Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Why would I use this API to book lodging content?
• What protocol is Enhanced Hotel Book (EHB) available in? SOAP/XML and REST/JSON?
• What is the difference between a Content Services for Lodging (CSL) segment and a legacy segment?
• Can I cancel bookings made with this API?
• Can I modify bookings made with this API?
• Do bookings made with this API generate the standard/traditional Interface-User-Records (IURs)?
• After a booking is created, how can I identify if the segments in my hotel PNR are CSL or legacy segments?
• Are there differences between how the PNR looks with a GDS legacy booking made using Enhanced Hotel Book (EHB) versus one made not using EHB?
• Can the API client shop in one PCC and book in another PCC?
• Does Enhanced Hotel Book support payment via Sabre Virtual Payments (SVP)?

Why would I use this API to book lodging content?

Enhanced Hotel Book (EHB) enables shopping using Content Services for Lodging.

In the booking request, create GDS bookings as legacy segments or CSL segments. You can also create aggregator bookings as CSL segments!

What protocol is Enhanced Hotel Book (EHB) available in? SOAP/XML and REST/JSON?

EHB is a stateful service and is available in SOAP/XML only. To book in a stateless way, use the Create Passenger Name Record API instead.

Please refer to State Management & Authentication for more details.

What is the difference between a Content Services for Lodging (CSL) segment and a legacy segment?

In the Sabre Reservation System, CSL segments enables the representation of any lodging reservation in a normalized way (independent of the booking source).

Legacy hotel segments have limitations to properly represent the new aggregator reservation data; this is the reason why Sabre is migrating lodging reservations to the CSL segment structure.

Please refer to these additional questions on specific functional differences:

• Can I cancel bookings made with this API?
• Can I modify bookings made with this API?
• Do bookings made with this API generate the standard/traditional Interface-User-Records (IURs)?
• After a booking is created, how can I identify if the segments in my hotel PNR are CSL or legacy segments?

Can I cancel bookings made with this API?

GDS bookings made using Enhanced Hotel Book where the GDS segment is booked as legacy need to be cancelled (if permitted) using the existing XI cancel commands as well as the OTA_CanceLLSRQ API.

Content Services for Lodging segments need to be cancelled (if permitted) via Sabre Red 360, as well as the UpdateReservationRQ API.

Be mindful that 7B bookings (Booking.com) cannot be cancelled in lower enviornments (TEST/CERT). Booking.com does not return the confirmation number in environments that are non-production.

Note 1: Cancelling Content Services for Lodging segments via XI commands or using OTA_CanceLLSRQ is not supported. If attempted, the Sabre system will respond with: CANNOT CANCEL SEGMENT SUMMARY-NOT AUTHORIZED, indicating that the cancellation was not processed.

Note 2: Cancelling legacy hotel segments using Content Services for Lodging segments via the UpdateReservationRQ API is not supported. If attempted, the API will respond with: Hotel Segment delete not allowed with UpdateReservation, indicating that the cancellation was not processed.

Update: Starting in April, 2020, Sabre will expose the capability to cancel both legacy & Content Services for Lodging content in a single call. The Cancel Booking API is part of the Booking Management API, and is exposed as RPC/JSON. This API executes the cancel process independent of the content source.

Can I modify bookings made with this API?

GDS bookings made using Enhanced Hotel Book where the GDS segment is booked as legacy can be modified (if permitted) using the existing HOM modify commands, as well as the HotelResModifyLLSRQ API provided by Sabre.

Do bookings made with this API generate the standard/traditional Interface-User-Records (IURs)?

If the API is used to book a GDS legacy segment, this will generate the same IUR as is generated currently, so no changes will be required to any back office system.

If the service is used to book a CSL segment (either GDS or aggregator), this will generate a new IUR that reflects changes required for CSL bookings. These changes were detailed in SAN notification 15563, published on 3/21/19.

After a booking is created, how can I identify if the segments in my hotel PNR are CSL or legacy segments?

Content Services for Lodging (CSL) segment:

When displaying your reservation via TravelItineraryReadRQ or GetReservationRQ, the existence of @productCategory="AGTLCSSEGMENT" in the specific lodging segment denotes a CSL segment.

TravelItineraryRS Xpath:

/TravelItineraryReadRS/TravelItinerary/ItineraryInfo/ReservationItems/Item/Product/ProductDetails@productCategory="AGTLCSSEGMENT"

TravelItineraryReadRS v3.10.0 XML snippet below:

GetReservationRS Xpath:

/GetReservationRS/Reservation/PassengerReservation/Segments/Segment/Product/ProductDetails@productCategory="AGTLCSSEGMENT"

GetReservationRS v1.19.0 XML snippet below:

Legacy segment:

If the attribute @productCategory is not present as part of the lodging segment, this denotes that the segment is a legacy one.

Are there differences between how the PNR looks with a GDS legacy booking made using Enhanced Hotel Book (EHB) versus one made not using EHB?

A historical remark (5H), containing the Hotel Booking Key and confirmation number, is added to the PNR if a GDS segment is made using the identifier to BookGDSviaCSL=false, designating that the booking was booked through this path for research / reporting.

Content Services for Lodging segments booked through EHB do not contain this remark.

Can the API client shop in one PCC and book in another PCC?

Yes, as long as corresponding authorization between PCCs exists.

How? Enhanced Hotel Book behavess in a stateful way, so users who desire to change PCCs between shop and book can execute a "Change AAA" call via the ContextChangeLLSRQ API prior executing EnhancedHotelBookRQ.

Does Enhanced Hotel Book support payment via Sabre Virtual Payments (SVP)?

Enhanced Hotel Book supports payment via Sabre Virtual Payments (SVP) for CSL content starting from version 2.1.0.