Rate Check Guide

Rate Check Overview — Yanolja Cloud Solution

An informative guide to Rate Check in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine — what it shows guests, how channel rates are represented, and how the comparison works.

What is Rate Check?

Rate Check is a price comparison feature in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine. It helps guests see how your direct rate stacks up against indicative rates from your connected distribution channels — without leaving the booking page.

Guests open it as a Best Price Guarantee panel for their selected dates and room. They can switch room types and compare each option in one place.

Rate Check panel in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine showing Direct Rate highlighted as Best Price next to connected channel rates — Rate Check in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine (Best Price Guarantee panel)

How to enable Rate Check

Rate Check is not available on the Booking Engine alone. It depends on channel connectivity through Yanolja Cloud Solution.

Purchase YCS Channel Manager Rate Check requires an active YCS Channel Manager subscription.
Connect your distribution channels Use YCS Channel Manager to connect your online travel agencies / distribution channels.
Rate Check becomes available Once channels are connected and rates are available for the guest’s search, Rate Check can appear in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine.

Important Without YCS Channel Manager and connected channels, Rate Check will not show — there are no channel rates to compare against your Direct Rate.

How it works

What Rate Check uses Rates from channels connected through YCS Channel Manager — for the guest’s selected dates and occupancy.

How channel website prices differ Rate Check does not pull live prices from third-party booking websites. It uses the channel rates managed in YCS Channel Manager for a consistent, rate-based comparison.

When it appears Rate Check shows when there is a useful comparison: your Direct Rate is equal to or better than at least one connected channel rate. Inside the panel, channels listed are those at the same price or higher than Direct — so the guest message stays focused on why booking direct wins.

Which rates are shown

Rate Check displays two types of rates side by side for the selected room and stay dates:

Direct Rate

Your best direct stay price

Best (lowest) direct price for that room type in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine
Matches the guest’s selected dates
May include direct booking discount / specials
Highlighted as Best Price when it leads

Channel rates

Indicative channel totals

From your channel rate allocation in YCS Channel Manager
Same stay dates + searched occupancy
Base rate + extra adult/child used for that occupancy
Shows “% high” when above Direct

Not included in the comparison

Taxes
Fees
Channel-only promotions
Loyalty member discounts
Flash deals funded by the channel
Personalization by device / login

Rate Check provides a clear, rate-based comparison from your YCS Channel Manager pricing setup, so guests can see how your Direct Rate compares with your connected channel rates.

How Rate Check relates to online travel agency websites

Indicative comparison Rate Check compares your Direct Rate with channel rates from YCS Channel Manager. Online travel agency websites may display prices differently based on their own rules and offers.

Channel website prices can vary for the same room and night.

Factors that can influence what appears on a third-party booking site include:

Fees & tax display
Occupancy pricing
Channel promotions
Loyalty / login status
Device or location
Channel-funded discounts

Rate Check is designed to give guests a transparent, rate-based view of how your Direct Rate compares with your connected channel rates in YCS Channel Manager — helping reinforce the value of booking direct.

What Rate Check depends on

Connected channels Rate Check uses channels connected in YCS Channel Manager and their rates. Only connected channels with available rates for the selected dates can appear in the comparison.

Your channel pricing The channel figures shown are based on the rates set for those channels in YCS Channel Manager, for the guest’s selected dates and occupancy.

To review which channels appear, open YCS Channel Manager and confirm the channel is active with rates loaded for the selected dates and room type.

Disclaimer guests see

In the Rate Check panel:

“Actual rates on the platform may vary due to fees, taxes, additional guest pricing, or channel-specific discounts”

This keeps expectations clear: Rate Check is an indicative comparison, not a live mirror of every third-party website price.

Supporting direct bookings

Use Rate Check as a conversation starter When a guest compares prices, Rate Check helps keep the discussion on your Direct Rate — and you can highlight value that supports booking direct, such as flexible terms, loyalty recognition, breakfast, late checkout, or personal service.

Benefits for your property

Builds guest confidenceGuests can compare rates without leaving the booking page.

Supports direct bookingsKeeps price comparison inside your Booking Engine.

Clear Direct Rate highlightDirect Rate is marked as Best Price when it leads.

Room-by-room viewGuests can switch room types inside the panel.

Transparent messagingA clear disclaimer explains how channel rates are represented.

Roadmap: what’s next

Today: clear comparison at booking time. Coming next:

Automated rate parity alertsNotify hotels when a channel undercuts beyond a threshold.

Dynamic price matchingOptional hotel-controlled match/beat within limits.

Expanded channel coverageMore regional and metasearch channel support.

Value-add messagingWhen prices are close, highlight breakfast, flexibility, loyalty.

Analytics & reportingHow often direct wins, by how much, commission saved.

Personalized comparisonFactor loyalty / returning guest into the direct side.

Frequently asked questions

How does Rate Check relate to prices on online travel agency websites?

Rate Check uses your channel rates from YCS Channel Manager as an indicative comparison. Third-party booking pages may show different figures based on taxes, fees, promotions, loyalty, and personalization.

Which rate is shown as Direct Rate?

The best available direct booking stay price for the selected room type and dates in the Yanolja Cloud Solution Booking Engine, including applicable direct discounts or specials.

Which channel rates are shown?

Indicative stay totals from your channels connected in YCS Channel Manager for the same dates and occupancy (base plus relevant extra adult/child pricing). Taxes, fees, and channel-only promotions are not included.

What should I check if a channel does not appear?

Confirm you have an active YCS Channel Manager subscription, the channel is connected, and rates are loaded for the selected dates and room type.

When does Rate Check appear?

Rate Check appears when YCS Channel Manager has connected channels with comparable rates — and your Direct Rate is equal to or better than at least one connected channel rate for that room. If no comparable channel rates are available for the search, Rate Check may not display.