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Step by Step

Updating a property name involves verifying that the name matches the official website or other OTAs and making sure it meets our guidelines. 

For accounts that need Chain/Strategic Account branding added to or removed from their name, transfer to Onboarding and Maintenance (O&M) team using the following CMUI:

  • Topic: Content
  • Subtopic: Update to Property Name or Contact Information from Corporate HQ

Additionally, in case you find a property that seems to be using a brand/chain name in an inappropriate way, see the KBA HPO | Property name guidelines for more information about how to proceed.  


To update a property name:

  1. Look up the official property website.
    1. Confirm you are on the correct website by matching the address to what’s entered in our system.
    2. If there’s no official website, confirm by 1 of these methods:
      • Check Google Maps
      • Check TripAdvisor or other OTAs to confirm the name used for the same property on other sites
      • Check the property’s Facebook page
      • Check the tourist board website for that country if the name still cannot be verified
      • Check updated License
      • Review property photos to see if the name is visible on the signage
      • Ask the partner for official documentation such as: including ownership or rebranding changes if there isn’t an updated official website
  2. Confirm the name follows our HPO | Property name guidelines.
    • Note: If the updated name is different than what was requested and the requester disagrees, ask for the official documentation showing the requested name, for example, letterhead from the property, company website, or business card. 
  3. Under Property Details in Partner Central, select Basic property information.
  4. Expand the Name and Address section.
  5. Enter the new name in the Property Name box.
  6. Add a HPO | Property name tag guidelines, if necessary.
  7. Select Update.
  8. Enter your Salesforce case number in the Reason For Change box.
  9. Select Submit.
  10. If the name change includes LGBTQIA tagging, send a case to Technical Data Management (TDM) to disable TPIDs for certain countries. See HPO | Property name tag guidelines for details.
  11. Remind the partner to update banking details in Partner Central, if applicable.
  12. Send the HCPIF if the partner is on ETP/Agency Business Model and the new property name represents a Hotel Collect Invoice Update. Instruct the property to fill in the HCPIF form and that the case is completed after their action. Then proceed to close the case
    • If the property name change is requested during the Onboarding case, continue with all the Onboarding tasks. There’s no need to put the case in pending to auto-chase the partner to complete the HCPIF. 
    • FYI Only. Once the partner completes the HCPIF, an automated case will be added to the hotel case history with the following:
      • Contact Name: Adobe Sign 
      • Case Record Type: Financial Operations 
      • Case Type: Accounts Receivable Partner Data 
      • Case Subject: [External] Completed: You’re copied on “HCPIF: [Super Region Name]” 
      • Sent from Address: adobesign@adobesign.com 
    • Important: This step (12) only applies to a Property Name change. If the Legal Name has also changed, follow the regular Recontracting process described in HPO | Ownership change or convert a branded property to an independent.

Partner Central changes can take up to 72 hours to show up on the live site. Transfer the case to Technical Solutions & Tools (TS) to research the issue if the name is correct in Partner Central but doesn’t show up on the live site after 72 hours. 

NOTE: When HPO Associates receive a case regarding a traveler’s Virtual Agent cancellation waiver request, categorize the case per the below: 

  • CMUI Topic: Technical Assistance Request 
  • CMUI Subtopic: Booking Information Request 
  • Primary Category: Cancellation Waiver Program 

Policy

When a booking is eligible for a cancellation waiver request, we capture the traveler’s information and send it directly to the partner. A hotel traveler agent will only intervene if the partner doesn’t respond to the cancellation request within 24 hours. 

This feature was initially rolled out to Retail travelers with Expedia Collect bookings made on Expedia US Point of Sale (POS) only. It will be extended to all Expedia and Hcom POS by the end of September 2023.
Partners globally will start receiving more requests through Partner Central. Any hotel user with full access to Partner Central will be able to approve/deny a request. 

For internal-only talking points, you may refer HPO | Internal self-service cancellation waiver request talking points. Partner-facing talking points is available in HPO | Partner self-service cancellation waiver request talking points. The partner awareness email can be accessed here.

Partners may have the ability to self-serve on cancellation requests when the traveler contacts the partner directly prior to check-in. In such instances, guidance can be found in the following partner help article Cancel a reservation upon request from a guest.

Process

  1. When a traveler attempts to cancel a booking through the Virtual Agent it will ask if they would like to proceed with the cancellation, pause, or enquire with the property if they allow cancellation waivers.
    • If the traveler has already requested a waiver before this, the Virtual Agent will transfer the case to a live agent, should the traveler still insist on a refund.
  2. If the request is eligible for cancellation waivers, the traveler will be able to proceed with the cancellation waiver request:
    • If this is the traveler’s first time requesting a cancellation waiver for the affected booking, they can proceed with the request by providing the partner with a valid reason.
  3. Partners can view all their requests via the Messages or Reservations list page of Partner Central.
    • The Messages page only allows partners to view the requests. Messages marked with the term “Refund requested” indicate that a traveler is requesting a refund. Partners will be redirected to the Reservations list page to continue the process.
    • If the partner denies the request, they must provide a reason from a predetermined list, and optionally a written message can be included, which will be sent to the traveler.
  4. Depending on the partner’s response, the booking will automatically be canceled or remain as it is.
  5. A notification will be sent to both partner and traveler to confirm the action taken.

Unresponsive partners

If a partner doesn’t respond within 24 hours, the request will be routed to a hotel traveler agent. The agent will then determine if the waiver request warrants a call to the partner.
 

  1. An email will be automatically pushed to the affected traveler, explaining that there’s not been a response from the partner for the last 24 hours, and that we will reach out to them soon.
  2. A Service Request (SR) will be automatically created post-24 hours and will be sent to the queue, which will then be routed to the next available hotel traveler agent.
    • Note: The cancellation waiver request in Partner Central will remain open for the partner to approve or decline until the agent closes the related SR. If the partner actions the request before the agent reaches out to the partner, the SR will automatically close.
  3. The agent will then attempt to reach out to the affected partner. Depending on the partner’s responsiveness:
    • If the partner is reachable during first attempt:
      • Proceed based on the partner’s decision:
        • If the partner approves the request:
          1. Follow the usual refund process.
          2. The affected reservation will be canceled without penalty charges and both the partner and traveler will receive a notification regarding the cancellation.
            • Note: If the partner is a connected partner, remind them to update the booking and note the cancellation waiver in their Property Management System (PMS) system.
          3. Close the case.
        • If the partner denies the request:
          1. Follow the usual refund process.
          2. A confirmation email will be sent to the traveler, notifying them of their request being rejected by the partner.
          3. The traveler will still be provided the option of cancelling their booking, but penalty will be incurred.
          4. Close the case.
    • If the partner is unreachable after 3 attempts:
      1. The agent will end call attempts, and proceed to notify traveler of the partner’s status, and the next steps.
      2. If the traveler still opts to cancel the booking, they will have to pay the penalty.
      3. A confirmation email will be sent to the traveler and partner, notifying them of the cancellation.


If a hotel traveler agent receives a call from the traveler before the 24-hour mark:

  1. Check for an existing service request regarding the booking in question.
  2. If there is an existing service request, the traveler will be informed of the 24 hour response window and to await the hotel partner’s response
  3. If there isn’t an existing service request, the Hotel Traveler agent will create a request (with Type selected as Waiver), which will then be worked on.

Anyone from HPO Lodging Partner Teams (HPO Finance Basic Skills) can work on waiver dispute cases.

HPO Investigation & Initial Response  

These steps must be completed for all waivers research. 

  1. Check if there’s an overcharge record for a virtual card booking. You can find all overcharges on the Account page in Salesforce or by searching with the Booking ID.
    • If there is an existing overcharge, don’t reinstate the reservation cost to close the overcharges and chargeback disputes, instead reclassify your case as EVC case type and follow the steps of the Chargeback Assistance Guided Flow in Salesforce to assist partners accordingly. See HPO | Overcharge or chargeback questions for more details. 
  2. Review the waiver approval in either:
  3. Navigate to Salesforce to check if the Approver is listed as a verified contact at the property. It is important to note that Retail Lodging support reaches the property by calling the Property Primary Phone and asking for an Approver.   
  4. Provide the partner with the information from your research and document your findings in your case.
    • Contact your Lead or Supervisor with the details of the booking, including any Call ID if available on Voyager, to check if the record of the call between TPSP Traveler and partner is available. We cannot provide call recordings to any external contact.
    • Check Vnext, to see if there is any emails between TPSP Traveler and the hotel partner. 
    • If no approver name was documented, or it is highlighted that the waiver was declined but still refunded at the property expense, please proceed with a waiver reversal without pushback and fill out the Adjustment Request section.
  5. Place your case on Pending-Callback for 24 hours to give the partner time to reply and add an event to for the next working day.
    • Partner Responds: Review the partner response. If they continue to dispute the information, proceed to the If a partner disputes the waiver and requests payment section.
    • No Response: Fill out the Adjustment Request section with the Management Decision as Decline, see the below table for instructions, and close your case.  

 

If a partner disputes the waiver and requests payment   

Partners may have various reasons to further dispute a waiver approval. Review the below before referring to the actions to take based on the payment method, Expedia Collect or Hotel Collect. 

Partner claims the approval isn’t legitimate

  1. Review the notes in Voyager and whether the Approver is listed as a verified contact of the property in SF. Push back if necessary following the additional investigation.
  2. If the partner continues to dispute, proceed to the section based on the payment type to proceed with a waiver reversal.
  3. If approval was given by a non-authorized member of the staff, educate the partner that our customer care teams will call and ask for approval. The non-authorized members of the staff should be redirecting our Traveler team agents to authorized approvers if this occurs.

Guest stayed at the property

  1. If an approver was found, reiterate the information once more to the partner.
    • If the booking was canceled and waived prior to check-in, the partner may charge the guest for an approved stay if they have not yet left.  
    • If a cancellation was processed mid-stay, the partner may be eligible for any nights the guest stayed before the refund was processed – dependent on the reason for waiver documentation.  
  2. If the partner continues to dispute, please move to the section below based on payment type.  

   

Partner claims payment for a booking amended only on their internal system

  • This can happen when the Hotel Traveller agent and Partner made a verbal agreement without any amendment to Expedia Group’s (EG) system. The partner will adjust the booking in their system and claim payment for the new booking that was never created by EG.    
  • Please reclassify as/create a case for Payout Review and follow HPO | Work a payout request.
  • This process does not apply to early check-in scenarios. See HPO | Early check-in fraud prevention for details on the correct process for early check-in.   

      

Partner claims payment for a rate difference between the waived booking and the new booking created  

  • This can happen when the Hotel Traveller agent and Partner made a verbal agreement that the waiver would only be approved if EG honors the original rate in the new booking. However, the new booking is created with the current (lower) rate.    
  • If you can’t proceed with the cost reinstatement in the waived booking and need to update the original cost from the new booking, follow HPO | Work a payout request. 

 

Payment methods

Expedia Collect /  Virtual card

Following your initial pushback, partners may not be satisfied with the explanation given. If their response is seen as a valid concern, you may look to Reduce or Reinstate booking costs of the booking to provide them with the disputed payment amount.  

  1. Fill out the Adjustment Request section with the details of the waiver request. See the table below for additional details on how to fill out the adjustment section in your case.
    • The Management Decision should be marked as Approved.  
  2. Follow the steps under HPO | Reduce or reinstate booking costs to reinstate the cost for the booking.  HPO | Cost adjustment for Expedia Collect reservations provides additional insight as necessary.
    • EVC: Reissue a virtual card if needed.
    • Expedia Collect Invoice: The partner may need to request a new invoice for the booking following reinstatement.  If the adjustment occurred after payment was made, see HPO | Request a credit memo reversal
    • Properties on automatic payment: If the cost reinstatement is done after the checkout date and the applicable invoice cycle has passed, the property will not receive payment automatically. In such cases, submit a manual invoice via file load in EPC or DMX.
      • Note: Use the File Load option, not the Invoice Create option in EPC, to ensure payment is processed.
  3. Inform the partner of the correction and close your case.  

Topic: Billing or Payments  
Subtopic: Expedia Collect Invoice or Expedia Virtual Card  

Case Type: EVC 
Primary Category: Cancellation Dispute 
Secondary Category: Cancellation Waiver Dispute
or
Case Type: Expedia Collect Invoice 
Primary Category: Payment Details
Secondary Category: Cancellation Waiver Dispute
 

Hotel Collect  

For Hotel Collect bookings, since the creation of an account in Oracle and CorpAP requests require approvals to make the payments, we can’t reset the cost. You must instead follow the steps from HPO | Hotel Collect payout. In step 3 of the process, you can only request approval from MM by email. No TST involvement is needed as this is not technically a payout.   

After the initial investigation and pushback, if the partner continues to dispute, follow these steps.    

  • The cancellation waiver never exceeds the original booking cost. For any dispute above the original booking cost, follow HPO | Work a payout request.
  • If you’re not skilled in Finance Advance work, transfer the case to Payout Review.     


Topic: Billing or Payments  
Subtopic: Expedia Collect Invoice or Expedia Virtual Card  

Case Type: Hotel Collect Issue   
Primary Category: Cancellation Reservation   
Secondary Category: Inside/Outside Penalty  

Adjustment Request field clarification  

The Adjustment Request section of your case will need to be completed. Mandatory fields will present you with an error message if not included before closing the case.
 

Adjustment request field  Description
Request type  Cancellation waiver dispute.
Total Amount Requested in USD  This should be the amount under dispute for reversal.
Cash/TravelAds Negotiated Amount in USD  Only fill in the Cash Negotiated amount with the same amount as Total Amount Requested.  TravelAds should be kept at 0.00.  
Type of Error  Based on your research the reason should fall under one of the following:  Approved partially   Approver doesn’t work at the property    Approver name not provided   Approver not authorized  
Adjustment Reason  
Responsible for Error  
Type of Booking  		Fill out fields per your research. 
Approving User  
&  
Management’s Decision  		The approving user should be yourself.  The request should be Approved or Declined based on whether we will be proceeding with a reversal following your pushback.  
Approved Amount in USD
or
Declined Amount in USD  		One of them must be filled in, depending on the outcome.
Error Source Individual
or 
Other User Not in Salesforce  		Add the name, or username, of the agent responsible for the error that has led to the reversal. (Hotel Traveler/Relocation/HPO)  Agents not found in Salesforce will need to be manually copy pasted from Voyager.   
Remaining options:  Original Case #  Date Error Made  ‘Other’ Detail  Resolution Outcome  Error Fixed Date  Not necessary for case documentation.  

You might receive cases related to Virtual Card decline or technical live site issues, where the partner claims the booking amount is lower than the actual rate.

Step by Step

Important: Market Managers (MM) or Partner Success Associates (PGA) should not email the Dilemma or Relocations team directly. Instead, they should open a case with HPO using the Topic: Payout Review. 
 

  1. Reclassify your case to the Rate Research category.
  2. Choose the Secondary Category depending on the scenario.
    • Customer care escalation: When Hotel Traveler transfers a call to you about Rate.
    • Partner direct individual booking:  When supplier or MM contacts you about a single booking.
    • Partner direct multiple bookings: When supplier or MM contacts you about multiple bookings.
  3. Confirm that the amount requested is more than the booked amount. If not, proceed to step 5.
  4. Confirm the guest is being accommodated in the same room type/rate plan, for the same number of nights, and for the same number of guests.
    • If something doesn’t match, proceed to step 5.
    • If everything is the same, proceed to step 6.
  5. This isn’t a rate discrepancy. Provide the partner with the correct booking details and close your case.
  6. Tell the partner that you’ll research the rate discrepancy.
  7. View the property change history for rates and inventory to identify the error. If you can’t, create a case for TST and update your status to Pending-Technical.
  8. Determine whether the error is an Expedia error or a partner error
    • If it’s a partner or Third Party (Channel Manager) error:
      • For rate differences below 40%* of the rate expected by the partner: Offer to hold the reservation if the guest agrees to pay the difference. Email all research findings from your case, including the itinerary number and point of sale (POS) as well as the rate discrepancy template to the Dilemma crisis team (AEBT3Crisis@expedia.com). The Dilemma team will contact the guest to pay the difference or cancel their booking. Explain to the partner that some bookings may be out of the outreach scope due to customer protection laws in certain countries and points of sales. This includes B2B bookings and certain POS, full details below*** .
        • Note: The Dilemma crisis team doesn’t handle affiliate bookings, these are out of scope, Dilemma team can’t proceed with outreach for these bookings.Inform the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense.
      • For rate differences above 40%** of the rate expected by the partner: Tell the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense;
        •  If they choose to relocate, proceed to step 9a.
    • If it’s an Expedia error, proceed to Step 9.
  9. Tell the partner that additional research will be needed and if:
    1. The partner does not agree to this process, advise that they’ll have to initiate the relocation process

Note: If the partner has questions about the effects of relocations, see HPO | Visibility performance talking points, HPO | Visibility performance page in Partner Central, or HPO | Guest relocations.

  1. If the partner is still on the phone, send the template Relo – Rate discrepancy reject found in the *ReloMgt/ReloCost folder to the partner. Add the information found from Step 9b to your comments, add the Provisional Funds initiative, and transfer the call to Relocations.
  2. If the partner is no longer on the phone, create a sequential relocation case and if the check-in is within the next 72 hours, escalate with your lead or supervisor to give it priority
    • Send the template Relo – Rate discrepancy reject found in the *ReloMgt/ReloCost folder to the partner. Add the information found in the template in the next step to your comments, add the Provisional Funds initiative, and close your case.
  1. The partner does agree, create a sequential Payout Review case.
    1. Be sure to include the following information:
      • Caller Name: [Must be verified.]
      • Booking ID: 
      • Reason for the dispute and amount requested by partner:[Be as detailed as possible.] Amount requested by partner is ONLY the extra amount the partner is requesting. If booked amount is $100 and the partner thinks it should be $125, the amount requested would be $25.
    2. The Finance Advanced associate will determine if the request is legitimate, then make the necessary adjustments to the reservation, and inform you of the results in your parent case.
  2. Send the following templates to the partner depending on the scenario:
    • Non EC – Rate discrepancy inquiry 
    • EVC – Rate discrepancy inquiry 
    • HC – Rate discrepancy inquiry
  3. Place your case in Pending Internal while you wait for the Payout Review case to be closed. When you receive the results of the research, confirm them with the partner by attempting to call once, and then sending an email.
  4. Add the Provisional Funds initiative.
  5. Close your case.
* Example of rate difference below 40%: Guest paid below 40% of the cost – (example 16 EUR vs. 100 EUR – 16%) – obvious rate error
** Example of rate difference above 40%:  Guest paid above 40% of the cost – (example 65 EUR vs. 100 EUR – 65%) – not an obvious rate error
***This includes B2B bookings and certain POS, full details below.

Exceptions regardless of how much customer paid: Within 1 week of arrival (Dilemma team sends to Relocations) Highly compressed market (Dilemma team sends to Relocations) POS with consumer protection regulations – EU, BR, etc. (Tell the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense) BEXG and Hcom Packages – particularly EU due to PTD (Tell the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense)   B2B brands, etc. (Tell the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense) Bookings made <6 months before the outreach (Tell the partner they’ll have to accept the reservation or relocate the guest at their own expense)

This article is intended for Finance Advanced skilled associates handling payout requests for Expedia Collect Hotel Collect, and 3PI payments. Use it when a partner requests a payout due to payment errors or discrepancies. Following these steps ensures correct and timely payouts, as well as compliance.





Step by Step

Process

  1. Review the Payout Matrix Table to determine what steps to follow for each payout use case.
    • If the partner disputes multiple use case scenarios, open an independent Payout Review case for each scenario. Use the flow in each case to reflect the correct payout category.
  2. Add a HIE to your case if needed. Refer to the Slack channel #so_payout_approval_object . 
  3. Navigate to the ‘Flows’ tab and select the correct primary category based on the type of payout request. 
  4. If the requested amount is
    • 300 USD or below, research the request to confirm the payout is a result of an Expedia error.
    • 300 USD or more, the flow will direct you to create a case for TST.
      • Before submitting a payout request to TST: 
        Add this template to your case comment:
        • Booking IDs:
        • Hotel IDs:
        • Requested amount (USD):
        • Payout story:
        • Duration of the issue:
        For multiple bookings (not part of an existing Bulk Payout related to HIE), attach a unique, copyable list—exclude future-dated HC bookings and those already processed.Process:
        1. Select Finish in the flow to create the case.
        2. After TST responds, continue with the next steps.
        3. Convert currency to USD using Oanda, using the request date for conversion.
        If TST closes the case as “Request Retracted,” review HPO | Guidelines for TST transfers for troubleshooting. 
  5. Complete the applicable summary template and add it to the case details.
    • General Payout Summary
      • Requester name:
      • Property ID:
      • Case Number:
      • Case Story:
      • Total Requested Amount:
      • Booking ID(s):
      • Number of affected bookings:
      • Total Approved Amount (USD):
      • Oracle Payout ID:
      • Date/Time of Error:
      • Date/Time Corrected:
      • Source of the Error:
      • Responsible for error (name, if applicable):
      • SF case number (provide if there’s an individual responsible for error):
      • Declined amount: (0.00 if paying full amount)
    • Relocation Management PayoutInclude everything in the General Payout Summary as well as
        • Relocation Invoice Number:
        • Original Booking ID:
        • New booking ID:
        • Relocation case Number:
        • Deflection email sent (Y/N, to whom):
        • Fault
  1. If the request isn’t an Expedia error:
    • For Relocation Management: Submit approval requests through the Salesforce payout flow.
    • For others: The flow will direct you to create a task for the property’s MM for requests above 300 USD. MM approval is not needed if below 300 USD.
  2. Complete the adjustment fields for courtesy payout under 300 USD:
    • Adjustment Reason: Courtesy Adjustment 
    • Type of Error: Based on the type of error being requested 
    • Responsible for Error: Property, Connectivity Vendor, 3PI Provider, or Retention policy 
    • Management’s Decision: Approved [MO (HPO) Decision was Overturned] if approved or Declined if pushback was successful:
      • If approved, fill in the Total Amount Requested in USD, the Approved Amount in USD, and Paid Amount in USD. Fill in 0.00 in the Declined Amount in USD
      • If declined, fill in the amount in Total Amount Requested in USD, Declined Amount in USD and fill 0.00 in the Approved Amount in USD
    • Resolution Outcome: Denied  
  3. Process the payout accordingly:
    • For Expedia Collect, refer to HPO | Cost adjustment for Expedia Collect reservations.
    • For Hotel Collect, refer to HPO | Hotel Collect payout
    • For EC+ Gross Bookings, refer to HPO | Updated Expedia Collect payout request.
    • For invoiced bookings, refer to Process a Manual Payment Request for Expedia Collect Bookings.
    • For 3PI payouts to a property
      1. Confirm if the 3PI booking was delivered to the property management system by sending a case to TST to investigate.
      2. Determine the cause and who is responsible for the issue.
      3. Confirm the traveler stayed at property.
      4. Determine the difference in booking costs between Expedia and the property (the property booking cost will differ from what’s in Partner Central due to 3PI commission and fees).
      5. Create a payout investigation case to TST via flow.
      6. Depending on TST resolution, proceed as directed.
        1. If 3PI needs to be paid, create a sequential child case to the Consolidator team.
        2. Once the child case is closed, inform the requester and all relevant parties.
        3. Complete the cost adjustment section
        4. Ensure all comments are clear, with all attachments noted in the case, and the General Payout Summary is complete.
      7. Close case.
  4. Before closing your case, review the Adjustment Request and fill the missing fields based on Adjustment Request Section in LFS Record Type.

Requests above 300 USD

Once TST researches the payout and closes their case:

  • If they approve the payout, you’ll create a Negotiation task for managed properties or Hotel Support case for PGA properties.
  • If they reject the payout, you will create an Appeal task for managed properties or Hotel Support Case for PGA properties.
  • For declined payouts under 2k, TST will add a statement: “If appealing, reassess requested amount & approve only the essential amount.” TST will not provide calculations to ensure partners request accurate amounts and that MM negotiates to the absolute minimum, limiting appeals to only what is strictly necessary.


To complete the payout request:

  1. Once the task or case is closed, your case status changes to Information Received. Open the case through Omni.
    • If the MM doesn’t appeal a rejected request, close your case.
  2. Submit approval to the MM Leadership team using the Payout Review module. Refer to Payout research and approval tables for more information. If over a certain amount, the flow will automatically require Approval from Finance Controllership.
  3. Follow the steps to process an Expedia Collect or Hotel Collect payment for the payout amount. For EC+ Gross Bookings follow HPO | Updated Expedia Collect payout request.
  • For bookings over 365 (exceeding contract terms) and under 465 days (inside of retention policy), attempt to add the funds to an existing virtual card. Refer to HPO | Add funds to an existing Virtual Card. If the cost cannot be reduced or a new booking does not exist to piggyback on, refer to HPO | Settlement override for bookings with a variance.
  • For bookings over 365 (exceeding contract terms) and under 465 days (inside of retention policy), where full or partial payment was agreed in Travel Ads, process a cost reduction in Mars Insight to document that a payment was made via Travel Ads and avoid possible double-payment. Refer to HPO | Reduce or reinstate booking costs for further instructions. 
  1. Before closing your case, review the Adjustment Request and fill the missing fields based on HPO | Adjustment request section in LFS record type.

Incorrect account owner (MM) issues

If you incorrectly send a negotiation or appeal task, or the PGA isn’t active, re-assign the task:

  1. Open the Payout Negotiation task from the Open Activities module.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Find the new PGA PSA in the Assigned To drop-down box.
  4. Select Payout Negotiation in the Category list.
  5. Select Save.

Good to know

  • Before working on a payout request, check for overcharges on Expedia Collect Virtual Card bookings.
  • If multiple hotels are impacted by a single issue, reach out to your leadership for guidance on how to best handle a Bulk Payout.
  • If EG is not at fault, no appeal will be sent; however, you can choose to pay out in case of heavy pushback or complaints from partners after fixing the error, pushing back, and/or educating them.

Reissue a virtual card for an Expedia Collect reservation when the virtual card has been deactivated.

Important: Third-party revenue recovery companies hired by hotels to locate outstanding virtual card balances are not permitted to charge virtual cards directly, as blocked by the virtual card team. If contacted by one of these companies, follow the steps outlined in HPO | Third-party revenue recovery companies.

Step by Step

For a reissue to be made:

  • The booking has an outstanding balance. Check either in MARS or Quicktools, as Partner Central might not reflect the accurate Outstanding Balance. Note that MARS updates every two hours and there could also be a delay in Quicktools.  
  • The property’s payment setting for Expedia Collect reservations was virtual card at the time of booking. 
  • The reservation had a virtual card at the time of booking.
  • The booking check-out date lies within the contract terms of 365 days after check-out date (Exception: IHG properties have 180-day contract terms and Marriot has contract terms of 360 days). If the booking lies outside of contract terms, do not reissue a new card, inform the partner we are not contractually obliged to provide the payment, and close your case.  
    If the partner still requires payment, follow the process described in HPO | Work a payout request, or reroute the request to Finance Advanced trained associates:
    • Topic: Billing or Payments
    • Subtopic: Payout Review 

Reminder: If the virtual card is deactivated and in Overcharge status, do not reissue a new card for Partner if the reason is failed to refund to our card. Refer to HPO | Overcharge or chargeback questions for more information.

To reissue a virtual card

  1. Review the Outstanding Balance (either in MARS or via Quicktools) and only reissue the virtual card for the amount that has not been charged. Partner Central might not reflect the accurate Outstanding Balance.
    • Important: EVC Admin Tool will not allow to reissue if there is no available balance on the booking(s). 
  2. Confirm that the booking lies within contractual terms of 365 days after check-out (180 days for IHG properties and 360 days for Marriot). Do not reissue a new card for bookings beyond contractual terms. Exceptions can be made with the appropriate level of GMM approval and need to be treated as a courtesy payout, see HPO | Work a payout request. 
  3. Sign in to EVC Admin Tool using your DECAF credentials and select Card Management.
  4. Complete the filters to find the card and select Apply.  
  5. Choose the desired card number. 
  6. Confirm the virtual card status is Deactivated.  Make sure you understand the reason of the Deactivation, and act accordingly; if the card was deactivated due to changes in the booking (cancellation, relocation, modification), further research is necessary.
    1.  If deactivation is listed as due to Fraud, verify that deactivation was carried out by an EGP or ERS member. Verify the decline reason code, including opening an intake depending on the number of affected bookings. Do not request to reissue the virtual card until the intake is resolved. See HPO | Resolve a declined virtual card transaction charged by an incorrect property.

Note: Before reissuing the card, if the reissue is because of a payout case, make sure you collected the correct approval, following the steps described in HPO | Work a payout request. 

  1. Go to Reissue and complete the fields, setting the usage window either to 180 days or until the end of the contractual terms if that one is nearer (365 days after check-out, or 180 days for IHG properties/360 days for Marriot). For instance, if non-IHG partner contacts us 300 days after the check-out, extend for 65 days only instead of 180 days. Update the virtual card expiration dates as needed. Be sure to make an adjustment to the virtual card amount based on the findings from the previous step.
  2. Choose the most appropriate reason for reissue from the list below:
    • System Error 
    • Waiver Reversal
    • Previously Authorized
    • Additional Fees Owed
    • Amex not Supported
    • Card Expired
  3. Select Reissue. 
  4. Notify the partner to charge the card as soon as possible and to keep in mind that Expedia Virtual Cards deactivate 180 days after check-out date. 

Reissue Bulk virtual card

A bulk request is an inquiry from a partner to take action on at least 10 bookings or cards. If unsure if the request is bulk, check for any attachments.

If unfamiliar with the finance advanced process:

  1. Misroute/Reroute the case from Chat or Phone to the Finance Advanced queue.
    • Use CMUI option Billing or payment > EVC– Add
  2. Ensure this is applied to all bulk virtual card reissues unless related to the process outlined in HPO | Card type removals in Sonic.

For additional information, see HPO | Bulk update, deactivate, or reissue virtual card.

Partners who select virtual card as a payment method charge the virtual card at the time of check-out to receive payment for bookings. If the partner charges an amount higher than the current available cost, it creates an overcharge.

An overcharge can be a result of partner error or Expedia error. For partner errors, the virtual card Recovery team requests credit for the overcharged amount. Some partners might choose to dispute this. See Help partners with overcharge or chargeback questions virtual card Recovery will send the partners a secure email to an Overcharge Intake Form to manage their outstanding overcharges.

If the partner doesn’t issue a credit by the end of the specified deadline, the virtual card Recovery team submits a chargeback from the issuing bank, replacing the overcharge.

The bank removes the overcharged amount from their hotel’s financial account.
Additional fees may be incurred. Review About Isolated Chargeback Issue with the Acquiring Bank for more details

Description

Important
The virtual card currency and Expedia Group’s contracted currency should match. In instances where partners are unable to charge in their contracted currency, they should use the foreign exchange rate (Forex) for the charge date rather than the booking date. For information on currency conversions, visit Oanda.

Partners who charge their virtual card in a currency other than their contracted currency should batch out their POS system (send a file to the credit card processor) the same day of the card transaction. This process will ensure no difference in the current Forex occurs. Otherwise, the Forex can be different when the transaction settles the next day, generating overcharges disputes.

The Expedia Global Payment (EGP) virtual card Recovery team manages both overcharge disputes and chargeback requests.

Understand more about each scenario below. If partners contact us for help, follow HPO | Overcharge or chargeback questions.

About overcharge disputes

Here are some scenarios where a partner’s virtual card charges exceed the current cost of the booking: : 

  • Due to the Argentina Foreign Tourist Dollar Program, a credit is added to the virtual card by the government, and the partner incorrectly collects this additional amount.
    • In this situation, inform the partner they should already have the amount owed to them. Do not reissue the virtual card.
    • It’s possible that in this scenario, the booking transaction in EVC Admin Tools may seem incomplete. However, if you check the amount of the transaction settlement in the local currency in Oanda, this ARS amount should match the amount originally owed to the Partner in USD, despite the USD settlement amount appearing to be less than that.  
    • Additionally, you can trust the Outstanding Balance section in PaCMan as the source of truth. If no additional money is owed or if the OB is negative, you can be certain that the Partner has already received the correct amount of money.  
  • The partner charges for incidentals collected by the property.
  • Guests who initially canceled their reservation and received a refund decide to stay at the property. The overcharge for this scenario would occur if the hotel tried to be paid by Expedia instead of requesting payment from the guest.
  • Guests cancel within the cancellation window but the partner charges the full amount.
  • Some partners use a process referred to as card batching. This is where multiple cards are processed in a batch. If partners don’t wait for the batched transactions to settle and run the charges again, both charges are eventually posted.
  • The partner agrees to a refund but fails to repay the money.
  • An adjustment was processed but incorrectly documented in Salesforce.
  • A consumer chargeback when the property is at fault (poor service, room not as described).

Partners who receive a secure email to the overcharge intake form to manage their outstanding overcharges must choose from the following three options to proceed:
 

ResponsePartner actions
Intent to Credit The partner provides their name.
No Credit IssuedPartners must give a reason for their choice (dispute). Their response creates a case for the virtual card Recovery team, which will research whether their dispute is valid.If valid, the team closes the overcharge and notifies the partner. If necessary, they’ll request to reset the cost.If invalid, the team replies to the partner and continues the dispute. If the partner refuses to issue the credit, the team escalates to a chargeback.
Requesting More informationPartners enter their comments and the case is created for the virtual card Recovery team, which reviews and responds to the partner.

Manage overcharge when a virtual card is charged by a different property

The system automatically sends overcharge notifications to the hotel associated with the booking, even when that hotel did not charge the card. 

If a partner contacts you about receiving an overcharge notification they claim is incorrect: 

  1. Advise the partner to select Request more information when managing the overcharge notification. 
  2. Instruct the partner to clearly state in their response that they did not charge this transaction. 
  3. Once confirmed, the virtual card team will proceed with the chargeback to the property that processed the charge incorrectly. 

About chargeback disputes

Virtual card Recovery team submits the chargeback to the issuing bank within 90 days from the postdate. 

Once partners receive an email about their virtual card overcharges or once a chargeback is issued, we might receive questions from the hotel partner to understand why they received the notice. See HPO | Overcharge or chargeback questions for more details. 

Partners may reach out if their property is attempting to refund a virtual card but they’re receiving errors from their terminal. When assisting partners, note that virtual cards can receive a refund even if in a deactivated status. Don’t issue a new virtual card so the refund can be made. 

The property could be having difficulties processing the refund due to a bank setting that requires the terminal to authorize a dollar to make sure that the card is valid. They’ll need to contact their bank or terminal provider and ask if this setting is in place. The property can then ask the bank to remove this setting so they’re able to refund our virtual card.

Step by Step

  1. When a partner reaches out for guest contact, advise them to self-serve first. Refer to HPO | Message a guest.  
  2. If they are unwilling to self-serve, re-route the case to the HPO Global Relocations Operations.
    • If via phone: 
      • Put the partner back into the HPO (Hotel Partner Operations) phone system.
      • Ask the partner to follow the prompts through our phone system. They select option 2 and then select the prompt for Guest Contacts (e.g., “To Contact a Guest, Press 2”). 
    • If via ‘Contact Us’ form: 
      • Use the Misrouted Case scenario in the Case Management tool (CMUI) 
      • Topic: Guest Support
      • Subtopic:
        • 3PI booking notification resend
        • Supplier Initiated Traveler Contact
        • Traveler Outreach
      • Flag urgent guest contact requests in the case comments. Be sure to include a reason. For example: “The property has a fall festival and the area is already crowded due to the event.” 
  3. Close the case. 

HPO | Account takeover incidents

URL Name

HPO-Account-takeover-incidents

Migration KnowledgeArticleMasterID

Customer Type

Hotel Partner

VRBO Subject

HPO Subject

Introduction

Partner Central account takeover (ATO) is when a malicious third party successfully gains access to a user’s account credentials.

Step by Step

Follow the guideline below for when Enterprise Risk and Security (ERS) team identifies a partner’s email has had unauthorized access and when the partner contacts us to inform us of an (ATO) possibility.  

When the ERS team identifies a partner’s email has had unauthorized access, they will disable the Partner Central account. A case will be created for the related LPA 3 or HPO team to follow up with the partner to reactivate their account. 

Associates must reach out to the partner by calling the Primary Contact designated by ERS in the Salesforce case. Direct the questions you cannot answer to the ERS team to confirm. Then, reply to the partner. If the partner is no longer at the property, reach back out to ERS requesting an additional contact.

Important: During your outreach, explain to partners that the security of our customer data is a key priority and something we take very seriously. Expedia Group continuously invests in security tools to provide our customers with appropriate data security safeguards and we are constantly evaluating and adapting to address evolving threats. We work with impacted clients to recommend precautionary measures they can take to reduce future unauthorized activity.
 

Partner Outreach

  1. Confirm you are speaking with the primary contact designated by ERS in the Salesforce case.
  2. Inform them that:
    • There has been unauthorized account activity on their Partner Central account.
    • The time period the unauthorized activity occurred.
    • Expedia Group’s security teams’ investigated there has been no breach of security in Partner Central itself, meaning their email address has been compromised.
    • If the partner asks, inform them that any unauthorized individual could have had access to their property settings, customer reservations, and financial information. Recommend they review their property settings and contact their financial institution immediately to discuss any necessary steps to ensure account security. 
  3. Help the partner reset their email address password using these guidelines:
    • Do not reuse old passwords.
    • Do not use the same password they use for Partner Central for their email.
    • Make their password difficult to guess 
    • Their password should not be shared with anyone, including any Expedia Group personnel.
    • Check and update their notification settings are correct. 
  4. Encourage the partner to practice the following to minimize future unauthorized activity, and that they must complete at least 5 of these action items:
    • If they learn or suspect any unauthorized Partner Central activity, report it to the Fraud Team, follow HPO | Escalate requests for fraud contact review.
    • Remind team members to protect their credentials. Sharing credentials with other users could potentially expose their company to unauthorized account activity. 
    • Ensure their Partner Central password is unique and not shared with any other account or product that they have or use.
    • Perform regular audits of their Partner Central accounts: review all existing user accounts tied to their property and compare this report to their employee lists to verify email addresses. Consider disabling user accounts that are no longer active in their company system or are not recognized. They can Contact Us if they have many Partner Central accounts to disable.
    • Remind their employees to periodically reset their passwords for email accounts that they use to access their Partner Central accounts.
    • Ensure every individual who needs access to Partner Central has their own account, with the appropriate permission level. They can contact us if they need assistance understanding what their needs are.
    • Perform a malware scan on all active systems and remove any malicious software identified.
  5. Inform the partner you’ll email them after the call. Confirm if they have a dedicated IT team and that the email has instructions for them.
  6. Remind the partner that Expedia will never ask them to share a one-time passcode (OTP). If they receive such a request, it may be a phishing attempt. To protect their account, never disclose their OTP to anyone and report any suspicious communications to Expedia immediately.
  7. End your call.
  8. Send the PC Account Takeover email template from the Hotel Admin folder.
  9. Add these details in the case comments: contact name that you spoke to, outcome, additional steps or questions.
  10. Create a sequential case for Fraud & Risk by using the following CMUI options:
    • Multi-Request: Same Property – Multi Case Type 
    • Topic: Fraud & Risk  
    • SubTopic: Core OTA Fraudulent property Investigation 

Case comments should include contact HP name, outcome and any additonal steps or questions.  

    • Note: When closing your case select Resolution type and Category carefully to ensure ATO team properly takes the next steps. Directed to SS resolution category should only be used when a partner fully complied and reset their email address password; for all other scenarios see the below table.

How to submit a Fraud Review in Salesforce

Follow this process if a partner reports an ATO possibility:

Navigate to the Fraud Review tab and select Account Takeover Investigation work type to create a case for the ATO team. Within the workflow, transfer comments and insert all partner questions, if any, for the ATO team to action or help provide answers on. 

Place your case in Pending-Internal with blocker Fraud/Legal escalation. 

Upon the ATO team closing the Fraud case created, your case will change status to Information Received and you can proceed to reply to partner with ATO guidance provided. 

Important: ATO team does not communicate with partners directly, you will be required to send answers to partner questions upon the ATO team providing the guidance. 

Unsuccessful scenarios and Case Closures

ScenarioActionResolution TypeResolution Category
Password reset unsuccessfulIf the partner couldn’t update their email password during the call, request them to contact us again once they’ve done so, so that ERS can reactivate their account.Information/Training provided  System/Policy explained
Partner doesn’t comply with the requestUpdate your case comments to note that the partner doesn’t want to update their password. Information/Training provided  System/Policy explained  
Can’t contact primary contact but othersCall other verified phone numbers or reach out to the property’s IT team (if they have one) to advise them:End all active e-mail sessions.Review and remove unknown mailbox delegates.Review and remove unknown mail forwarding rules to external domains.Review and remove unknown global mail forwarding rules. Review and restore the correct reply-to addresses, if it’s been modified to an unknown address.Information/Training provided  System/Policy explained
Can’t contact anyoneFollow-up through phone call using the 1-2-4 process. If you still haven’t reached anyone after the 4th day.Information/Training provided  System/Policy explained 

This process is for HPO.

  1. Route a case to LP3s.
  2. Transfer a case using CMUI.
    • New case topic: Rates and inventory.
    • New case subtopic: Changes to Property or Notification Settings.
  3. Once sent, HPO will update this information in Partner Central. 

This process is for HPO and HPO. 

  1. Navigate to Salesforce and view the property’s account page.
  2. Validate that the property’s account owner and territory have been updated for the current quarter.
    • If it matches with Partner Central, no updates required.
    • If it doesn’t match with Partner Central, proceed to the next step. 
  3. Navigate to View in Partner Central.
  4. Select Click Here to Access.
    • It’ll take you directly from Salesforce to the property’s account in Partner Central.
  5. Select Internal tools.
  6. Select Property Settings and Pricing Policies. 
  7. Select Edit settings and pricing.
  8. Update Market Manager (MM) under What are the hotel management settings?
  9. Select Save. 

Jump to: 

Policy

The property administrator should always create and deactivate user accounts. You should only create or deactivate user accounts under these exceptions: 

  • The property doesn’t already have a property administrator account. Always verify with the requester before assisting with this kind of request. 
  • The property is being onboarded; see Property is in the process of onboarding below.
  • The property administrator user is no longer working for them or has been unreachable for more than a week.
  • The property only has a Corporate level administrator account. This requires you to create a user account that allows the creation of hotel level contacts.
  • Under specific circumstances when an exception is identified, such as a partner threatening to end their contract with Expedia Group. This should only be done under the discretion of your Supervisor/Manager.

Don’t create users for phone multi-factor authentication removal requests. Instead, help them set up or remove a sign-in verification method.  Refer to HPO | Text message and phone call authentication for further details. 


Notes: 

  • Before sending a case to TST review if the partner is part of the Managed accounts pilot. 
  • Always check if the hotel you are working with belongs to a strategic account. If it is, then follow the steps indicated in the section Chain properties (Lodging Strategic Partners).
  • If you identify that an outbound call is eventually required, collect the needed information per HPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements during the outbound call.
    • During the inbound call, inform the partner an outbound call will be made to verify their identity to ensure the security of their property’s account and you will then gather the necessary details to best assist their request.
  • If the Partner Central (EPC or PC) access request relates to VIP Access, misroute these cases to the VIP Access team.
  • If the request is coming directly from a property set up under Consolidator, refer to the consolidator’s page under HPO | Finance advance | Consolidator hub to verify if there are any restrictions to Partner Central access.
  • If the request is regarding Partner Central Account email address updates, see HPO | Email address changes for the appropriate steps.
  • User accounts related to Federated Vrbo PX User and Connectivity are internal information only. If the partner is aware of these accounts and requests to modify them, push back to the partner without sending any request to the AP Approvers. Those accounts cannot be modified per system design.    
  • EPC email cannot be changed by approvers once the account is created. The email only can be changed by the property with self-service option see HPO | Email address changes.
  • EPC Username can never be modified. If found necessary, deactivation of the user should occur and a new one created altogether.  

Process

At the start of every case, verify the request and check if the property has a property administrator. Based on your findings, follow the appropriate process.

Chain properties (Lodging Strategic Partners) 

Notes:

  • When receiving a user access request from a Marriott account, reply using the email template HA – Marriott PC Access Request within the *Hotel Admin folder and close your case with no further action needed.
  • When receiving a user access request from a Four Seasons account, reply using the email template HA – Four Seasons PC Access Request within the *Hotel Admin folder and close your case with no further action needed.
  • When receiving a user access request from an OYO account, advise them to contact their corporate office.

All users:

  • If the contact doesn’t know the admin or the admin no longer works at the property, create a hotel level admin user. 
  • Use the appropriate confluence page to check if the pre-existing admin for that property is a corporate admin under “[chain/brand name] EPC users”.
  • If the Partner Central user is not within the brand/chain confluence page, disassociate the property(ies) 
  • If the Partner Central is within the brand/chain confluence page, leave it untouched. 
  • If the request is for all brand or chain properties, this is a Corporate admin request.  Transfer your case to the Onboarding and Maintenance (O&M) team using CMUI:
    • Topic: Onboarding and Maintenance
    • Subtopic: Account Administration

Property has a property administrator

If the requester is the property administrator: 

  1. Ask the partner if there is a change of ownership (COO) happening at the property:
    1. If no, proceed to step 2. 
    2. If yes, look for an open COO.
      1. If it exists, leave a comment on the case about what the partner is requesting on your case. Then, before closing your case, link the COO as your case’s parent. Advise the partner that their request will be handled via the COO case.
      2. If no case exists OR a case was closed without resolution, reroute or misroute the case so it can be worked as an ownership case (HPO | Ownership change or convert a branded property to an independent) and include the Partner Central (PC) access request details. 
      3. If a case exists but it’s closed as processed, check if it’s a PRIME account.
        • If it is, check with the property’s Market Manager if it’s okay to proceed with the case. 
        • If it’s not, proceed to step 2.
  2. Advise them that they can self-service and walk them through if needed. 
  3. Close your case after sending an email.
    • Type: Information/Training Provided 
    • Category: Directed to Self-Service 

If the request is not the property administrator: 

  1. Advise them to speak to the property administrator to create, edit, or remove the requested user. 
  2. Send the requester the Partner Central Access – Requester template from the *Training and Self- Service folder. 
  3. Send the admin the Partner Central Access – Hotelier admin template from the *Training and Self-Service folder.  
  4. Close your case.
    • Note: You can share the first and last name of the administrator with the caller, once they’ve been verified. Don’t share contact details.  

If the requester claims that the existing property’s Hotelier Admin (HA) no longer works at the company or HA has been unreachable for more than a week, and there is no other HA associated with the property, do not disassociate the HA from the property.

Instead, include the information in the Account Provisioning (AP) checklist’s User Details section. The AP approver will review if HA disassociation or deactivation needs to happen and will proceed with the necessary action from their end.

Also, identify which instructions to follow, depending on if the requestor has a pre-existing user or not:   

If there is an existing HA and in the request to approvers does not mention why self-service was not possible (requester claims that the existing property’s Hotelier Admin (HA) no longer works at the company or HA has been unreachable for more than a week, and there is no other HA associated with the property) the approvers will reject the request as the partner is expected to self-serve in this case.

Property doesn’t have a property administrator and a pre-existing PC user doesn’t exist

Note: If a property has no Hotelier Admin user account and the partner requests to create a non–Hotelier Admin user account, inform them that a Hotelier Admin user account needs to be created first. This level of access can be sent as a request to create a new Hotelier Admin user account or upgrade an existing user account to Hotelier Admin. 
 

  1. Ask the partner if there is a change of ownership (COO) happening at the property:
    1. If no, proceed to step 2. 
    2. If yes, look for an open COO.
      1. If it exists, leave a comment on the case about what the partner is requesting on your case. Then, before closing your case, link the COO as your case’s parent. Advise the partner that their request will be handled via the COO case.
      2. If no case exists OR a case was closed without resolution, reroute or misroute the case so it can be worked as an ownership case (HPO | Ownership change or convert a branded property to an independent) and include the Partner Central (PC) access request details. 
      3. If a case exists but it’s closed as processed, check if it’s a PRIME account.
        • If it is, check with the property’s Market Manager if it’s okay to proceed with the case. 
        • If it’s not, proceed to step 2.
  2. Ask the requester who the property administrator should be and retrieve the administrator’s: position title, full name, and email as per instructions in HPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements.
    1. If the requestor doesn’t know who the administrator is for the property
      1. For property with an account owner: contact the property’s Market Manager for assistance 
      2. For property without an account owner (PGA): HPO will take full ownership of obtaining this information.
  3. Once an administrator has been identified, add the administrator’s verified contact to the property’s Salesforce (SF) contact list and update this contact on the case. 
  4. Confirm if the contact should be associated with other properties.
    1. If yes, check if the other properties have a Hotelier Admin user account.
      1. If yes, redirect the requestor to contact each individual property’s Hotelier Admin for self-serve on associating the user account.  
      2. If no, check if the properties are linked by similar chain/brand/property.
        • If yes, proceed to step 5 and include the user association request in step 6b with the request for user creation. 
        • If no, create a child case per property and work the case from the beginning.  
    2. If no, proceed to step 5. 


Note: For requests of 10+ properties or users, send a sequential case to the bulk team with the required details from the section Account Provisioning Approvals inHPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements.

Prior to executing the request, the Bulk Team will complete an account provisioning check manually and outside the typical approval flow. If some information is missing or not well documented, the Bulk associate will close their case without action.

You’ll find the reason for rejection in your case comments with the documentation to provide before submitting a new bulk case. As the parent case owner, you’ll own sending the confirmation to the partner once the bulk update is complete.
 

  1. If the request was received via Contact Us, chat, or an intake form proceed to step 6. If the request was received via inbound call:
    1. Complete an outbound call to the property’s primary phone number to speak to the requestor OR get a written confirmation from an active previously verified contact.  
  2. Send a request for account provisioning:
    1. Document evidence of the communication as per HPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements and HPO | Verify a chat contact.
    2. Select Save after filling out the required info from the Account Provisioning tab.
      1. Refer to Account Provisioning Approvals section in HPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements for more details on what information is required for the User Details tab. 
    3. Select Save after updating the appropriate case’s Primary and Secondary Categories in the Case Update tab. 
    4. Select Submit For Approval. 
  3. Your case will auto-update to Pending status and the Review task will be created.
    1. If all required information is provided, the reviewing associate completes any outstanding action needed and closes the review. Your case then updates to Closed and the partner receives an automatic confirmation email.  
    2. If some information is missing or not well documented, the approvers will close their review case, your case will change status to Opened. You will find the reason for rejection in your case with the documentation to provide before submitting a new review. 

 

Associate an existing PC User Admin to an account(s) that doesn’t have a Hotel Admin 

  1. Ask the partner if there is a change of ownership (COO) happening at the property:
    1. If no, proceed to step 2. 
    2. If yes, look for an open COO.
      1. If it exists, leave a comment on the case about what the partner is requesting on your case. Then, before closing your case, link the COO as your case’s parent. Advise the partner that their request will be handled via the COO case.
      2. If no case exists OR a case was closed without resolution, reroute or misroute the case so it can be worked as an ownership case (HPO | Ownership change or convert a branded property to an independent) and include the Partner Central (PC) access request details. 
      3. If a case exists but it’s closed as processed, check if it’s a PRIME account.
        • If it is, check with the property’s Market Manager if it’s okay to proceed with the case. 
        • If it’s not, proceed to step 2.
  2. Find the existing PC User Admin’s contact in SF. This contact should indicate Expedia – SFDC; EPC in the Connected Systems section under the contact’s Details tab. Add a relationship to this contact and the account(s) which the contact should be associated with. 
  3. Follow steps 5, 6 and 7 from section Property doesn’t have a property administrator and a Pre-existing PC user doesn’t exist. 


Notes: 

  • If the PC User Admin needs to be associated with several properties that are not associated with a brand/chain, create a child case per property and work each case from the beginning. 
  • For requests of 10+ properties or users, send a sequential case to the bulk team with the required details from the section Account Provisioning Approvals inHPO | Case documentation templates and minimum requirements.
    • Prior to executing the request, the Bulk Team will complete an account provisioning check manually and outside the typical approval flow. If some information is missing or not well documented, the Bulk associate will close their case without action.
    • You’ll find the reason for rejection in your case comments with the documentation to provide before submitting a new bulk case. As the parent case owner, you’ll own sending the confirmation to the partner once the bulk update is complete.

Property is in the process of onboarding

Properties in the process of onboarding will already have an active Hotelier Admin user. However, this user will not be able to create other users until onboarding is completed. You may assist with user creation/association in the following cases: 

  • If the request is received directly from the Partner doing Onboarding 
  • If the request is received from the New Partner Team associate or Market Manager in charge  

Once the request is processed, let the partner know that Hotelier Admin users will be able to self-serve user account creation after the property goes live.  

Important: Push back to requests to create a user account with a generic username, for example: Reservations Team. Always ask partners to provide a first and last name for the account.  

In exceptional cases, you can associate an existing user account with a generic name to the property being onboarded. Do so only if it is critical to speed up the onboarding process. Reiterate with the partner that a new account will need to be created in the future.  

Disassociate or Deactivate user request 

Non-bulk Requests

If the request is only to disassociate the user from the account(s), determine if the account(s) has a Hotel Admin: 

If the request is to deactivate a user that isn’t the last remaining hotel admin:  

  • Check if the user is linked to any accounts.

Bulk requests

Proceed to submit directly for approval by following the bulk submission guidance from the Note section of either Associate an existing PC User Admin to an account(s) that doesn’t have a Hotel Admin or Property doesn’t have a property administrator and a Pre-existing PC user doesn’t exist.

Note: If the requester claims that the existing property’s Hotelier Admin (HA) no longer works at the company or HA has been unreachable for more than a week, and there is no other HA associated with the property, don’t disassociate the HA from the property. Instead, include the information in the Account Provisioning (AP) checklist’s User Details section.

The AP approver will review if HA disassociation or deactivation needs to happen and will proceed with the necessary action from their end. To submit for AP approval, follow steps 5, 6, and 7 from the section Property doesn’t have a property administrator and a Pre-existing PC user doesn’t exist.

 

Urgent Requests

Note: This information doesn’t apply to user creation.  

If the partner has a specific action needing to be taken urgently, or if we are waiting for TST to resolve any technical issues, use your judgment to determine whether to proceed to take the action. 

  • If the request is urgent or if it is not a self-service item, you can complete it for the partner.   
  • If the request is something we can push to self-service without creating additional risk we should push to SS as well.  Refer to HPO | Account and sign-in verification issues for further details. 

Assist partners with their most common questions and issues about Hotel Collect reconciliations.

Details

Partner questionYour guidance
Why did the tax not change when the total booking amount had been updated?New taxes are not automatically calculated when a partner reconciles in Partner Central. The partner will be charged the appropriate commission based on the new total.
Why is this reservation not available in Partner Central to reconcile?Properties can reconcile starting at 5AM the day after the guest’s check-in date until the 4th day of the month after the check-out date. After that date, the reservation will no longer appear on the list of reconcilable reservations. Was the reservation cancelled outside of the cancellation penalty window? If the reservation was cancelled by the guest with no penalty, it will not appear on the list of reconcilable reservations, since no money should have been collected by the partner.Important: For cancelled bookings, partners can reconcile at any time after a guest cancelled a reservation through the month of check out, plus four days
I reconciled a reservation incorrectly… what now?Within the reconciliation window, inform the partner they only reset once and reconcile correctly.If the partner has reached the reconciliation limit and needs a credit/debit memo:Educate the partner about Hotel Collect Reconciliations to prevent future issues.Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process.Note:  Don’t transfer cases to Collections until the partner receives the related invoiceDon’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)
Can I reconcile through my Connectivity provider? Yes, as long as the connectivity provider supports the Update Reservations feature. You can review features supported by different connectivity providers in Connectivity Provider Guide. 
I either missed the deadline to reconcile or did not know how to reconcile. I didn’t collect from the guest, but am being charged commission for them. Can you fix it?Educate the partner about Hotel Collect Reconciliations to prevent future issues.Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process for submitting a credit memo.Note:  Don’t transfer cases to Collections until the partner receives the related invoiceDon’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)
This invoice is incorrect, and it is Expedia Group’s fault! Can you fix it?Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process for submitting a credit/debit memo.Note:Don’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)If the issue is due to a rate loading error and it’s Expedia Group’s fault, transfer the case to Billing or Payments – Payout review 
What if the check-in date fell at the end of the month, and the check-out date falls at the beginning of the next month? How long can I reconcile in this situation?The time frame of a month end plus four days begins from the check-out date. For example, if for a reservation with check-in on February 27th and check-out on March 2nd, the partner can reconcile until April 4th.

Important: For cancelled bookings, partners can reconcile at any time after a guest cancelled a reservation through the month of check out, plus four days.
I collected the correct amount from the guest. Do I still need to reconcile?No. Reconciling is only necessary when the collected amount is different from the reservation details in Partner Central, or when a guest cancelled a reservation with the hotel partner.

Assist partners with their most common questions and issues about Hotel Collect reconciliations.

Details

Partner questionYour guidance
Why did the tax not change when the total booking amount had been updated?New taxes are not automatically calculated when a partner reconciles in Partner Central. The partner will be charged the appropriate commission based on the new total.
Why is this reservation not available in Partner Central to reconcile?Properties can reconcile starting at 5AM the day after the guest’s check-in date until the 4th day of the month after the check-out date. After that date, the reservation will no longer appear on the list of reconcilable reservations. Was the reservation cancelled outside of the cancellation penalty window? If the reservation was cancelled by the guest with no penalty, it will not appear on the list of reconcilable reservations, since no money should have been collected by the partner.Important: For cancelled bookings, partners can reconcile at any time after a guest cancelled a reservation through the month of check out, plus four days
I reconciled a reservation incorrectly… what now?Within the reconciliation window, inform the partner they only reset once and reconcile correctly.If the partner has reached the reconciliation limit and needs a credit/debit memo:Educate the partner about Hotel Collect Reconciliations to prevent future issues.Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process.Note:  Don’t transfer cases to Collections until the partner receives the related invoiceDon’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)
Can I reconcile through my Connectivity provider? Yes, as long as the connectivity provider supports the Update Reservations feature. You can review features supported by different connectivity providers in Connectivity Provider Guide. 
I either missed the deadline to reconcile or did not know how to reconcile. I didn’t collect from the guest, but am being charged commission for them. Can you fix it?Educate the partner about Hotel Collect Reconciliations to prevent future issues.Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process for submitting a credit memo.Note:  Don’t transfer cases to Collections until the partner receives the related invoiceDon’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)
This invoice is incorrect, and it is Expedia Group’s fault! Can you fix it?Go to HPO | Transfer a case to Collections and follow the step-by-step process for submitting a credit/debit memo.Note:Don’t promise the partner a credit/debit memo (Collections must approve each request)If the issue is due to a rate loading error and it’s Expedia Group’s fault, transfer the case to Billing or Payments – Payout review 
What if the check-in date fell at the end of the month, and the check-out date falls at the beginning of the next month? How long can I reconcile in this situation?The time frame of a month end plus four days begins from the check-out date. For example, if for a reservation with check-in on February 27th and check-out on March 2nd, the partner can reconcile until April 4th.

Important: For cancelled bookings, partners can reconcile at any time after a guest cancelled a reservation through the month of check out, plus four days.
I collected the correct amount from the guest. Do I still need to reconcile?No. Reconciling is only necessary when the collected amount is different from the reservation details in Partner Central, or when a guest cancelled a reservation with the hotel partner.

pedicininicolo@icloud.com

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