Associate Director – Hotel API Commercials

AIRIQ B2B ONLINE; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

AIRQ B2B Online private Limited is seeking an Associate Director – Hotel API Commercials to lead the commercial strategy for inward hotel API supply and outward API distribution.

You will manage partnerships with hotel aggregators, bed banks and OTAs, negotiate terms, optimize margins, and govern supplier and buyer contracts to drive profitability.

8–10 years in hotel API distribution are required; graduate in business or hospitality with an MBA preferred.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of relevant hotel API distribution experience.
• Experience managing inward and outward hotel API commercials.
• Relationships with hotel API suppliers and OTAs.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate hotel API suppliers based on coverage, portfolio, rates, inventory and viability.
• Negotiate supply agreements including net rates, discounts, commissions and incentives.
• Set deposits, credit limits, payment schedules and refund timelines.
• Evaluate rate conditions and restrictions across categories and nationalities.
• Secure competitive domestic and international inventory.
• Compare overlapping supply for comparable room types and conditions.
• Review terms and renegotiate based on performance and potential.
• Develop commercial structures for distributing inventory to B2B API buyers.
• Establish pricing for pre-purchased hotels and API inventory.
• Negotiate buyer mark-ups, deposits, credit terms and settlement cycles.
• Develop partner-specific arrangements based on demand and potential.
• Define markets, channels and redistribution rights per agreements.
• Support API Sales in acquiring and growing accounts.
• Review profitability and renegotiate unsustainable arrangements.
• Own revenue targets and margins for the API portfolio.
• Evaluate profitability after costs and currency charges.
• Set mark-ups, minimum margins and promotional pricing.
• Coordinate pricing with Revenue across levels.
• Identify margin leakage from rate config and tax treatment.
• Ensure outward bookings reflect inward obligations.
• Prepare business cases for new partnerships.
• Lead negotiations with Finance, Legal and Leadership.

Skills

Negotiation

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

MBA (preferred)

Bachelor’s in business/commerce/hospitality

Job description

Inward Hotel Supply & Outward API Distribution Management

Company: AIRIQ B2B Online private Limited

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 8–10 years in management of hotel API commercials

Role Overview

The Associate Director – Hotel API Commercials will lead the commercial strategy and management of AIRIQ’s inward hotel API supply and outward hotel API distribution.

On the inward side, the role will manage commercial partnerships with hotel aggregators, bed banks, OTAs offering B2B hotel supply, hotel chains and other accommodation suppliers connected through APIs. On the outward side, the role will oversee commercial arrangements for distributing AIRIQ’s hotel inventory to OTAs, bed banks, travel platforms, travel management companies and other hotel API buyers.

The position will be responsible for securing competitive hotel supply, developing profitable distribution partnerships, improving margins and managing commercial and financial exposure.

Key Responsibilities

1. Inward Hotel API Supply Commercials

• Identify and evaluate hotel API suppliers based on destination coverage, hotel portfolio, rate competitiveness, inventory availability and commercial viability.
• Negotiate hotel supply agreements covering net rates, discounts, commissions, production-linked incentives and overrides.
• Finalise supplier deposits, credit limits, payment schedules, settlement currencies and refund timelines.
• Evaluate rate conditions covering room categories, occupancy, meal plans, taxes, mandatory supplements, cancellation policies and nationality or residency restrictions.
• Secure competitive domestic and international hotel inventory across relevant destinations and customer segments.
• Compare overlapping supply on equivalent room types, meal plans, cancellation conditions and total payable prices.
• Review supplier production and renegotiate commercial terms based on business delivered and future potential.

2. Outward Hotel API Distribution Commercials

• Develop commercial structures for distributing AIRIQ’s hotel inventory to B2B API buyers.
• Establish pricing arrangements for pre-purchased hotels, directly contracted hotels and inventory sourced through hotel APIs.
• Negotiate buyer mark‑ups, commissions, incentives, deposits, credit terms, settlement cycles and production commitments.
• Develop partner‑specific commercial arrangements based on destination demand, sales potential and expected contribution.
• Define permitted markets, sales channels and onward redistribution rights in line with supplier agreements.
• Support API Sales and Relationship Management teams in acquiring, activating and growing productive accounts.
• Review buyer profitability and renegotiate commercially unsustainable arrangements.

3. Hotel API Pricing and Profitability

• Own agreed revenue, room‑night, margin and contribution targets for the hotel API portfolio.
• Evaluate profitability after supplier costs, buyer incentives, connectivity and mapping charges, payment costs and foreign exchange costs.
• Establish guidelines for mark‑ups, minimum margins, promotional pricing and commercial exceptions.
• Coordinate hotel‑level, destination‑level and partner‑level pricing with Revenue.
• Identify margin leakage arising from incorrect rate configuration, currency conversion, tax treatment or cancellation charges.
• Ensure outward booking, cancellation and refund commitments appropriately reflect inward supplier obligations.
• Prepare commercial business cases for new hotel API partnerships and integrations.

4. Agreements and Commercial Governance

• Lead commercial negotiations and coordinate agreement reviews with Finance, Legal and Leadership.
• Ensure agreements clearly define booking confirmation, rate revalidation, amendments, cancellations, no‑shows, refunds and settlement obligations.
• Negotiate responsibility for failed or duplicate bookings, incorrect rates, overbooking, denied check‑in and guest relocation.
• Define escalation procedures and financial responsibility for hotel service failures.
• Ensure hotel rates are distributed in accordance with agreed market, channel and rate‑display restrictions.
• Maintain records of agreements, renewals, deposits, incentives and contractual commitments.
• Ensure commitments remain within approved commercial policies and authority limits.

5. Supplier and Buyer Performance Management

• Conduct regular commercial reviews with inward hotel suppliers and outward API buyers.
• Monitor searches, availability, conversion, room nights, cancellations, booking failures and net contribution.
• Review search‑to‑book ratios and API usage charges with Technology and Sales to assess commercial viability.
• Identify the most competitive suppliers for priority hotels and destinations.
• Review non‑producing integrations and coordinate corrective action.
• Resolve commercial disputes affecting bookings, settlements or partner relationships.

6. Deposits, Credit and Settlements

• Coordinate supplier deposits, buyer credit limits and payment arrangements with Finance.
• Monitor utilisation of supplier advances and financial exposure across partners.
• Track booking‑level reconciliation, cancellation refunds, credit notes, debit notes and disputed charges.
• Support timely recovery of buyer receivables, supplier refunds and commercial claims.
• Review foreign currency settlement terms and associated exposure.
• Recommend corrective action where production, payment behaviour or service performance does not justify the financial commitment.

7. Cross-functional Leadership

• Work with Hotel Procurement to distribute pre‑purchased and directly contracted inventory through suitable API channels.
• Coordinate with Technology and Distribution on integration priorities, hotel mapping and commercial configuration.
• Work with Operations on booking fulfilment issues involving commercial liability.
• Guide API Sales and Relationship Management teams on pricing, negotiations and account profitability.
• Present hotel API performance, forecasts, partnership opportunities and commercial risks to Leadership.

Candidate Profile

• Graduate in business, commerce, hospitality or a related discipline; an MBA is preferred.
• 8–10 years of relevant experience in hotel API distribution, hotel aggregators, bed banks, OTA hotel supply or B2B accommodation distribution.
• Demonstrated experience managing both inward hotel API supplier commercials and outward hotel API buyer commercials.
• Established relationships with hotel API suppliers, bed banks, OTAs and accommodation distribution partners.
• Strong understanding of hotel room categories, occupancy, meal plans, rate conditions, cancellation policies, taxes and supplements.
• Experience negotiating hotel supply and distribution agreements, deposits, credit arrangements and production‑linked incentives.
• Ability to assess profitability at supplier, buyer, destination, hotel and booking levels.
• Working knowledge of hotel mapping, rate revalidation, booking confirmation and cancellation flows.
• Strong negotiation, financial analysis, stakeholder‑management and leadership skills.

Relevant hotel API commercial experience is essential. Experience limited to flight APIs or general travel sales does not meet the core requirements of this position.

Key Performance Indicators

• Hotel API revenue, room nights, gross margin and net contribution.
• Competitiveness of inward hotel rates and commercial terms.
• Profitability, growth and retention of outward API accounts.
• Productive hotel API suppliers and buyers activated.
• Distribution and utilisation of pre‑purchased and directly contracted hotel inventory.
• Supplier deposit utilisation and management of financial exposure.
• Buyer collections, supplier refund recovery and settlement ageing.
• Incentives and overrides earned and recovered.
• Reduction in pricing leakage and unresolved commercial disputes.
• Adherence to hotel supply agreements and redistribution conditions.