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City Sightseeing London: Reseller Connection

Connect City Sightseeing London to Ventrata to sync availability and prices and receive bookings instantly. London open-top bus tours with combos.

City Sightseeing London logo powered by Prioticket Prioticket

 

City Sightseeing London is the London operation of City Sightseeing, the hop-on hop-off open-top bus brand running tours in more than 100 cities, selling bus tour tickets and attraction and cruise combinations in the capital. For operators, it brings in-destination sightseeing visitors, international and domestic, who already hold a bus ticket and add attractions and river cruises to the same day or trip.

 

Connecting City Sightseeing London to Ventrata will sync your availability and prices and deliver bookings, changes and cancellations with tickets issued automatically. City Sightseeing London runs on Prioticket, and receives your products through its certified integration with Ventrata's OCTO API.

 

To learn more about partnering with City Sightseeing London, visit city-sightseeing.com.

 

Primary website

Tags

Operator Reselling Others · Sightseeing & Hop-On Hop-Off

Destination markets

🌎 Global

Source markets

🌎 Global

Specialties

London open-top bus tours with attraction and cruise combos

Connection features

Availability Sync · Pricing Sync · Bookings Sync

Developed by

Prioticket (using Ventrata's OCTO API)

 

This reseller connection lets you sell your products through City Sightseeing London without managing availability, pricing and bookings by hand. Features of this connection include:

  • Availability Sync – City Sightseeing London checks your live availability in Ventrata.

  • Pricing Sync – City Sightseeing London gets your prices from your reseller pricing in Ventrata.

  • Bookings Sync – bookings, updates and cancellations from City Sightseeing London are created in Ventrata instantly, and customers get Ventrata tickets.

 

Creating the City Sightseeing London Connection

🔐 Required Role Permissions: See Connections, Modify Connections, See Connection Key

Before you begin:

  • You must have a commercial agreement with City Sightseeing London for them to sell your products. To inquire about partnering with them, contact them via city-sightseeing.com.

  • You must have City Sightseeing London created as a Reseller in Ventrata with their pricing (retail, wholesale/commission) defined correctly. Note that this API connection requires that the reseller is set to the "Bill to my account" settlement method.

 

  1. In Ventrata Dashboard, go to Connections → Connections, click + New Connection, and select City Sightseeing London (powered by Prioticket) from the list of partners.

  2. Select City Sightseeing London Reseller from the list of your resellers (must be created before creating a connection). The connection will inherit the reseller's configuration like pricing, allowed destinations, products, etc.

  3. (Optional) You can also set the connection Name of your choosing, which may be helpful if you plan to have multiple City Sightseeing London connections and would like to differentiate between them more easily in the future.

  4. Press the Create Octo Connection button.

 

📗 TIP

If needed, you can also allow or disallow products or destinations on the connection level, in addition to what you have configured on the reseller.

 

Mapping Products to City Sightseeing London

Securely share the OCTO API key shown on the connection you've created with your City Sightseeing London contact and ask them to map your products using Ventrata's OCTO API, with pricing (octo/pricing) enabled. Typically, it takes no longer than a few business days for the City Sightseeing London team to complete this.

 

Your Ventrata configuration is complete. You do not need to take any further steps.

 

📗 TIP

City Sightseeing London can access all products enabled on the connection, but you can also provide the Product and Option IDs from the connection page when contacting them to specify what to map.

 

Managing the City Sightseeing London Connection

  • Allow or disallow products: limit which destinations, products and options City Sightseeing London can access. See how to allow or disallow products.

  • Rename the connection to tell several City Sightseeing London connections apart.

 

Connection Features Detailed

This section is for anyone who wants to know exactly how the City Sightseeing London connection works: which Ventrata OCTO API calls City Sightseeing London makes (through Prioticket's certified integration), when it makes them, and what that means for you. Each call links to Ventrata's API documentation.

 

In short: City Sightseeing London pulls everything it needs from Ventrata. It reads your products, checks your availability and prices, and sends bookings and cancellations. Ventrata doesn't push changes to City Sightseeing London, so anything you change in Ventrata reaches City Sightseeing London the next time it checks.

 

Product Mapping

❌

You can't map products from Ventrata. City Sightseeing London maps them on its side, through your account manager or City Sightseeing London's portal.

This works as follows:

  • Get Products (GET /products) – when City Sightseeing London sets up your connection, and whenever it refreshes its listings, it reads every product enabled on the connection, with its options and units (ticket types such as Adult or Child).

  • Get Product (GET /products/{productId}) – City Sightseeing London re-reads a single product to pick up changes to its options, units, booking cutoffs and settings.

  • Mapping on City Sightseeing London's side – City Sightseeing London links each Ventrata option and unit to its own listing and ticket types. Your City Sightseeing London account manager does this for you, or you do it in City Sightseeing London's own portal if City Sightseeing London offers one. You only share the connection's API key.

 

What this means for you: City Sightseeing London can only sell what it has mapped. When you add a product, option or unit in Ventrata, City Sightseeing London may see it on its next refresh, but it won't sell it until it's mapped. So tell your City Sightseeing London account manager whenever you add one.

Content Sync

❌

City Sightseeing London doesn't read your product content from Ventrata.

City Sightseeing London uses the descriptions, images and other content set up on its own side, so update your content with City Sightseeing London directly.

Availability Sync

✅

City Sightseeing London checks your live availability in Ventrata. Ventrata doesn't push availability changes to City Sightseeing London.

This works as follows:

  • Availability Check (POST /availability) – City Sightseeing London sends a product, an option and a date or date range. Ventrata answers with each bookable day or time slot, its status (AVAILABLE, LIMITED, SOLD_OUT, CLOSED or FREESALE), the remaining vacancies, the booking cutoff and an availabilityId, which City Sightseeing London needs to book that slot.

  • Availability Calendar (POST /availability/calendar) – returns one summary per day instead of every time slot, typically to show which dates are open in a date picker.

  • Check at booking – when a customer books, Ventrata checks capacity again before it creates the booking, so City Sightseeing London can't overbook a slot that has just sold out, even if its stored availability is slightly out of date.

 

What this means for you: when you close a date, change capacity or sell out in Ventrata, City Sightseeing London shows it only after its next check, so there can be a short delay. Ventrata's check at booking still prevents overbooking.

Pricing Sync

✅

Your prices come back with every availability check, once City Sightseeing London asks for them with the octo/pricing capability.

This works as follows:

  • octo/pricing capability – City Sightseeing London asks for prices by adding octo/pricing to the Octo-Capabilities header of its requests. Without it, Ventrata sends availability with no prices at all.

  • Availability Check (POST /availability) – with pricing on, each day or time slot comes back with your price per unit (ticket type): the retail price the customer pays and the net price you invoice City Sightseeing London, both from the reseller's pricing in Ventrata (retail and wholesale/commission).

  • Group prices – when City Sightseeing London also sends how many people of each unit type are booking, Ventrata prices that exact group. This matters for Booking Size fares and other group pricing.

  • Booking Reservation (POST /bookings) and Booking Confirmation (POST /bookings/{uuid}/confirm) – the booking comes back with its final retail and net price, so the booking in Ventrata always records the price it was sold at.

 

‼️ IMPORTANT – Ask for pricing to be enabled. When you ask City Sightseeing London to map your products, ask them to enable pricing (octo/pricing) as well, or switch it on yourself if you map in City Sightseeing London's portal. Otherwise it may be off, and City Sightseeing London won't receive your Ventrata prices.

Promotions Sync

❌

Your Ventrata promotions don't apply on City Sightseeing London.

Prices on City Sightseeing London don't include promotions you create in Ventrata. Set up any promotions with City Sightseeing London directly.

Bookings Sync

✅

Bookings and cancellations made on City Sightseeing London are created in Ventrata instantly, and customers get Ventrata tickets.

This works as follows:

  1. Hold: Booking Reservation (POST /bookings) – when a customer starts checkout on City Sightseeing London, City Sightseeing London sends the product, option, chosen slot (availabilityId) and one unit item per person. Ventrata checks capacity again and creates an ON_HOLD booking, which holds the places while the customer pays. If there's no longer room, Ventrata rejects the hold.

  2. Confirm: Booking Confirmation (POST /bookings/{uuid}/confirm) – once payment goes through, City Sightseeing London confirms the hold. The booking becomes CONFIRMED in Ventrata, and Ventrata sends back your booking reference and the tickets (one per person) or a voucher (one per booking), depending on how your product is set up, each with a QR code and a PDF link. City Sightseeing London gives these to the customer, who shows them at your entrance like any Ventrata ticket.

  3. Expire: if the customer doesn't finish paying, City Sightseeing London never confirms, and the hold expires on its own and frees the places.

  4. Cancel: Booking Cancellation (POST /bookings/{uuid}/cancel) – when a customer cancels on City Sightseeing London, City Sightseeing London cancels the booking in Ventrata. Ventrata accepts this only if the booking can still be cancelled and the option's cancellation cutoff hasn't passed. Otherwise it rejects the request, and City Sightseeing London has to contact you.

  5. Change: Booking Update (PATCH /bookings/{uuid}) – lets City Sightseeing London change a booking in place, for example a new date, time or number of people. Some resellers cancel and rebook instead.

 

‼️ IMPORTANT – Bookings sync one way, from City Sightseeing London to Ventrata. If you cancel, change or rebook a booking from City Sightseeing London in Ventrata, for example in the Dashboard, City Sightseeing London isn't notified. Contact City Sightseeing London so the booking is cancelled or changed on their side too, or ask the customer to cancel through City Sightseeing London.

Pickups/Dropoff Sync

❌

City Sightseeing London doesn't send pickup or drop-off details with its bookings.

If your products include pickups, check with City Sightseeing London how it collects pickup details, or arrange them with the customer.

Custom Questions Sync

❌

City Sightseeing London doesn't send answers to your booking questions.

If you rely on booking questions, for example names or dietary needs, check with City Sightseeing London how it collects that information.

Extras Sync

❌

Extras and add-ons can't be booked through City Sightseeing London.

Customers can only book your main products and options on City Sightseeing London. Sell extras separately, for example on arrival.

Redemption Sync

❌

Redemptions aren't reported to City Sightseeing London.

Ventrata doesn't notify City Sightseeing London when a ticket is scanned or redeemed. City Sightseeing London only sees a redemption if it reads the booking back from Ventrata.

Pass Walkup Scanning Sync

❌

City Sightseeing London pass holders can't be scanned at your entrance without a booking.

Customers from City Sightseeing London need a booking made through City Sightseeing London before they visit.

Gift Card Sync

❌

Ventrata gift cards can't be sold or redeemed through City Sightseeing London.

Gift cards bought in Ventrata can't be used on City Sightseeing London, and City Sightseeing London can't sell Ventrata gift cards.

✅ supported · ❌ not supported

 

Good to know: limits and details of the City Sightseeing London connection

  • Delays: availability and prices reach City Sightseeing London only when it checks, so there's always a short delay after you change something in Ventrata.

  • Cancellation cutoff: City Sightseeing London can cancel over the API only before your option's cancellation cutoff. Later cancellations have to be agreed with you.

  • What City Sightseeing London can see: only the destinations, products and options allowed on the reseller and the connection, and enabled for sale on the Direct API source. See how to allow or disallow products.

  • Tickets: City Sightseeing London issues the Ventrata tickets or voucher it gets on confirmation, so your usual scanning and redemption work as normal.

  • Test bookings: City Sightseeing London can send test bookings while it sets up the connection. Test bookings don't use your availability and aren't invoiced.

 

FAQs

No products are displayed on the connection page.

Verify which destinations, products, and options are allowed on your reseller and connection. Next, confirm that your products and options are enabled for sale on the Direct API source. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

My Ventrata products use Booking Size fares, and pricing isn't working correctly on City Sightseeing London.

After every fare change, update the product mapping to ensure the partner tier counts are synced with Ventrata. Ensure the fare is enabled for sale over Direct API.

 

 

Partner Information

City Sightseeing London

 

Ventrata Partner ID: 01a18577-83da-7ba8-9d77-01615f1a4568

 

Prioticket B.V.

Prins Hendrikkade 21

1012 TL Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Ventrata Partner ID: 8347e498-1afe-48e1-9d99-8b2d1e0069fb

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