• Pricing details are not correct even though rates in FH have been checked

If the OTA is the one reaching out, please forward their request to Connectivity for review.

Tip: Check for affiliate rules or the partner’s capabilities if you’d like to do some initial investigation. Capabilities are subject to change as we’re notified of updates or changes.

While pricing is available through the External API, partners can opt to pull rates from FareHarbor or set rates manually. For basic pricing functionality please refer to the API Partner Glossary. If rate updates are needed in FareHarbor, please submit an internal support request to Channel Support.

Dynamic pricing is strongly discouraged for External API partners unless the OTA has committed to further testing and implementation.