Sell through more than your own booking page. Settings → Modules → OTAs & Resellers manages two kinds of channel: the built-in WetRentals marketplace, and direct reseller partners you connect by API.
Three kinds of channel
| Who sells | Guest pays | Commission | You get paid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTDN (network) | Partners sharing your link / embedding your widget | You, at checkout as normal | RentalTide's network rate (10%), added to your account balance | You already have it — the guest paid you |
| Marketplaces & OTAs (directory) | Platforms with their own checkout (WetRentals API, Viator…) | The platform | Set by the platform, shown read-only | Platform pays you (sale − commission) by the method it declares; add your payout details when you connect |
| Your own partners | A hotel desk / agency you gave a key to | The partner | You set it | Partner pays you (sale − commission) |
RentalTide charges you $5 per booking that arrives through the Channel API (directory platforms and your own partners); RTDN bookings carry no fee.
WetRentals marketplace
WetRentals is RentalTide's free consumer marketplace. By default, every listing with Show to Public turned on appears there and links back to your booking page — bookings arrive like any other online booking, at your prices.
From the OTAs & Resellers section you can:
- Hide your account from WetRentals entirely (flip the toggle off), or
- Narrow the listing to chosen products with Choose listings… — useful when some inventory is public on your site but not something you want marketed more widely.
Changes apply within a few minutes (the marketplace feed is cached).
Marketplaces & OTAs (directory)
Platforms already integrated with RentalTide appear as cards you can Connect to in one click — no keys to exchange. Set the commission you'll pay them (pre-filled with the platform's suggested rate) and, optionally, narrow which listings they can sell. Disconnect at any time; their access stops immediately. Each platform holds one credential with RentalTide and sees every operator who has opted in, so you never handle their key.
RTDN — RentalTide Distribution Network
RTDN is in the directory too, but works differently: partners (bloggers, tourism sites, concierges — anyone in the RentalTide partner program) share your booking page or embed your widget with their referral code. The guest pays you, through your normal checkout, at your prices. The network rate is set by RentalTide (currently 10%) — you pay it, and it is the same for every operator. Each RTDN booking adds that commission to your RentalTide account balance, collected with your other platform dues, and RentalTide pays every partner from it — one line on your statement instead of a payout per partner. Nothing to integrate; no $5 API fee applies to RTDN bookings.
Reseller & OTA partners (your own connections)
A partner connection is for anyone who sells on your behalf from their own system and is not in the directory: a hotel concierge desk, a travel agency, a local tour aggregator.
- Click Add reseller, name the partner, and set their commission rate.
- Optionally limit which listings they're offered — a partner only ever sees and sells the products you choose.
- Click Create & get API key. The key is shown once — copy it and send it to the partner along with the integration guide. A competent developer is selling the same afternoon.
How partner bookings work
- The partner collects the guest's payment themselves, then pushes a confirmed booking into your calendar. It arrives fully paid, appears on tour manifests, and counts toward capacity like any direct sale.
- The booking timeline shows the partner's name, and the commission you agreed is recorded on every booking for settlement — you invoice or deduct outside RentalTide.
- Availability the partner sees is live and identical to your own checkout's, so they can never sell a slot you don't have.
Fees
RentalTide charges you a flat $5 per booking a marketplace or OTA sends, added to your account balance and collected with your other platform dues (it is reversed if the partner cancels). The partner's commission is between you and them; RentalTide takes nothing from that.
Getting paid
The reseller collected the guest's payment, so the reseller owes you sale price − their commission for every non-cancelled booking. The Owed to you strip on this page shows it per reseller for the current month (by rental date); the reseller sees identical numbers on their side. Each platform declares how it pays (ACH, Stripe, PayPal, wire), how often, and — if it uses a payout service — a link to enrol; that is shown on its card. They pay you directly on that cadence — automated payouts through RentalTide are on the roadmap.
Commission
For marketplaces & OTAs in the directory, the commission is set by the platform, not by you — it is shown read-only on the card. Platforms can offer you a custom rate; it will appear there. For partners you connect yourself, you set the rate.
Managing a partner
- Pause stops their API key immediately (bookings they made are kept).
- Rotate key invalidates the old key and gives you a new one to send — do this if a key may have leaked.
- Remove deletes the connection permanently.
The partner took the guest's money, so the partner refunds it. If they cancel a booking through the API your inventory is released automatically; tour seats cascade to your waitlist.