Skip to content

Search

Settings for synchronising with channel manager CultSwitch

The requirements

In order to use the channel manager CultSwitch with Lodgit Desk, you’ll need:

  • the module “Channel Manager Interface” from Lodgit, which you can order in our online shop at www.lodgit.com/shop
  • an agreement with the channel manager CultSwitch. You can find a form listing their prices and terms in your Lodgit account at www.lodgit.com. Lodgit users will receive a special pricing as listed in the form.
  • contracts and/or agreements with the internet booking channels that you can get on their respective websites.Got everything? Then we can get started!

Please note: It is not recommended to put all your units online if you connect several units to one channel manager category (e.g. single bedrooms in Lodgit to category “Single” in channel manager). Leave at least 1 unit online, so you’ll have some breathing room in the event of over-bookings.

Setting up your CultSwitch account

First, you’ll have to set up the units or categories you want to offer in the OTAs in CultSwitch. For any questions about this process, the CultSwitch team will be happy to help.

Activate rentable units for synchronization

You can easily adjust which rentable units can be booked online in the tab “Synchronise”. It is irrelevant whether these units will be synchronised with one or several online modules. Here, you’ll also decide which of your objects should be combined into a multiple-object system.

Multiple-Object Systems

Lodgit Desk allows you to combine different objects in Lodgit Desk into one system for the modules “Online Systems” and “Interface: Channel Manager”. Within Lodgit Desk, these objects will still be handled separately (e.g. to create separate statistics), online they are treated as one object, though.

Assign units in Lodgit Desk

After you have added the categories or units in CultSwitch, you can now assign them to the appropriate units in Lodgit Desk.

  1. Open your Lodgit Desk installation and go to Administration > Synchronisation and Online Modules > CultSwitch. Select the object you want to connect to the channel manager:

2. Enter your CultSwitch Object ID into the field and then press the button Load CultSwitch IDs.

Then, switch to the tab CultSwitch Categories.

3. First, select the Mode (see red arrow). The Category Mode is suited best for accommodations with a lot of similar units, like a hotel. The Unit Mode is best suited for accommodations with very individual units, like a vacation home rental.

4. In the left column you’ll find your units or unit categories, depending on which mode you’ve selected. In the right column you can choose which CultSwitch category corresponds to which.
Please note: Categories or units you don’t want to synchronise with the channel manager can simply be deselected in the first column.

5. With that, you’ve already finished the basic setup. Test the connection by going to File > Synchronise. This will send your current availabilities of all selected units to the server and you can make sure the availabilities are listed correctly in the backend of the channel manager.
Please note: Due to server sync schedules, it may take a few minutes before the changes are displayed in CultSwitch.

Manage prices from within Lodgit (optional)

As a CultSwitch premium partner, Lodgit can also send prices to the Channel Manager.
Important: You can manage the prices EITHER in Lodgit Desk OR in CultSwitch directly. Changes made to the prices in CultSwitch cannot be imported into Lodgit Desk.

  1. Select your object in the window Synchronisation and Online Modules > CultSwitch and go to the Prices area. Check the field Send prices to CultSwitch:

2. Select a CultSwitch category in the list and enter the base price. The base price is listed “per night” and default occupancy. It will always be used unless you’ve defined special prices for a time frame.

3. In the list underneath the base price, you can define time frames with different prices (e.g. seasonal prices). With the Actions menu you can import those price settings from your Price Management in Lodgit Desk.

4. You must add at least a base price for all categories! Test the connection by going to File > Synchronise. This will send your current prices of all selected units to the server and you can make sure the availabilities are listed correctly in the backend of the channel manager.
Please note: Due to server sync schedules, it may take a few minutes before the changes are displayed in CultSwitch.

Link CultSwitch extras to Lodgit extras (optional)

CultSwitch lets you create extras (“Products”) that you can link to the extras you have in Lodgit Desk. During the import of the bookings, the extras will then be selected and added to the booking correctly. That way, the bookings from CultSwitch will fit seamlessly into your analysis for extra items and services.

  1. Select your object in the window Synchronisation and Online Modules > CultSwitch and go to the Extras area. There you’ll find a table listing all of CultSwitch’ extras in the left column.
    Should you not see any extras listed in this table, please go back to General and click the button “Load CultSwitch IDs”.
  2. In the column to the right, select the Lodgit extras you want to link to the CultSwitch extra item. Check the items that are going to be listed as ‘inclusive’ in the booking:
Link your Lodgit extras to the channel manager extras

3. Test the connection by going to File > Synchronise. This will send your current extras to the server and you can make sure everything is listed correctly in the backend of the channel manager.
Please note: Due to server sync schedules, it may take a few minutes before the changes are displayed in CultSwitch.

General options