Top 10 Best Hotel APIs: Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Expedia and more
Hotels have become an important part of the travel and hospitality industry, as every year millions of business travellers and tourists book and cancel hotel reservations using multiple channels, majorly via agents or telephone. However, many hotels have begun to make this process a lot easier and more automated by creating APIs (Application Programmable Interfaces) to allow agents and third-party developers to fetch data from their systems.
In this article, we created a list of the Top 10 Best Hotel APIs currently being used. In coming up with this list, we ranked the APIs based on the following criteria:
- API features: We evaluated the various features that make the APIs appealing for businesses.
- Ease of use: In considering this, we delved into their API documentation and thoroughly examine how easy was to understand. We also check out their developer communities and see the level of activity.
- Pricing: We reviewed the cost of integrating the APIs into applications.
Ultimately, we came up with the following list of Top 10 Best Hotel API
- Airbnb API
- TripAdvisor API
- Expedia API
- Cleartrip API
- Priceline API
- Sabre API
- Hotelbeds API
- Amadeus GDS API
- Zilyo API
- Hotwire API
1. Airbnb API
Based in San Fransisco, Airbnb is an online marketplace which lets people rent out their properties or spare rooms to guests on a short or long term basis
API Features: This API allows developers to securely authenticate into Airbnb accounts. Users will have the ability to push updates to content, rates, and availability. Airbnb API is provided as a REST API using OAuth 2.0 for authentication and authorization and JSON format for request and response messages. The API uses HTTP (over SSL) protocol, the HTTP GET is used to retrieve data and HTTP POST is used to create, update or delete data. Usage of HTTP PUT and DELETE is not allowed.
Ease of Use: Not Easy!! There is no public documentation for this API. However, technical instruction on how to integrate this API is provided only to specific partners.
Price: Paid!! Prices are only made available to selected partners.
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, the platform enables travellers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With 702 million reviews and opinions covering the world’s largest selection of travel listings worldwide.
API Features: Allows developers to gain dynamic access to up-to-date rating content and select travel websites. This API is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports a JSON response format and JSONP, URI Query String/CRUD request format. TripAdvisor API employs an API key authentication model.
Ease of use: The TripAdvisor API content is not publicly available and is only for licensed partners.
Price: The API is offered for free.
3. Expedia API
Owned by Expedia Group, expedia.com is a is a travel booking website which is primarily used as a travel fare aggregators and travel metasearch engine.
API Features: With Expedia API, developers can integrate advanced functionalities into their application enabling users to easily view and access pieces of information like availability, rates, restrictions, booking notification, retrieval and confirmation all from a third party application. It employs an API key authentication model and is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports XML response format and JSONP, URI Query String/CRUD request format.
Ease of Use: This API is well documented with a growing developer community so developers can be sure to have all their questions in their developer community forums
Price: The API is offered for free.
Cleartrip provides mobile and desktop solutions, that enables users to have the largest selection of flights, hotels and trains,
API Feature: This API gives developers access to the hotel search and booking functionalities on Cleartrip and easily integrate functionalities into their application. is a single purpose API, with two means of authentication, OAuth and API keys. Cleartrip API It supports XML response formats and URI Query String/CRUD request format.
Ease of Use: Not Easy!! There is no public documentation for this API. However, technical instruction on how to integrate this API is provided only to specific partners.
Price: Paid!! Prices are only made available to selected partners.
Priceline.com is part of the Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN), which includes Booking.com, Agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, Kayak.com and now OpenTable.
API Feature: With this API developer can easily query multiple hotel websites for fees and pricing using just the Priceline API.
Ease of Use: Not Easy!! There is no public documentation available
Price: Paid!! Selected affiliate partners can contact the team for quotes
6. Sabre API
Based in Southlake, Texas. Sabre was founded by American Airlines in 1960. It is the largest Global Distribution Systems provider for air bookings in North America.
API Features: Allows developers to incorporate features like travel search, reservations and hotel bookings. It employs OAuth 2/Sessions authentication model and is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports XML, SOAP, JSON response formats and SOAP, XML, URI Query String/CRUD request format.
Ease of Use: This API is well documented with a growing developer community so developers can be sure to have all their questions in their developer community forums
Price: The API is offered for free.
Hotbed provides APIs that enables a developer to add special features into own travel website or mobile app with instant access to 175,000 hotels and more than 10,000 activities.
API Features: Hotelbeds API allows developers to integrate the functionalities that make it easier to find places to stay from around the world into their applications.
Ease of Use: Easy!! Hotelbeds has published in-depth documentation and other useful developer resources to facilitate fast and seamless integration of its APIs.
Free: The API is offered for free.
Amadeus provides processing services including search, pricing, booking and ticketing in real-time to travel providers and travel agencies.
API Features: This API allows developers to build customized travel and hotel booking mobile and web applications. By leveraging Amadeus GDS platform. This API is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports a SOAP, XML response format and URI Query String/CRUD, SOAP, XML request format. Amadeus GDS API employs an API key authentication model.
Ease of Use: Easy!!
Price: This API is free
9. Zilyo API
Zilyo provides users access to over 2,500,000 Vacation Rental and Short term rentals listings across the world in over 200,000 destinations.
API Features: With this API developers can integrate its services with their applications, enabling their users to search for and book rentals directly. This API is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports a JSON, JSONP response format and URI Query String/CRUD, SOAP, XML, JSON Request format. Zilyo API employs an API key authentication model.
Ease of Use: Easy!! Zilyo has ensured that all the information required to integrate third-party application to its platform is provided in its documentation, even ensuring that sample codes and relevant examples are provided.
Price: Free
10. Hotwire API
Hotwire makes it easy for users to book high-quality hotels at low prices anywhere in the world
API Features: Hotwire API allows developers to have access to search engines that provide results on great prices and deals. This API uses an API key authentication model and is a single purpose API, with a RESTful architecture. It supports XML response format and JSONP, URI Query String/CRUD request format.
Ease of Use: Easy!! Hotwire has a fast-growing community, with lots of developers looking to integrate with this platform. This API is also well documented.
Price: Free
That’s Rakuten RapidAPI’s list of Top 10 Best Hotel APIs. We hope you’ll find an API that you can integrate into your application.
About Rakuten RapidAPI
Rakuten RapidAPI is the world’s largest API marketplace with 8,000+ third-party APIs and used by over 500,000 active developers. We enable developers to build transformative apps through the power of APIs. Find, test and connect to all the APIs you need in one place!
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