How to List Your Hotel on HotelSpecials

What You’ll Need

• Property name, hotel group (if applicable), full address, postal code, and city
• Country and star rating (HotelSpecials supports a 0 to 7 star scale)
• Total room count. Properties with fewer than 10 rooms use a different signup path
• A named contact person: full name, title or function, email address, phone and mobile number, and preferred communication language
• A plan for at least one package built around extras, such as meals or wellness access. That’s the core selling unit on this platform
• An understanding that HotelSpecials does not publish a fixed commission rate. It varies by location and by the products sold
• If you already use a channel manager, expect to need a HotelSpecials Hotel ID and PIN. Request XML credentials separately from HotelSpecials Channel Support
• Patience for a review and setup period after signup. HotelSpecials writes hotel descriptions itself, so you won’t submit your own copy at signup

A Note on Documents and Tax Info

HotelSpecials’ public signup form does not request tax forms, banking details, or ID documents. If your onboarding contact requests these later, confirm the request directly with HotelSpecials before sending anything.

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Step 1: Pick the Right Signup Path for Your Property

HotelSpecials runs one self service signup wizard. Find it through the "list your hotel" link on hotelspecials.de, .nl, or .at. It collects property and contact details only. Room level content comes later.

That wizard is built for properties with 10 or more rooms. Smaller properties are asked to email the signup team directly instead of using the form.

Common Mistake: Trying to force a small property through the standard wizard. If you have under 10 rooms or manage a group of properties, email signup@hotelspecials.nl instead. Skip the form entirely.

When to Contact HotelSpecials Directly Instead

Email signup instead of using the wizard when any of these apply:

• Your property has fewer than 10 rooms.
• You manage several properties as one group and want them handled together.
• Your city or region doesn’t appear in the form’s location lookup.

A direct email gets a human involved earlier. That matters more on a curated platform like this one.

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Step 2: Submit Your Property and Contact Details

The signup wizard itself is short. It collects the hotel name, group, address, postal code, city, and country. It also asks for star rating, 0 to 7, and total room count.

It then asks for one named contact, with these fields:

• Title (Mr./Mrs.)
• First and last name
• Work email, entered twice to confirm it
• Phone and mobile numbers
• Job function
• Preferred language, from six options

Common Mistake: Listing a generic inbox or a contact who won’t actually manage packages and rates later. HotelSpecials communicates through this contact for the description, package setup, and onboarding questions. Pick someone who owns distribution.

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Step 3: Design a Package Around Extras

HotelSpecials built its business model around packages. Its own guidance to new partners recommends working with what it calls Extras: dinner, wellness access, or other paid amenities bundled into a package around a room.

This matters because a bare room listing undersells what the platform is designed to sell. Packages with extras tend to carry a higher order value, since guests are paying for an experience, not just a bed.

Common Mistake: Registering a property and stopping at the basic room and rate setup, expecting HotelSpecials to perform like a standard OTA. Without at least one package, you’re not using the platform the way it’s built to work.

Add Extras to Build a Package

Talk to your HotelSpecials contact about which extras fit your property: a set dinner menu, spa or wellness access, late checkout, or a welcome amenity. These get priced and attached to a room.

If you connect a channel manager later, packages need specific room level settings on that side too. A standard room needs no special setup. A package room must be flagged as a package type, with its length of stay specified.

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Step 4: Understand the No Cure, No Pay Commission Model

HotelSpecials operates on what it calls a No Cure, No Pay principle. There’s no monthly subscription or listing fee. You pay commission only on completed bookings.

HotelSpecials states the rate depends on your hotel’s location and which products you sell. The rate one property pays can differ from another’s, and the exact percentage isn’t published publicly.

Common Mistake: Budgeting against a commission percentage found in an unrelated referral or affiliate program listing. HotelSpecials also runs a separate traveler referral affiliate program with its own published rate. That rate is not the same as what a listed hotel pays. Confirm your actual commission with your HotelSpecials contact directly.

HotelSpecials also charges guests a separate service fee on some package bookings. That fee is paid by the traveler at checkout, not deducted from your payout.

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Step 5: Why Getting Listed Takes More Than a Form Submission

Filling out the signup wizard takes a few minutes. Getting live takes longer. HotelSpecials describes itself as a curated, hand picked selection of hotel deals. Its team reviews new listings before they publish.

In practice, HotelSpecials staff help write or refine your hotel description. They also help set up your first package, using the details and photos you send.

This is a real difference from OTAs that let you publish your own listing instantly.

Common Mistake: Assuming your listing goes live right after you submit the signup form. Build in time for a review and setup step before you go live. Use that time to prepare good photos and decide which packages to sell.

Neither HotelSpecials nor its partner documentation publishes an exact turnaround time for this review step. Confirm a realistic timeline with your contact once you’ve registered.

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Step 6: Connect a Channel Manager for Ongoing Sync

Once you’re listed, a channel manager can send rates and availability instead of manual updates. It connects through several established channel managers, including SiteMinder, Cubilis, and SmartHOTEL.

To set this up, request a Hotel ID, PIN, and XML credentials from HotelSpecials Channel Support. These come separately from your initial signup.

HotelSpecials typically transmits only one rate code per room. Occupancy based pricing usually needs separate room setups instead of one flexible rate.

Common Mistake: Assuming every restriction type, like minimum stay or closed to arrival, passes through automatically. HotelSpecials only transmits restrictions when a specific Master Rate setting is enabled. Check that setting with your channel manager provider.

What Actually Syncs

Rates and availability sync once a channel manager connection is active. Packages need their own room level configuration. HotelSpecials calls its packaging system Dynamic Packages, and those don’t strictly need channel manager control.

Services and supplements, such as a late checkout or extra bed, arrive in the reservation data. They get mapped inside the extranet. Anything that can’t be automatically mapped needs manual attention from your team or your channel manager’s support desk.

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Step 7: Confirm Your Listing Is Actually Live

Check your property’s page on the relevant country domain, such as hotelspecials.de, .nl, or .at. Check that:

• The description reads the way you expect.
• Your star rating and room count are correct.
• At least one package is bookable with a real price.

Common Mistake: Checking only one country site and assuming every regional site updates at the same time. HotelSpecials runs several country specific sites under one parent company. Propagation across all of them isn’t always instant.

If something looks wrong, contact the person you registered at signup. HotelSpecials manages listing content directly, without a self service dashboard on your end.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the Wizard for a Property Under 10 Rooms

The self service form is built for 10 rooms or more. Smaller properties and grouped signups should go through email instead.

Listing an Inbox Instead of a Real Contact

HotelSpecials works through the named contact you register. Pick someone who will actually manage packages, rates, and questions.

Skipping Packages Entirely

A bare room listing undersells what HotelSpecials is designed to sell. Build at least one package around extras before you consider the listing finished.

Budgeting Off the Wrong Commission Number

The published affiliate program rate and your actual hotel commission are different things. Get your real rate from your HotelSpecials contact, not a third party listing.

Expecting Instant Go Live

Curated review and description setup take real time. Plan for a wait, and confirm the actual timeline with your contact.

Assuming All Restrictions Sync Automatically

Restrictions only pass through with the Master Rate setting enabled on your channel manager connection. Check this setting rather than assuming it’s on by default.

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How roommaster Fits In

Getting listed on HotelSpecials is a one time registration and review process per property. Staying in sync with it afterward, alongside every other channel you sell on, is the harder ongoing job.

roommaster Channel Manager offers hundreds of OTA connections and covers all major GDS platforms. It syncs rates, availability, and restrictions from one place instead of updating each site by hand. Hotels using it report an 85% reduction in distribution management time.

To be direct about a limit here: HotelSpecials is not currently one of roommaster’s named, verified integrations. If you list on HotelSpecials, keep managing that connection through a supported channel manager, such as SiteMinder, Cubilis, or SmartHOTEL. Confirm current connectivity options directly with roommaster or HotelSpecials before assuming automatic sync.

roommaster PMS connects with 100+ hospitality systems overall, and roommaster’s support team is available 24/7 if you need help reviewing your current distribution setup.

See how roommaster Channel Manager works.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it free to list a hotel on HotelSpecials?

Listing on HotelSpecials costs no monthly fee. HotelSpecials charges commission only when a guest actually books.

2. What is the No Cure, No Pay principle?

No Cure, No Pay means HotelSpecials earns a commission only on completed bookings, not a fixed fee regardless of sales.

3. How many rooms do I need to use the self service signup form?

The standard signup wizard is built for properties with 10 rooms or more. Smaller properties should email the signup team instead.

4. What commission percentage does HotelSpecials charge hotels?

HotelSpecials does not publish a fixed rate. It states commission depends on your hotel’s location and the products you sell, so confirm your rate directly.

5. Do guests pay extra fees when they book through HotelSpecials?

Yes, HotelSpecials charges travelers a separate service fee on some package bookings, paid at checkout and not deducted from your payout.

6. Which countries does HotelSpecials operate in?

HotelSpecials operates country specific sites across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, under parent company BookerZzz.

7. Can I connect my existing channel manager to HotelSpecials?

Yes, HotelSpecials connects through several established providers, including SiteMinder, Cubilis, and SmartHOTEL, using Hotel ID, PIN, and XML credentials from its Channel Support team.

8. Why isn’t my listing live right after I sign up?

HotelSpecials curates and helps write hotel descriptions rather than publishing listings automatically, so a review and setup step happens after signup.

9. Does roommaster have a direct integration with HotelSpecials?

No, HotelSpecials is not currently a named connection in roommaster’s channel manager integrations. Confirm connectivity through your existing channel manager provider, or check directly with roommaster, before assuming an automatic sync exists.