Avoid and resolve overbookings
How to prevent overbookings from happening, and what to do if you get one.
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An overbooking is when more rooms are booked than are actually available.
Overbookings are rare, but they can still occur when availability is shared across multiple booking channels. This article explains what can lead to overbookings, how to prevent them, and what steps to take if one slips through.
Common causes of overbookings
Even though Sirvoy syncs availability with connected channels almost instantly, certain setup issues can still cause discrepancies. Here’s what to watch out for:
Simultaneous bookings
Two guests could book the last available room at the same time—for example, one through Booking.com and another through Expedia. This is rare but possible because of the slight delay between syncs.
Incorrect room type mappings
If a channel room type has multiple rates, every rate must be mapped to Sirvoy room types that include the same rooms. If this isn’t done correctly, availability won't sync as expected and can result in overbookings.
To avoid this, create and map duplicate room types in Sirvoy to each rate on the channel.
Example: You want to sell a “Double Room” on a channel with three rates: Standard, Breakfast included, and Free cancellation.
- Create a Double Room type in Sirvoy and assign rooms to it
- Duplicate it twice to make Double Room – Breakfast and Double Room – Free Cancellation
- Map each of the channel’s three rates to the matching Sirvoy room types
This setup allows you to sell the same room at different prices without confusing availability tracking.
Shared rooms across different channel room types
Sirvoy room types, channel room types, and channel rates are different.
If the same room appears in multiple Sirvoy room types that are mapped to different channel room types, it can lead to overbookings.
To sell the same room at different prices, use one channel room type and different channel rates.
Manual room type changes in Sirvoy
If you move a guest to a different room type in Sirvoy after receiving their booking from a channel, that change won’t get sent to the channel. This can cause availability mismatches.
Always make room type changes directly in the booking channel when the booking originated there.
What to do if you receive an overbooking
If an overbooking happens, you’ll see a warning message in that booking and receive an email notification. The yellow box will show what was originally requested: room type, number of guests, and dates. Use that to understand what’s missing.
If you can accommodate the booking
- Manually assign a room of the requested room type
- If that’s not possible and you need to assign a room from a different type, make the change on the channel, not in Sirvoy
- (For iCal channels) Assign the exact same room as the one booked. If that room is occupied, move the current booking to free it up. Assigning a different room will cause the booking to be automatically cancelled
- Click the Resolve button in the Sirvoy booking
If you cannot accommodate the booking
Important: Cancelling the booking in Sirvoy won’t cancel it on the booking channel. Any cancellation must be handled through the channel
- Contact the booking channel as soon as possible. Sirvoy cannot do this for you
- If the channel agrees to cancel or modify the booking, Sirvoy will update the reservation once the channel sends the change
Depending on your agreement, you may be responsible for finding alternate accommodation. You can also contact the guest directly. If they agree to cancel or adjust the booking, they’ll need to do so via the booking channel.
Need help?
If overbookings are happening frequently or you’re unsure about your setup, reach out to our support team. We’re happy to help review your settings.