OCTO is an open standard that resellers and online travel agencies (OTAs) use to read a supplier's products and availability and to send bookings. TripWorks is OCTO certified and follows the OCTO specification, so a reseller can connect to TripWorks operators the same way it connects to any other OCTO supplier, with no custom integration per operator. This article explains what TripWorks supports, how a booking moves through the connection, and how to get set up.
In this article
New to OCTO? Start with What is OCTO?. Which part applies to you depends on which side you are on:
- You are a reseller or OTA that wants to sell TripWorks operators' activities. Read the whole article.
- You are an operator who wants to sell through OTAs and resellers. You don't need to build anything. Add the reseller in TripWorks and the connection is handled for you. See How OTA and reseller bookings connect to TripWorks.
In this article
- What OCTO is and why TripWorks uses it
- Which OCTO operations and capabilities TripWorks supports
- How a booking moves from availability to confirmation
- How a reseller gets connected
- What the operator sees when a booking arrives
What is OCTO, and why does TripWorks use it?
OCTO gives suppliers and distributors one shared way to talk to each other. A supplier publishes its products and availability in a standard shape, and a distributor sends reservations and confirmations in a standard shape. Because both sides follow the same specification, a reseller that already speaks OCTO doesn't need a new integration for each supplier it adds.
TripWorks connects operators to a marketplace of OTAs and resellers. For resellers that use OCTO, this is the connection. It is separate from the REST API, which is for developers building on an operator's own TripWorks data with an API key.
What does TripWorks support?
TripWorks answers OCTO requests for these parts of the standard:
- Supplier. Details about the operator as an OCTO supplier. This is also where TripWorks lists the optional capabilities it supports.
- Products. List the operator's products, or get one by its id.
- Availability. Check availability for specific dates, and get a calendar view of availability over a range.
- Bookings. Reserve spots, confirm a reservation, extend a reservation that is being held, update a booking, cancel a booking, find bookings, and get one booking.
- Notifications. Create, list, get, update, and delete notification subscriptions, so a reseller can be told when something changes instead of checking.
TripWorks supports three optional OCTO capabilities: octo/content (richer product content), octo/pricing (pricing detail in availability and bookings), and octo/notifications. A reseller asks for the capabilities it wants with an Octo-Capabilities header, or a _capabilities query parameter, and TripWorks returns only the fields those capabilities add.
How does a booking move through the connection?
The reseller drives each step. TripWorks checks your rules at every step, so a reservation fails if the trip is locked, the capacity isn't there, or an id doesn't match this operator.
- List the products the operator offers, then check availability for the dates the customer wants.
- Reserve the spots. A reservation holds the spots for the customer while they finish booking.
- Confirm the booking once the customer has booked. If the customer needs more time, extend the hold before it runs out.
- Update or cancel the booking if the customer changes their plans.
A reseller that wants to be told about changes creates a notification subscription instead of polling.
OCTO identifies the reseller on each request with a resellerId header, or a _resellerId query parameter. TripWorks uses it to attribute the booking to the right reseller.
How do you get connected?
OCTO access is set up with TripWorks. It isn't self-service, and you don't create an API key for it. Contact TripWorks to start, and you will be given the credentials and connection details to use. After that, your requests identify the operator through the credentials you were given.
If you want to read and change an operator's own TripWorks data from code, for example for a dashboard or an internal tool, you want the REST API instead. OCTO is for exchanging products, availability, and bookings with resellers.
What does the operator see?
A booking that arrives over OCTO is recorded as a normal trip, with the Reseller booking method and the reseller's name. It shows on the operator's calendar and manifest like any other booking. Payment, commission, and invoicing follow the settings on the reseller's profile, which the operator manages under More → Resellers.
See Set up a reseller for those settings, and Supported OTAs for the channels TripWorks connects to directly.
Examples
- Show a customer what is available. The reseller lists the operator's products, then asks for availability on the dates the customer picked.
- Hold spots while a customer pays. The reseller reserves the spots, then confirms the booking when payment completes.
- Give a customer more time. The reseller extends the hold on a reservation before it expires.
- Change a booking's details. The reseller updates the booking after the customer changes the party or the contact details.
- Cancel from the reseller's side. The reseller cancels the booking, and the spots return to the operator's availability.
- Stay in sync without polling. The reseller creates a notification subscription and is told when something changes.
Frequently asked questions
Does TripWorks support OCTO?
Yes. TripWorks follows the OCTO specification and answers OCTO requests for supplier details, products, availability, bookings, and notification subscriptions. It supports the optional octo/content, octo/pricing, and octo/notifications capabilities.
How do I get OCTO credentials for TripWorks?
Contact TripWorks. OCTO access is set up with TripWorks rather than created in the product, so there is no API key to generate. You will receive the credentials and connection details to use for your requests.
Is OCTO the same as the TripWorks REST API?
No. OCTO is an open standard for resellers and OTAs to exchange products, availability, and bookings with suppliers. The REST API is for developers who want to read and change an operator's own TripWorks data with an API key. Use OCTO to sell an operator's activities, and the REST API to build your own tools on an operator's data.
I'm an operator. Do I need to set anything up for OCTO?
No. Add the reseller or OTA under More → Resellers and TripWorks handles the connection. You set the reseller's payment method, commission, and activities in TripWorks. See Set up a reseller.
How do bookings from a reseller show up in TripWorks?
Each booking is recorded as a normal trip with the Reseller booking method and the reseller's name. It appears on the calendar and manifest alongside your other bookings, and payment, commission, and invoices follow that reseller's settings.
What happens if a reservation can't be made?
TripWorks checks your rules before it holds any spots. If the trip is locked, there isn't enough capacity, or an id doesn't match the operator, the request is refused with an OCTO error instead of creating a booking. The reseller can then offer the customer another time.
Can a reseller be told when availability or a booking changes?
Yes. The reseller creates a notification subscription, and TripWorks supports the octo/notifications capability. This avoids polling availability over and over.
What if the OTA I use isn't connected yet?
Ask support about connecting it. In the meantime, bring its bookings in by CSV import or enter them by hand, and keep your availability updated so the same spots aren't sold twice. See How OTA and reseller bookings connect to TripWorks.
Related
- What is OCTO?
- Does TripWorks have an API?
- How OTA and reseller bookings connect to TripWorks
- Set up a reseller
- Supported OTAs
- Get started with the REST API
Built for attractions, tours & activities
Sell everywhere, manage it in one place
See how attractions, tours, and activities pull OTA and reseller bookings into one calendar on TripWorks. Book a demo and make the switch.