Multi-Supplier Hotel Booking
How a UK Travel Business Fixed Empty Hotel Searches and Duplicate Listings Across 3 Suppliers
SP Travels pulled hotels from TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk, but London and New York searches came back empty and the same hotel could appear three times. In 2 months, we turned three supplier feeds into one listing per hotel with every rate side by side, without breaking any supplier’s booking flow.
- Project duration
- 2 Months
- Hotel suppliers in one search
- 3
- Listing per hotel
- 1
Client Overview
Client Story
SP Travels is a London-based travel consultancy and hotel booking platform, founded by Simon McEntee and running for 4+ years. Its booking site connects to four supplier APIs: TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk for hotels, plus Mozio.
Every supplier added to a booking platform adds new ways for the same hotel, price, or room to conflict. SP Travels needed its suppliers to work as one inventory, without losing what makes each supplier’s rates and bookings work.
Background
Project Background
The platform was already live on Lovable with its suppliers connected. Simon brought us in because manual work was taking too much time and the booking experience was costing customer trust. Our job was to fix, improve, and extend what existed. The brief:
- Search That Finds Every Hotel
- Major destinations and every supplier’s inventory showing in results.
- One Listing Per Hotel
- No duplicate hotels when several suppliers return the same property.
- Every Rate, Easy to Compare
- Room types, cancellation terms, meal plans, and suppliers side by side.
- Bookings That Go Through
- Valid availability and a smooth flow on desktop and mobile.
Discovery
Research & Ideation
The hard part was not showing hotels. It was merging three suppliers’ inventory without breaking the booking flow behind each rate.
One Hotel, Many Rates
Match the same property across suppliers, then group all its rates under a single listing.
Merge the Display, Not the Booking
Each rate stays linked to its original supplier, so booking continues through that supplier’s flow.
Check the Price Before Payment
Verify live price and availability before charging, so customers never pay on outdated data.
Design
Designing the Multi-Supplier Booking Flow
Customers see one simple path. Behind it, each step decides whether rates merge, stay separate, or get rechecked.
- Hotel SearchTBO, WebBeds, RateHawk queried together
- Consolidated HotelSame property merged into one listing
- Select Room and RateEvery supplier option side by side
- Live Price CheckPrice and availability confirmed
- Supplier BookingRouted to the rate’s own supplier
- PaymentCharged on verified data only
Steps 1 to 3 merge suppliers for the customer. Steps 4 to 6 keep each supplier separate, so nothing breaks at booking.
Challenges
Project Challenges
London and New York Returned No Hotels
Searches for major destinations came back empty, even with supplier inventory available.
Duplicate Hotels Across Suppliers
The same hotel from TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk could appear as separate listings.
Only the Lowest Price Was Shown
Customers could not compare free cancellation, breakfast, room types, or supplier rates.
Hotel Pages Showed One Offer
The details page displayed only the primary offer, hiding other rooms and rates.
Incomplete RateHawk Hotel Content
Some listings showed placeholders like
Hotel {id}instead of real hotel details.False “Room No Longer Available” Errors
Valid RateHawk rooms were rejected at booking, stopping customers mid-flow.
TBO Returned No Hotels
At one point, the TBO integration dropped out of search results entirely.
Weak Mobile Booking Experience
Listings, room options, and booking details were harder to use on small screens.
Approach
Our Solutions
We fixed issues at two levels: the supplier integrations underneath, and the search and booking experience on top.
Multi-Supplier Hotel Aggregation
The same hotel from TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk now appears once, with every supplier rate inside.
Multiple Rate Options Per Hotel
Customers compare price, cancellation terms, and meal plans without leaving the listing.
Supplier-Specific Booking Flow
Each rate books through its own supplier, so merging the display never breaks a booking.
Live Price and Availability Check
Price and availability are confirmed before payment, so customers are never charged on outdated data.
Complete Hotel Details
Hotel pages now show all room types and rates, not just the primary offer.
RateHawk Content and Availability
Real hotel content replaces placeholders, and valid rooms are no longer rejected at booking.
TBO Inventory Restored
TBO hotels are back in search results and part of the merged listings.
London and New York Search Fixed
Major destination searches return hotels again.
Mobile Booking Improvements
Search, listings, room options, and booking details are easier to use on mobile, across both of the client’s booking websites.
One Hotel, Every Rate
Instead of three listings for the same property, customers see one hotel with each supplier’s offer underneath. Every row keeps its supplier, so the booking goes to the right place.
Implementation Timeline
- Existing Platform AnalysisWeek 1
- Supplier Integration FixesWeeks 2–3
- Hotel and Rate ConsolidationWeek 4
- Hotel Details UpgradeWeek 5
- Booking ValidationWeek 6
- Mobile OptimizationWeeks 7–8
Total timeline: 2 months
Custom Features
Custom Functionalities
The logic underneath that lets three suppliers behave like one inventory.
Cross-Supplier Hotel Matching
Identifies the same property across TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk and merges it into one hotel record.
Supplier-Bound Rates
Every rate carries its supplier, so selection routes the booking to the matching supplier flow.
Pre-Payment Revalidation
A live price and availability check runs between rate selection and payment.
RateHawk Content and Room Handling
No more
Hotel {id}placeholders or falseRoom no longer availableresponses.
Support
On Going Support
SP Travels works with iCommuneTech on a dedicated team model for fixes, improvements, and new features.
Dedicated Team
The same team handles platform fixes and extensions, so each request starts with full context.
Two Platforms, One Partner
Simon also runs Travel Pro Hub with us, so supplier integration work on one platform informs the other. See that case study.
Delivered in 2 Months
Nine improvements shipped across six phases in eight weeks.
I’ve worked with iCommuneTech for almost a year, and they’ve been my go-to for everything website-related. They’re fast, reliable, and consistently deliver high-quality work. I highly recommend them.
Impact
Project Outcome
- Supplier listings merged into one per hotel
- 3 → 1
- Improvements delivered in 2 months
- 9
- Major destinations restored in search
- 2
- Supplier booking flows kept intact
- 3
The client also rated error reduction, processing time, and conversion rate as significantly improved in post-project feedback.
London and New York searches return hotels again, and TBO inventory is back in results. Customers now see each hotel once, with every rate from TBO, WebBeds, and RateHawk side by side.
Every booking still runs through its original supplier, with a live price and availability check before payment, on desktop and mobile.
How iCommuneTech Works
Understand first. Build exactly what’s needed. Stay for the long run.
We deliver the exact solution to a business problem with the least investment and time, then stay to keep it working.
We understand before we quote
We start by understanding how the work actually gets done, before we propose anything.
The exact solution, not the biggest one
We recommend the smallest solution that fully solves the problem, and use what already works.
A team that stays
Every launch includes a 90-day warranty, then an optional long-term delivery plan with the same team.
Problem Slowing Business Growth? Let’s Find the Exact Fix.
Tell us how the work gets done today. We’ll map it before we propose anything.
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