Zaui is a Vancouver-based reservation platform for tour, activity, transportation and rental operators, running since 1999 and built for seat- and time-based inventory. Transport-heavy businesses are a notable strength, covering shuttles, intercity coaches, airport and cruise-port transfers and boat services alongside sightseeing and multi-day tours, with channel management, dynamic pricing and mobile check-in from one dashboard.

Connecting Zaui to Ventrata lets you resell products from operators that use Zaui as their booking system. Ventrata reads their live availability and prices from Zaui, and every booking you take is created directly in the operator's Zaui account.

To learn more about Zaui, visit zaui.com.

📒 NOTE

Looking for Zaui to resell your products instead? See Zaui: Reseller Connection.

Primary website	zaui.com
Tags	Booking / Ticketing System
Connection features	Availability Sync · Pricing Sync · Bookings Sync
Developed by	Ventrata (using Zaui OCTO API)

This operator connection (also called a backend) lets you resell products from operators that use Zaui as their primary booking system, with every booking created directly in Zaui. Features of this connection include:

Availability Sync – live availability comes from the operator's Zaui account.
Pricing Sync – prices come from Zaui, or you set prices in Ventrata.
Bookings Sync – bookings, updates and cancellations post from Ventrata to Zaui, and Zaui issues the tickets or vouchers.

Creating the Zaui Connection

🔐 Required Role Permissions: See Operators, Modify Operators, See Products, Modify Products

Before you begin:

You must have a commercial agreement with the operator for their rates and terms.
You must have the OCTO API Key for the operator. See the steps below.
You must recreate the operator's products in Ventrata. See how to create products. The connection syncs availability, pricing and bookings, but doesn't create products in Ventrata.

Step 1: Configure the Operator in Ventrata

Ask your operator for the OCTO API Key. Operators can set up the connection (channel) and get the key in Zaui under Resellers > Channel Partners, then select Ventrata.

In the Ventrata Dashboard, go to Products → Operators and open the operator. If they don't exist yet, create them as an operator first.
In the Backend Partner section, select Zaui and enter the OCTO API Key. Leave the endpoint as the default https://api.zaui.io/octo unless the operator or Zaui tells you otherwise.
Leave the OCTO Endpoint field at its pre-filled Zaui value unless the operator or Zaui tells you otherwise.
Press Update Operator.

In the Backend Partner section, choose Zaui from the list of available connections and enter the OCTO API Key provided to you by your operator. Unless otherwise instructed by the operator or Zaui, leave the OCTO Endpoint field with the default pre-filled value for Zaui

📒 NOTE – Each OCTO API Key connects you to one operator. Set up each Zaui operator separately.

Step 2: Connect Each Product

Open the operator's product in Products → Products and edit it. Check that Operator is set to this operator.
Tick Backend Connected. Tick Backend Availability to use availability from Zaui, and Backend Pricing to use prices from Zaui.
Press Update Product.

📒 NOTE

Zaui sends both retail and net prices. With Backend Pricing ticked, Ventrata records the retail price as your selling price and the net price as your cost price, whatever cost percentage is set on the operator.

Check Backend Availability to pull availability from Zaui and Backend Pricing to pull pricing.

Without those, the product uses the availability and pricing set in Ventrata but still posts bookings to Zaui.

Check Backend Connected for this product to use the API connection (backend). To pull availability from Zaui, ensure Backend Availability is checked; to pull pricing, check Backend Pricing. If you do not check Backend Availability and/or Backend Pricing, the product will use the availability and/or pricing configured in Ventrata but will still post bookings to Zaui. Click Update Product to save.

Mapping Products to Zaui

‼️ IMPORTANT

Mapping tells Ventrata which Zaui product, option and units to check availability for and book. If a backend-connected product isn't mapped correctly, its bookings fail. A red highlight across the product row shows an incorrectly mapped product.

In the Ventrata Dashboard, go to Products → Products and open the product.
Open the Mappings tab. It appears once the product is set to Backend Connected.
For each Ventrata option and unit, select the matching Zaui product, option and units from the dropdowns, which Ventrata loads from Zaui. Don't leave any field empty.
Press Save Changes.

The product page will now display a Mappings tab. Navigate to this tab and map your Ventrata product, option(s), and units by selecting the corresponding products, options, and units from the dropdown lists as received from Zaui. Ensure that no fields are left empty (unmapped), and click Save Changes.

📗 TIP

Make a test booking after mapping, and ask the operator to confirm it arrived in their Zaui account.

Managing the Zaui Connection

Update the mapping when the operator changes products, options or units in Zaui.
Replace the key on the operator if Zaui or the operator issues a new one.
Switch Backend Availability or Backend Pricing off on a product to use Ventrata's own availability or prices instead. Bookings still post to Zaui.

Connection Features Detailed

This section is for anyone who wants to know exactly how the Zaui connection works. Here the direction is the opposite of a reseller connection: Ventrata calls Zaui, using Zaui OCTO API. For each feature, it explains which calls Ventrata makes, when, and what that means for you.

In short: Ventrata asks Zaui for availability and prices whenever someone looks at a backend-connected product, and creates every booking in the operator's Zaui account. Zaui doesn't send changes back to Ventrata.

Timings are typical for Zaui and rounded, and they can change.

Product Mapping	✅	You map each Ventrata product, option and unit to the operator's Zaui product in the Ventrata Dashboard. This works as follows: Get Products (`GET /products`) – Ventrata reads the operator's Zaui products, options and units to fill the dropdowns on the Mappings tab. What this means for you: if something is missing from the dropdown, the operator hasn't made it available to you in Zaui. Ask them to.
Content Sync	❌	Ventrata doesn't import product content from Zaui. Ventrata doesn't import product content from Zaui. You create and describe the products in Ventrata yourself.
Availability Sync	✅	With Backend Availability on, Ventrata checks the operator's live availability in Zaui. This works as follows: Availability Check (`POST /availability`) – when someone uses the availability calendar in Ventrata, for example in the Dashboard, your web checkout or a terminal, Ventrata asks Zaui live for the dates on screen. With Backend Availability on, Ventrata makes a live request to Zaui when a user interacts with the availability calendar (dashboard, web checkout, terminal and so on). Requests are usually for a 7-day range or a specific day. The calendar may show cached, non-live data from the previous request until the user interacts with it. Typically with Zaui: Requests cover 7 days at a time, from today up to about a year ahead, as people browse and as Ventrata loads the calendar. What this means for you: customers book against the operator's live Zaui availability, so you can't oversell a slot the operator has already sold elsewhere.
Pricing Sync	✅	With Backend Pricing on, Ventrata takes prices from Zaui. This works as follows: Availability Check with the `octo/pricing` capability – Ventrata asks Zaui for prices with each availability request. With Backend Pricing on, Ventrata pulls both retail and net (wholesale) pricing from Zaui in the same live availability request. Pricing is shown to the user and cached/stored in Ventrata as API generated fares. Net pricing is recorded as cost pricing, regardless of the cost percentage set on the operator. With Backend Pricing off, the product uses the prices you set in Ventrata, and bookings still post to Zaui. Zaui sends both retail and net prices. With Backend Pricing ticked, Ventrata records the retail price as your selling price and the net price as your cost price, whatever cost percentage is set on the operator.
Promotions Sync	❌	Promotions aren't sent to Zaui. Promotions aren't sent to Zaui. Your Ventrata promotions still apply to the price your customer pays in Ventrata.
Bookings Sync	✅	Bookings made in Ventrata for a backend-connected product are created in the operator's Zaui account. This works as follows: Hold: Booking Reservation (`POST /bookings`) – when the product is added to the cart in Ventrata, Ventrata reserves the places in Zaui. Confirm: Booking Confirmation (`POST /bookings/{uuid}/confirm`) – after payment, Ventrata confirms the booking in Zaui with the customer's contact details, and the ticket or voucher Zaui returns becomes the Ventrata ticket or voucher. Change: Booking Update (`PATCH /bookings/{uuid}`) – changes made in Ventrata are sent to Zaui. Cancel: Booking Cancellation (`POST /bookings/{uuid}/cancel`) – cancellations made in Ventrata are sent to Zaui. Reserve when a product is added to the cart. Confirm after payment, sending customer contact details; Zaui's voucher/ticket is ingested into Ventrata (except PDF_FILE, which Ventrata does not support). Updates and cancellations made in Ventrata are sent to Zaui. ‼️ IMPORTANT – Bookings sync one way, from Ventrata to Zaui. If the operator changes or cancels a booking in Zaui, Ventrata isn't notified. Ask the operator to tell you about any changes they make.
Pickups/Dropoff Sync	❌	Pickup and drop-off details aren't passed to Zaui. Pickup and drop-off details aren't passed to Zaui. Share them with the operator another way if a product needs them.
Custom Questions Sync	❌	Answers to your booking questions aren't passed to Zaui. Answers to your booking questions aren't passed to Zaui. Share them with the operator another way if they need them.
Extras Sync	❌	Extras and add-ons aren't booked in Zaui. Extras and add-ons aren't booked in Zaui. Only the main product, option and units are.
Redemption Sync	❌	Redemptions and other status changes in Zaui aren't sent back to Ventrata after a booking is confirmed. Redemptions and other status changes in Zaui aren't sent back to Ventrata after a booking is confirmed. Not supported. Booking status from Zaui, such as Redeemed, is not sent back to Ventrata after confirmation.
Pass Walkup Scanning Sync	❌	Pass walk-up scanning isn't available with Zaui. Pass walk-up scanning isn't available with Zaui.
Gift Card Sync	❌	Ventrata gift cards aren't passed to Zaui. Ventrata gift cards aren't passed to Zaui. Gift card payments stay in Ventrata.

✅ supported · ❌ not supported

Good to know: limits and details of the Zaui connection

Live availability: availability comes from Zaui as people browse.
One-way bookings: changes the operator makes in Zaui don't reach Ventrata.

FAQs

I get an error when I save the operator's backend configuration.

The OCTO API Key or endpoint is most likely incorrect. Check them with your operator. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

There's no Backend Connected box in the product settings.

The operator set on the product most likely doesn't have a backend configured. Check the operator's Backend Partner settings and try again. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

The product, option or unit I want to map isn't in the dropdown.

The dropdowns list what the operator has made available to you in Zaui. Ask the operator. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

Bookings fail for a backend-connected product.

Check the product's mapping first: every option and unit must be mapped. Then check that the slot is still available in Zaui. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

I get an error when saving the operator's backend configuration.

The OCTO API Key or OCTO Endpoint is most likely incorrect. Double-check them with your operator. If the issue persists, contact support.

There is no Backend Connected checkbox in the product settings.

The operator selected on the product most likely has no backend configured. Check the backend configuration and try again. If the issue persists, contact support.

Useful Resources

📚 More about Ventrata connections

Partner Information

Zaui Software Ltd.

Suite 423 - 119 Pender Street West

Vancouver, BC V6B 1S5, Canada

zaui.com

Ventrata Partner ID: 09fc078e-fea1-4519-92d4-5eef643ca954

Zaui: Operator Backend