What is an Accommodation?

An Accommodation represents a type of lodging offered by an organization. It defines what guests can book. Whether that's a hotel room, holiday cottage, apartment, campsite pitch, or any other rentable space.

The accommodation serves as a template that describes the product: its name, description, features, capacity, and pricing structure. It answers the question "what are we selling?" rather than "which specific unit is the guest staying in?". Each accommodation belongs to a single organization and can have one or more accommodation units assigned to it.

Core Components

An accommodation connects several key entities that together define the bookable product.

AccommodationUnits: AccommodationUnits are the physical instances of an accommodation. If an organization has ten identical 2-bedroom cottages, they would create one accommodation ("2-Bedroom Cottage") with ten units ("Cottage 1" through "Cottage 10"). When a guest books, they reserve the accommodation type, and a specific unit is assigned based on availability.

Rate Configuration: AccommodationRateSpecifications, AccommodationPriceComponentGroups and AccommodationRateDates define how the accommodation is priced. These determine rates based on factors like length of stay, season, or channel.

Supplements: Supplements are additional services or charges that can be attached to an accommodation, such as cleaning fees or breakfast packages. The accommodation configuration determines which supplements are available for the guest to book during their booking proces.

Features: Features describe the amenities and characteristics of an accommodation. This can be: number of bedrooms, bathroom count, facilities, and policies. Features help guests find suitable accommodations and set expectations.

Accommodation vs. AccommodationUnit

The distinction between accommodations and units is fundamental to how Recranet Booking manages inventory. The accommodation is what you sell. It has a name, description, pricing, and features. Guests search for and book accommodations.

The AccommodationUnit is what you deliver. The specific room number, cottage name, or pitch where the guest stays.

This separation enables flexible booking management. Guests can book without knowing which specific unit they'll receive, and organizations can assign or reassign units based on operational needs.

Accommodations are the products your integration will work with a lot. Understanding the accommodation model helps you:

• Manage inventory correctly – Know the relationship between accommodations and units
• Handle pricing – Understand how rates and price groups connect to accommodations
• Check availability – Query availability at the accommodation level while understanding it's determined by unit availability