Hotel room types: what they mean and how to set them up for OTAs and your PMS

What are the common hotel room types?

There is no single world standard for room names. Hotels use them as a ladder of quality and space. These are the names guests see most often:

• Standard. The basic room. Usually the smallest and the lowest price.
• Superior. One step up from standard. Often a little bigger, a better view or newer furniture.
• Deluxe. A step above superior. More space or better features, such as a balcony or bathtub.
• Family room. Room for a family, often a double bed plus one or two single beds.
• Suite. More space and usually a separate living area. The STR glossary describes a suite as a room with more space and amenities than a standard room, typically with a bedroom and a separate living area. See the STR hotel glossary.
• Connecting rooms. Two rooms with a door between them. Good for families or groups.
• Villa or bungalow. A separate unit, often with its own garden or pool.

Superior and deluxe mean different things at different hotels. That is fine, as long as your own ladder is clear. Guests should see why the higher type costs more.

Single, double, twin, triple: what do the bed names mean?

Bed names tell guests how they will sleep. Mixing them up is one of the most common causes of complaints at check-in.

• Single: one bed for one person.
• Double: one large bed for two people.
• Twin: two separate single beds. Good for friends or colleagues.
• Triple: room for three, often a double plus a single, or three singles.
• Quad: room for four.

Twin and double are not the same. A couple who booked a double does not want two single beds, and two colleagues who booked a twin do not want to share one bed. If you have rooms that can be set up either way, decide how you will sell them and say so clearly.

Room type or rate plan: what is the difference?

This is the most useful idea in this guide. A room type is the physical room you sell. A rate plan is the price and conditions you sell it under.

The same Deluxe Double can be sold as:

• room only, flexible cancellation;
• with breakfast, flexible cancellation;
• non-refundable, at a lower price.

That is one room type with three rate plans. Booking.com describes rate plans the same way: each plan includes a price, a cancellation policy and conditions such as length of stay or included meals, and you can create several plans per room type. See its guide to rate plans. Breakfast that is included in some rates is set on the rate plan, as Booking.com's partner help explains.

Why it matters: if you create "Deluxe Double with Breakfast" as a separate room type, your rooms get split. The OTA thinks you have more rooms than you do, and your calendar has two counts for the same rooms.

Use this table to decide.

The rule of thumb: if the guest gets a different room, it is a room type. If the guest gets the same room on different terms, it is a rate plan.

How many room types should a small property have?

Fewer than you think. Group rooms that are physically the same, and make each group one room type.

1. List every room. Write the bed setup, size, view and maximum guests for each.
2. Group identical rooms. Rooms with the same bed, similar size and the same view belong together.
3. Check the groups make sense to a guest. Would a guest see a clear reason for the price gap between two types?
4. Merge tiny differences. A slightly bigger window is not a new type.

For example, a 12-room hotel might end up with three types: Standard Double, Deluxe Double and Deluxe Twin. A guesthouse with eight identical rooms may need only one or two.

More types are not better. Each extra type has fewer rooms in it, so it sells out faster and is harder to manage. Villas are the exception: if each villa is different, each one can be its own type.

How should you name room types?

A good name tells the guest three things in a fixed order: the level, the bed and one key feature.

Level + bed + feature, for example:

• Standard Double
• Deluxe Twin Garden View
• Family Room with Balcony
• One-Bedroom Pool Villa

Rules that keep names clear:

• Use the same name everywhere. Website, PMS and every OTA. If an OTA forces its own list of names, pick the closest one and keep your own name in the description.
• Avoid names only your staff understand. "Room A" or "New Wing" means nothing to a guest.
• Do not put the price terms in the name. "With breakfast" belongs in the rate plan.
• Match the photos. The first photo of each type should show that exact room.

How do you map room types to OTAs? A step-by-step checklist

Mapping means linking each room type and rate plan on an OTA to the matching room type and rate plan in your PMS or channel manager. When mapping is right, a booking from any OTA takes a room off the same count.

1. Create your room types in your PMS first. Use the names, capacities and room counts you chose above.
2. Add your rate plans. Start simple, for example a flexible plan and a non-refundable plan.
3. Check each OTA listing. Make sure each OTA has the same room types, with the same capacity and bed setup.
4. Map each OTA room to one PMS room type. One to one. Never map two different rooms to the same OTA room.
5. Map each OTA rate plan to one PMS rate plan. Check breakfast and cancellation terms match exactly.
6. Check the room counts. The number of rooms for sale must match the rooms you really have.
7. Make a test booking or check one live booking. Confirm it lands on the right room type and rate plan in your calendar.
8. Write down your map. Keep a simple list of which OTA name links to which room type, for the next person.

Our channel manager setup checklist covers the full connection, from mapping to the first live booking.

See the booking calendar in the demo

Villas, guesthouses and hostels: units, bedrooms and beds

Not every property sells rooms the way a hotel does.

• Whole villas. If you rent the whole villa, the villa is the unit. A three-bedroom villa is one room type with one unit, sold to one group.
• Villas sold by bedroom. If you sometimes rent single bedrooms and sometimes the whole villa, decide your rule before you list it. Selling both on OTAs without a clear rule is a common source of trouble. See how to stop double bookings.
• Guesthouses. Usually work like a small hotel. Group identical rooms into two or three types.
• Hostels. Private rooms work like hotel room types. For dorm beds, check how each OTA lists beds before you set them up.

For software built around villas and rentals, see our guide to vacation rental software.

A worked example: a 10-room guesthouse

This example is illustrative, not data.

A 10-room guesthouse has six rooms with one double bed and a garden view, two rooms with two single beds, and two bigger rooms with a balcony.

• Room types: Standard Double Garden (6), Standard Twin (2), Deluxe Double Balcony (2).
• Rate plans on each type: room only flexible, with breakfast flexible, non-refundable.
• OTA listings: the same three types on every OTA, each mapped to one type in the PMS.

The result is three room types and three rate plans each. A booking for a Standard Twin on any OTA takes one of the two twin rooms off sale everywhere. Nobody has to guess which room the guest booked.

How does Kiyo handle room types and rate plans?

In Kiyo you set up each room type once, with its rate plans. You then map each room and rate plan once on the mapping screen in Kiyo, the same way for Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia, Traveloka and tiket.com. Airbnb connects by signing in with Airbnb. Every booking from any OTA comes off the same room count.

• Bookings, calendar and multiple rate plans on every plan.
• Rate calendar on every plan. Change a price once, and it is sent to your connected channels when you click Push to OTAs, not automatically.
• 75+ booking channels on every plan, plus your own direct booking engine.
• Instant lock. When a guest books, the room locks on all connected channels within milliseconds. Guest details arrive when payment is confirmed, and the room is held in the meantime.

The one thing to watch is bookings taken outside Kiyo, by WhatsApp, phone or walk-in. Enter them right away, so the room closes everywhere.

Kiyo is live and open to all properties. We set up your rooms, rates and channels with you over WhatsApp or a demo call. Plans start from Rp40k per room per month; the pricing page slider shows your exact price.

See channel connections in the demo

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between superior and deluxe?

Deluxe is usually one step above superior, with more space or better features. Each hotel sets its own ladder, so explain the difference in your room descriptions.

What is the difference between a twin and a double room?

A double has one large bed for two people. A twin has two separate single beds.

What does "room only" mean?

The price covers the room and nothing else, so breakfast is not included. It is a rate plan, not a room type.

What is a connecting room?

Two rooms with a door between them, so a family or group can move between rooms without going into the corridor.

How many room types should a 10-room hotel have?

Usually two to four. Group identical rooms together, and only create a new type when the guest gets a clearly different room.

Can I use different room names on different OTAs?

Try not to. Use the same name everywhere. If an OTA forces its own list, pick the closest match and keep your own name in the description.

What happens if a room type is mapped wrong?

Bookings can land on the wrong room, or rooms can stay open after they sell. Check your mapping after every change and test with a booking.

Is breakfast a room type or a rate plan?

A rate plan. The room is the same; only the terms change.