> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.hostelmate.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.hostelmate.co/channel-mapping-guides/general-connection-setup.md).

# General Connection Setup

Follow the standard flow to connect most OTAs—create the channel, set currency and options, map rooms/rates, then activate and verify with a small price update.

Use this flow for most OTAs. Some steps vary per channel—use the channel‑specific guide if something differs.

## Before You Start

* Set prices for the months ahead on the [Pricing](/front-desk/pricing.md) page. A date with no price won't be sold on the channel.
* Have your property ID from the OTA ready (Airbnb uses a login instead)
* Turn off any old iCal feeds on the OTA

## 1) Turn it on at the OTA

In the OTA's extranet, turn on channel manager (or "connectivity provider") and pick **Channex**. Some OTAs list it as **Channex.io**. The channel guides show where this is on each OTA.

If the OTA already lists a different provider, for example the system you used before, change it. The connection won't work until you do.

## 2) Create the Channel

1. Go to [Channel Manager](https://app.hostelmate.co/channel-manager) and click **Create** (top right)
2. Choose the OTA
3. Enter a **Title** (e.g. "Booking.com – Main Property") and the OTA's property ID
4. Settings on this screen:
   * Currency: leave it on Auto
   * Min Stay Type (if shown): set it to **Arrival**. See [Min Stay Type](#min-stay-type) below
   * Booking Total Type: pick what matches your reporting (Payout, After Tax, Including Commission)
   * Pricing Type (if shown): leave it on **Standard**. **OBP** means the OTA wants a different price for 1, 2, 3 guests, and Hostel Mate sends one price. On Booking.com, read [how prices reach Booking.com](/channel-mapping-guides/booking.com.md) first.
5. Click **Test Connection**. If it says "Invalid Credentials" right after you turned it on at the OTA, the OTA probably hasn't finished activating it (Agoda is often slow). Wait about 10 minutes and try again.
6. Click **Next**

## Min Stay Type

Some platforms can only work with one kind of minimum stay, so they ask you to choose which one they should receive. **Always pick Arrival.** That is the only kind Hostel Mate sends.

The two are different rules, and the difference matters:

* **Arrival** applies to the night a guest *checks in*. Put a 3-night minimum on 24 December and anyone starting their stay that day has to book at least three nights. A guest who arrived on the 22nd and happens to still be there on the 24th is not affected.
* **Through** applies to *any* stay that covers that night, no matter when the guest arrived. Put a 3-night minimum on 24 December and a guest arriving on the 23rd for two nights is turned away as well, because their stay touches the 24th.

When you set a minimum stay on the [Pricing](/front-desk/pricing.md) page, Hostel Mate sends it as the Arrival kind. It is always Arrival, on every channel, and there is no setting in Hostel Mate that changes this.

So if a channel is set to Through, it goes looking for a number we never send, finds nothing there, and concludes those dates have no minimum at all. Nothing breaks and nothing warns you. The channel simply keeps selling one and two-night stays across your busiest week while every other channel holds the line. That is the giveaway: the rule works everywhere except one platform.

If you find a channel set to Through, open **Channel Manager → Open Manager →** the channel **→ Connection Settings**, switch Min Stay Type to **Arrival**, and save. You do not need to re-enter your minimum stays. They are already stored against the dates and the channel picks them up on the next sync, usually within a few minutes.

Not every channel shows this setting. Booking.com and Agoda, for instance, handle both kinds themselves and never ask. It turns up on the ones that can only take one: Expedia, Airbnb, Hostelworld, Despegar, Vrbo.

## 3) Map Rooms and Rates

Every OTA room and rate shows up in a list. For each one marked **Not mapped**, pick the matching room **and** rate in Hostel Mate. Anything left unmapped gets no prices or availability.

Dorms map to a room type the OTA sells per bed; private rooms to one sold per room. If a room is missing, click **Refresh**, and check the room is active on the OTA.

If you want this channel to charge more or less than your Pricing page, add a rate modifier (amount or percent, up or down) in the channel settings.

Click **Save**.

## 4) Check It Works

A word on what "connected" means, because this trips people up. A green **Active** status tells you the two systems can talk to each other and your credentials were accepted. That's all. It doesn't mean your rooms are mapped, and it doesn't mean your old bookings have arrived. All rooms showing as **Mapped** means prices and availability are going to the right places. Neither one tells you anything about bookings.

So before you trust a new connection, spend five minutes on this:

1. Check every room has prices for the coming months on the [Pricing](/front-desk/pricing.md) page.
2. Bring over the bookings you already had on the platform with [Pull Future Reservations](/channel-mapping-guides/pull-future-reservations.md).
3. Change one price by a small amount in Hostel Mate and find it in the platform's extranet calendar.
4. Open the Booking Calendar and check that a booking you know exists on the platform is there.
5. If you can, make a test booking on the platform (or ask a friend to) and watch it land in Hostel Mate. Then cancel it.

If step 3 fails, run a [Full Sync](/channel-mapping-guides/full-sync.md). If step 4 or 5 fails, go through [Pull Future Reservations](/channel-mapping-guides/pull-future-reservations.md) again.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                                  | What to do                                                                                                                                                  |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Test Connection says "Invalid Credentials"               | Check the property ID. Make sure the right provider is selected at the OTA (step 1). If you just turned it on, wait 10 minutes and try again.               |
| Test Connection fails and the OTA shows another provider | Change the provider in the OTA extranet (step 1), then test again.                                                                                          |
| A room is missing from the mapping                       | Click Refresh. Check the room is active on the OTA.                                                                                                         |
| Prices or availability on the OTA look out of date       | Check the mapping, then run a [Full Sync](/channel-mapping-guides/full-sync.md) (**Actions → Full Sync**). It resends all upcoming prices and availability. |
| Dates aren't selling at all                              | Check those dates have a price on the [Pricing](/front-desk/pricing.md) page.                                                                               |
| Wrong booking totals                                     | Change Booking Total Type to match how the OTA reports amounts.                                                                                             |
| Promotions, cancellation policy or hostel name are wrong | Those are set in the OTA extranet, not here. See [What Hostel Mate Controls](/channel-mapping-guides/what-hostel-mate-controls.md).                         |