How to set up OTA channel mapping
This guide explains what OTA channel mapping is and how to set it up, so messages that guests send through booking platforms like Booking.com, Expedia or Airbnb are automatically linked to the right reservation in Runnr.ai.
What is OTA channel mapping?
When a guest books through an online travel agency (OTA) and messages you via that platform, the message arrives with the OTA's own booking reference. Your PMS stores that same booking, but it labels which channel it came from using its own internal identifier (often called a channel code, source code or origin).
Channel mapping tells Runnr.ai which internal identifier in your PMS belongs to which messaging channel. With that link in place, Runnr.ai can match each incoming message to the correct reservation.
Why it matters: this mapping makes sure that we can connect an OTA conversation to another Whatsapp conversation which happens with the same guest.
1. Open the channel mapping settings
Go to Settings > Integrations > OTA channel mapping.
2. Select the identifier for each channel you use
For each messaging channel (for example Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb), select the matching internal identifier from your PMS.
| Messaging channel | What to select |
|---|---|
| Booking.com | The identifier your PMS assigns to Booking.com reservations |
| Expedia | The identifier your PMS assigns to Expedia reservations |
| Airbnb | The identifier your PMS assigns to Airbnb reservations |
3. Save your changes
Click Save. New incoming messages from the mapped channels will now be linked.