Ask HN: Hotel API's

[lachyg]

HN, I'm in desperate need of some help. I've been applying to many hotel API's and affiliate programs, and have been able to get into most of their affiliate sections, but the API is a whole other story. They're locked down like maximum security prisons.

It's been weeks with lack of responses, and rejections citing "Incomplete Site", which is quite difficult, because the site I'm building requires access to an API to finish it. It's completely reliant.

Does anyone know any open hotel API's which don't take weeks to get into? I needed to have this project launched last week.

Would really appreciate any help, or suggestions.

Lachy

[bl4k]

Email peter.armstrong@buy.at or Rebecca.riches@buy.at. I found their details on this page:

http://www.affiliates4u.com/forums/travel-leisure/151557-exp...

These companies want API users, there is no reason why they aren't letting you access the data unless you screwed something up previously

(edit: sorry no idea what happen there, went to edit my comment and it deleted. I was going to add that you might want to mock up your app with test data so that they can get an idea of what you are doing, as opposed to showing them an empty site. Scrape some hotel details for a single city with fake booking info and show that to them.

These companies have no problem with affiliate spammers dumping their entire DBs onto hundreds of crappy websites, so they shouldn't have a problem with you - just mock something up for them to see so that they know you are real )

[lachyg → bl4k]

Emailed both a week back! Got out of office notices. Good spot though, cheers!

[atldev]

Just use sample data to make the site look complete for now. You'll gain 2 benefits:

1. It will reduce the chance of rejection for "incomplete site"

and more importantly:

2. It will allow you to start customer development and usability testing, which might be a better use of time right now anyway (before hours are invested coding and integrating).

I doubt your toughest challenge will be integrating an API. Your toughest challenge will likely be getting users to love the results.

Best of luck! It's great to see some of the recent innovation in the travel tech space.

[lachyg → atldev]

Thank you sir! I'll post a "Review My Startup" in a day or two!

[MC27]

You'd be better off contacting them first, before clicking on the join button. These affiliate programmes expect to see an established service - allowing them to decide if the service is appropriate for their brand and product - after all, it's marketing people who handle this sort of stuff.

Not sure if you are aware of this, but the hotel and hostel business is dominated by a small number of B2B providers who you have probably never heard of. Ironically, I can't remember their names off-hand, but if you are serious, then consider approaching them in the long term.

[lachyg → MC27]

I'd love to know the names of these guys. Would you mind digging them up? Would really appreciate that. Thanks

[iamclovin]

Have you tried http://hotelscombined.com or http://kayak.com?

Both have great databases for hotel content, but I'm not sure of what restrictions they have for their API.

P.S. I also know Wego (http://wego.com) have an API in the works, if you can get in touch with them through their contact form they can probably work something out (Disclaimer: I used to work at wego.com)

[lachyg → iamclovin]

HotelsCombined thinks they can get away with charging $2000 for API access. Kayak doesn't provide much functionality. Wego looks great. Know anyone that I could contact their to get access too today?

[iamclovin → lachyg]

Tried to find your contact details on your HN profile but couldn't. Please mail me at arun.thampi@gmail.com and I can pass you some details.

[YuryG → lachyg]

hi Lachy - let me know what you're working on (if it's not too late). I don't believe we've ever received any correspondence from you.

yury.glikin@hotelscombined.com

[thesisist]

If I remember correctly, it was quite easy to get access to booking.com and here's the documentation for their webservice http://xml.booking.com/

[lachyg → thesisist]

I emailed them, they said they needed to see a completed site. Thanks though

[jamesbritt]

Would anything on the OTA( http://www.opentravel.org/) site be useful?

It's been some years since I wrote hotel reservation system code, and I don't know if the OTA stuff is (or was) meant to be just intra-industry, or a means to make it easier for TA's, affiliates, etc. to do business.

I think the later, but I attended an OTA meeting in D.C. once and the amount of bureaucracy and attention to petty stupid detail was astounding, so anything is possible.

[canterburry]

Does anyone know what the requirements may be to connect with the hotel chains directly and bypass all these sites?

[kingofspain]

I've built a couple of sites using Laterooms and they are very approachable. Each time I've spoken on the phone first & gone through things. One site was barely a holding page at this stage. You might have more luck this way.

Their API is one of the good ones too - lots of nice stuff available.

[undefinable]

Take a loot at : http://icarusone.com/index/icarus

I integrated the Air search using the Kayak API. Currently working on the Hotel API provided by them. They provide ample amount of information, check them out.

[lachyg → undefinable]

Are you working with PHP?

[undefinable → lachyg]

Yes I am working in PHP.Its a side project I created being being bored of the work given to me at my office. Trying to sell it now. You can contact me : ejazzz@gmail.com

[thehodge]

I have access to most of these API's, if you want to use my details to fill your site while you get accepted, ping me an email dominichodgson@gmail.com :)

[lachyg → thehodge]

Emailed!

[mshafrir]

Which affiliate programs have you applied to?

[lachyg → mshafrir]

Expedia, Orbitz, LateRooms, HotelsCombined, Hotwire. A few more that I can't recall.