Dirs21 Basics for Hotel Managers

Dirs21 (dirs21.de) is a hotel property management system and channel manager developed by Dirs21 GmbH in Munich. It is widely used by independent and boutique hotels, particularly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This guide covers the basics of the Dirs21 platform for hotel managers who are new to the system or who want to understand it more deeply before adding third-party modules.

The Dirs21 Dashboard

After logging in, the Dirs21 dashboard provides an overview of: today's arrivals and departures, current occupancy, open reservations requiring action, and recent channel alerts (e.g. OTA bookings that need attention). The left sidebar navigates to the main functional areas.

Reservation Management

The Reservations module is where all bookings appear — whether from OTAs, direct phone bookings entered manually, or direct online bookings. Each reservation record shows: guest name, contact details, room type, dates, rate, source channel, and payment status. You can add notes, attach documents and log any guest communications.

Rate and Inventory Management

Under Rates, you manage your room types and rate plans. Each room type has a total inventory count. Rate plans define the pricing shown on OTAs. Most Dirs21 users have a Best Available Rate (BAR) plan plus derived plans (Non-Refundable, Advance Purchase) that automatically calculate as a percentage of BAR.

Channel Manager

The channel manager section shows the status of all connected OTA channels: last sync time, any errors, and the channel-specific mapping of your room types and rate plans. This is where you connect new OTA channels and monitor distribution health.

API Access for Third-Party Modules

Dirs21 provides a REST API that allows third-party software (like CockpitShop modules) to read and write reservation, rate and availability data. API access is typically available on standard Dirs21 subscriptions — navigate to Settings → API Access to enable and manage API keys.

Getting More from Dirs21 with Third-Party Modules

Dirs21's native features cover the core PMS and channel management functions well. For more advanced capabilities — dynamic pricing automation, accounting exports, guest messaging, competitor rate monitoring — CockpitShop's module catalog provides 10 ready-to-connect integrations that extend your Dirs21 account's functionality.