Booking.com important limitations for bookings made before connecting to Smily

When you connect your Booking.com account to Smily, any existing reservations already made on Booking.com before the connection are automatically imported into your Smily account.

However, these “legacy” reservations are not fully synced due to technical limitations in Booking.com’s API.

Here’s what that means for you and how to manage it effectively.

🚫 What are the limitations?

1. No automatic sync for changes

Imported reservations do not receive updates if they are modified or canceled on Booking.com.

This means:

• If a guest changes their dates or cancels, Smily will not be notified automatically.
• Your calendar will not be updated.
• You must manually reflect any changes or cancellations in Smily.

🎯 Tip: Regularly monitor imported bookings to avoid double bookings or lost revenue.

2. Missing guest contact details

Guest contact information (email, phone number, etc.) is missin in imported bookings.

This means:

• You won’t be able to send automated notifications (check-in details, messages, etc.).
• If you have access to the guest info via your Booking.com Extranet, you can manually add it to the reservation notes in Smily.

3. Payment status not updated

Payment status may not be displayed correctly in Smily, even if the booking was fully paid on Booking.com.

This means:

• You may see an empty payment bar, even if the guest has paid.
• You will need to double-check on your Booking.com extranet and update Smily manually if needed.

🛠 How to manage these bookings

We recommend the following best practices:

• 📄 Identify imported reservations as soon as your account is connected
• 👁 Monitor them manually – any change or cancellation must be reflected manually in Smily.
• 🧾 Double-check payment status on Booking.com if Smily doesn't show it.
• 📝 Manually complete guest information in the notes if you need to contact them.

❓Why does this happen?

Booking.com’s current API does not support full syncing of bookings made before the PMS connection (like Smily).

This is a known industry-wide limitation, also acknowledged by other PMS providers.

🤝 We’re working on a solution

Smily is actively in discussions with Booking.com to push for improvements.

💡 Good to Know

• This limitation only affects bookings made before your connection to Smily.

Limited information (payment status, booking comments, guest details)

• All new bookings, made after you connect your Booking.com account to Smily, are fully synced and automated.

Full information (payment status, booking comments, guest details)

Need Help?

If you’re unsure whether a booking is fully synced or not, or if something looks off, feel free to reach out to our support team.