This connection is in testing and may not be available to all users.
Universal Destinations & Experiences, formerly Universal Parks & Resorts, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company operates several major parks around the world, each offering a mix of thrilling rides, family attractions, and entertainment experiences.
SmartOrder is a custom web API layer on top of Galaxy (Gateway Ticketing) ticketing system hosted and managed by Universal Studios Hollywood and enables API connectivity with resellers of Universal Studios Hollywood and other select Universal parks.
This operator connection (also referred to as backend) allows Ventrata users to connect with Universal Studios Hollywood (and other select Universal parks) to resell their products more efficiently and automatically. The capabilities of this connection include:
Syncing availability from your Universal's SmartOrder system.
Posting bookings, updates, and cancellations from Ventrata to SmartOrder.
Receiving vouchers/tickets from SmartOrder and issuing them to your customers..
The Universal's SmartOrder API used for this connection is a custom API that does not follow the 
OCTO API standard, which may limit certain functionality and capabilities.
Configuring Operator Backend
Before You Begin:
Setup commercial relationship with Universal. Please be aware that to use this connection you must be on a prepayment account with Universal. Arranged credit is not currently supported by this connection.
Ensure the Universal park/attraction whose products you want to resell is created as an operator in Ventrata.
Ensure the products of this operator are created in Ventrata. The connection can sync availability, pricing, bookings, but it does not automatically create products in Ventrata.
Universal usually requires that the tickets you issue to customers follow a specific format. Please obtain specific requirements from your Universal contact and configure Voucher Template as per these requirements before configuring the connection.
Contact Universal to obtain your SmartOrder API production credentials. You will need:
Universal SmartOrder Customer ID
Universal SmartOrder Client ID
Universal SmartOrder Client Secret
In the Ventrata Dashboard, navigate to Products → Operators, and select the operator for which you would like to set up the connection.
In the Backend Partner section, choose Universal SmartOrder from the list of available connections and enter the API credentials received.
Click Update Operator to save the configuration.
Mapping Products
Once the operator has been configured with its backend, you can proceed to Product Mapping—the process of connecting your Ventrata products and options with the corresponding products (PLUs) from the Universal's SmartOrder system:
In the Ventrata Dashboard, navigate to Products → Products and select the product you would like to map to Universal's SmartOrder.
Edit the product and ensure the Operator is set to the correct operator to which this product belongs, where you have already configured the backend.
Check Backend Connected for this product to use the API connection (backend). To pull availability from Universal's SmartOrder, 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 Universal's SmartOrder. Click Update Product to save.
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 (PLUs) from the dropdown lists as received from Universal's SmartOrder. Ensure that no fields are left empty (unmapped), and click Save Changes.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Solutions |
Error when updating operator to save backend configuration. | Likely SmartOrder API production credentials (Customer ID, Client ID, Client Secret) are not valid. Double-check these details with your Universal. If issue persists, contact us for support. |
No Backend Connected checkbox in product settings. | Likely operator selected for the product doesn't have backend configured, check backend configuration and try again. If issue persists, contact us for support. |
The product (PLU) I want to map is not on the dropdown. | Dropdown list is pulled from SmartOrder based PLUs Universal made available to you. Double-check these details with your them if you're missing a specific product. |
Partner Information
Universal City Development Partners, Ltd. d/b/a Universal Orlando Resort, Universal City Studios LLC d/b/a Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios LLC d/b/a Universal CityWalk Hollywood, Universal City Travel Partners d/b/a Universal Parks & Resorts Vacation
1000 Universal Studios Plaza
Orlando, FL 32819, USA
Ventrata Partner ID a918dfee-fc29-46f9-b017-b00be9331dbf