Change Hotel Bookings from WhatsApp with Oracle OPERA Cloud

This recipe handles “can I change my dates?” and “I need to cancel” on WhatsApp. It finds the reservation in OPERA Cloud, checks where it came from and which rate it is on, tells the guest what your policy allows, and updates OPERA Cloud once the guest confirms. Part of the OPERA Cloud integration.

What happens today

Change requests arrive on WhatsApp and wait for someone in reservations. They search OPERA Cloud, check the source and the rate code, check the new nights, work out the price and reply. Bookings from online travel agencies need a different answer. Each change takes several messages, and an unanswered cancellation keeps a room off sale.

The flow that works

AeroChat asks for the booking name and arrival date, or the confirmation number.
It finds the reservation in OPERA Cloud and checks the source. Online travel agency bookings get a clear message to change them with that agency.
For a direct booking, it checks the request against the rate’s change and cancellation terms.
For a date change, it checks availability for the new nights and tells the guest the new total.
When the guest confirms, it updates or cancels the reservation and adds a comment. Or, if you prefer, it passes the change to reservations for approval.

The recipe

Copy this into AeroChat

When a guest asks to change or cancel a booking, follow these steps.

Ask for the booking name and arrival date, or the confirmation number.

Find the reservation in OPERA Cloud. If it was booked through an online travel agency, tell the guest the change has to be made with that agency. Stop there.

Check the rate. Example terms: Flexible rate, free changes and cancellation up to 24 hours before arrival. Advance purchase rate, non-refundable, no date changes (examples).

For a date change, check availability for the same room type on every new night. If it is free, tell the guest the new total. If not, offer the nearest dates or another room type.

For a cancellation, tell the guest exactly what our policy means for their booking, including any charge, before they confirm.

When the guest confirms, update the dates or cancel the reservation in OPERA Cloud and add a comment with the change and any charge.

Send the updated confirmation or the cancellation number in the chat.

Never waive a charge or change a rate code. If the booking is part of a group block or the guest disputes the policy, collect the details and hand over to reservations. Reply in the guest’s language.

Change the rate names and terms to your own before you paste it. If you want a person to approve every change, add: “Do not change the reservation. Pass the request to reservations with the details.”

What to connect

OPERA Cloud, through OHIP. Your OPERA administrator registers an application in the OHIP developer portal and subscribes it to the property APIs, then enters the application key, client ID, client secret, gateway URL and integration user in the AeroChat dashboard when it asks.
Your policies. Upload your rate terms and cancellation policy to the AeroChat knowledge base.

Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.

Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.

What you still decide

Your change and cancellation terms for each rate.
Whether AeroChat makes the change or passes it to reservations for approval.
Which bookings always go to a person, such as group blocks, corporate rates or long stays.

The result to expect

Date changes get handled while the guest is still in the chat, and cancellations reach OPERA Cloud sooner, so the room goes back on sale earlier. Your reservations team handles the cases that need judgment. Measure it with your own numbers: the time from a change request to the updated booking, and the share of changes handled without a person.

Next: pre-arrival requests with OPERA Cloud. See also the hotel recipe for booking changes.

Try a change in chat

Paste the recipe, have your OPERA administrator add the OHIP values, and message your own number asking to move a test booking by a night.

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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.