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      1. Knowledge Base
      2. Room Type Mapping (RTM)
      3. Onboarding

      Best practice Room Type Mapping

      1. What is GIATA Room Type Mapping (RTM)?

      Room Type Mapping (RTM) by GIATA standardizes room type names across multiple suppliers and sources. It ensures that identical or similar rooms are grouped and labeled consistently, giving your customers a clear and accurate view of your room portfolio, and giving you the confidence that your data is clean, structured, and optimized for conversion.

      With RTM, you can:

      • Eliminate duplicate or inconsistent room listings

      • Improve search relevance and comparison logic

      • Enhance display quality across all channels

      • Simplify management of room data for internal teams and partners

      RTM is available in two versions, RTM Basic and RTM Plus, each offering different data depth and integration capabilities.

      RTM receives room type data from your system and applies GIATA’s proprietary mapping algorithm to match, normalize, and group similar rooms.

      You can connect to RTM via API or integrate it within your caching system for optimal performance.

      2. Product Versions and API Endpoints

      2.1. RTM Basic — /Map Endpoint

      Best for: Clients who need standard room name grouping and de-duplication.
      Access method: /Map endpoint

      RTM Basic includes the essential mapping algorithm that groups similar room names into standardized categories.
      You send room names for one or more hotels, and receive back:

      • Standardized group names (e.g., “Standard Double Room”)

      • Group IDs for unique identification within each property

      • Original supplier room names and a confidence value for mapping accuracy

      This version provides reliable normalization and is suitable for most standard room mapping and cache-based applications

      2.2. RTM Plus — /MapPlus Endpoint

      Best for: Clients requiring advanced room-level data enrichment and detailed attributes.
      Access method: /MapPlus endpoint
      Availability: Optional upgrade with separate pricing

      RTM Plus builds upon the RTM Basic service, returning additional structured data that supports enhanced filtering, search logic, and customized display across platforms.

      The /MapPlus response includes all /Map data plus:

      • Room attributes: Type, Class, View, and Features (e.g., Ocean View, Balcony, Suite)

      • Bed details: Bed type and configuration (e.g., 1 King, 2 Twin)

      • Marketing information: Accessibility, Shared Facilities, Annex, Refundability

      • Confidence scoring per room match (GroupConfidence)

      These added data points make RTM Plus ideal for dynamic search experiences, content enrichment, and personalized presentation layers.

      3. Best Practices for Implementation

      3. 1. Use Caching for Efficiency

      For clients handling large inventories or high API traffic, caching is recommended.
      A well-designed RTM cache architecture minimizes latency while keeping room mappings up-to-date.

      GIATA does not maintain a shared Room Cache; clients need to build and maintain their own cache to create customized, accurate groupings.

      3.2. Regularly Refresh Your Cache

      • Run automated refreshes (daily, hourly, or as needed).

      • Re-map entire properties when new rooms are added.

      • Use the “Refresh Indicator” flag to identify entries requiring updates.

      3.3. Integrate Confidence Scores

      If you have licensed RTM Plus, use the groupConfidence value from the /MapPlus response to prioritize or review mappings with lower confidence.

      3.4. Leverage Certification Support

      Once you’ve completed your API setup, GIATA’s Certification Experts will review your integration to ensure data accuracy and best practices are followed.
      This step is free of charge for RTM customers and strongly recommended before going live. Find the necessary contacts for the certification in the onboarding email you should have received in your inbox, and at the bottom of this email.

      4. Common errors with Room Type Mapping

      Even when Room Type Mapping (RTM) is applied correctly, inconsistencies in supplier data can cause more groupings to appear than expected. Below are the most common reasons and how to interpret them:

      4.1 Inconsistent Supplier Naming

      Suppliers often use slightly different room names — for example, “Deluxe King Room” vs. “Deluxe King Room with Balcony.”
      RTM treats these as separate groupings to avoid merging rooms that differ in important features such as balcony, view, or lounge access.

      4.2 Missing or Generic Room Class

      RTM uses a fixed format for room identification:

      Room Type → Bed Information → Unit Type

      • Elements appear in this order if present in the supplier information.

      • Commas are removed to standardize the data.

      This ensures consistent parsing, but additional groupings can appear when the default “Standard” doesn’t match the hotel’s actual room class.

      When no class (e.g., Deluxe, Standard, Executive) is included in the supplier’s room name, RTM assigns “Standard” by default.

      4.3 Attribute Variations

      RTM separates groupings when key attributes differ, including:

      • Differences in lounge access: Executive Lounge vs. Lounge Access

      • Bed configurations: King, Twin, Double

      • Missing elements in the RTM format

      4.3.1 Suites

      High-end hotels, such as luxury properties in Dubai, may have multiple uniquely named suites (e.g., Red Suite, Blue Suite, Royal Suite).
      Each is treated as a separate grouping to avoid merging rooms that may differ in size, view, or amenities.
      While this increases the number of groupings, it ensures guests receive exactly what they expect.

      4.4 Nonexistent or Misleading Room Names

      Sometimes suppliers use names like “Family Room” that do not exist on the hotel’s official website.
      These are automatically separated and flagged to maintain data integrity.

      4.5 Why This Happens

      Over-grouping generally results from lack of standardization among suppliers. Where possible, you can reach out to suppliers to clean up their data or remove room types that are causing mapping issues.

      RTM takes the safest possible approach: separating rooms when names or attributes differ to prevent guest dissatisfaction or misassignment.

      4.6 How to Reduce Duplicates

      Using RTM Plus and the Room Cache framework provides additional flexibility:

      • Configure which attributes to ignore during grouping (e.g., Lounge Access), reducing duplicate groupings.

      • Map suggested groupings to the hotel’s verified room list.

      • Collaborate with hotel partners to encourage more consistent naming conventions over time.

      5. Resources & Support

      Find additional resources here:

      5.1. Need Help?

      Our Customer Success Team is here to support you throughout your integration process.
      For certification and technical validation, contact integration@giata-ext.com.
      For general inquiries or troubleshooting, reach out to customer-success@giata.com.