Your ads on Trovit Spain

Holiday rentals feed

Updated: 5th October 2011

If you own a Classified Ads website with public advertisements, include your listings in Trovit! Just follow these simple steps:

Prepare a UTF-8 XML feed in the format specified below
Download our XML Validator to ensure that your feed is Trovit friendly. The Validator will confirm that we can index your content correctly
Send us the URL link where we can read your XML feed (Example: http://www.yourdomain.com/trovit_feed.xml) through ourcontact form

Upon receiving your feed, we will index your ads in Trovit as soon as possible.

If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

XML feed format

Here are some simple guidelines for preparing an XML feed to include your ads on Trovit. If you would like additional information about the XML format, check out Wikipedia.

The feed should be written in UTF-8.

The file has a main <trovit> tag, which will include a set of ads: <ad></ad>. Each block (<ad></ad>) contains optional and required fields.

REQUIRED FIELDS

The following fields are required in the feed as they contain the minimum amount of information necessary for our system to include your ads in Trovit.

id: id of the ad on your website (numeric or alphanumeric, however it must be unique because we use it to avoid duplicate entries).
country: Code of the country where the lodging is located. See technical specs.
url: Tag that includes the URL of the ad on your page, in different languages. Each languages is defined by the <language> field:
- language: This tag includes the ‘code’ attribute that indicates the language in which it is written.
  The ‘code’ attribute follows ISO-639-1 rules to identify the language.
```
<url>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</url>
```

title: Tag that includes the title of the ad on your page, in different languages. Each language is defined by the <language> field:

<title>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</title>

See more information about this tag <language>.

content: This tag includes the lodging’s description in different languages (with a minimum of 30 characters). Please note that the quality of the description has a strong effect on the amount of visitors you will receive!
```
<content>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</content>
```
See more information on the <language> tag.

OPTIONAL FIELDS

Optional fields don’t have to be included if they don’t have any content. But if you do have this information on your site, don’t hesitate to add it to the XML feed. The Trovit algorithm prioritizes quality, so the more information your ad includes, the better your position in our search results.

type: Type of ad. The content of this field must be one of the following options:
- “Urban Rentals”: Urban holiday rental
- “Beach Rentals”: Beach holiday rental
- “Country House Rentals”: Country house rentals
- “Ski Rentals”: Mountain house rentals (in ski areas)
property_type: Property type. The content of this field must be one of the following options:
- “Apartment Hotel”: Apartment hotel
- “BB”: Bed and Breakfast
- “Bungalow”: Bungalow
- “Cabin”: Mountain cabin
- “Castle”: Castle
- “Cottage”: Cottage
- “Flat”: Flat, apartment
- “House”: House
- “Houseboat”: Houseboat
- “Mobile Home”: Mobile home
- “Riad”: Moroccan-style house with a courtyard
- “Studio”: Studio
- “Villa”: Villa

activities: Tag that includes the text description of the activities available close to the lodging, in different languages.

<activities>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</activities>

More information about the <language> tag.

transport_information: Tag that includes information about how to get to the lodging from main transportation points and about the area’s transportation options, in different languages.
```
<transport_information>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</transport_information>
```
See more information about the <language> tag.
distance_to: Tag that includes information about the distance from the accommodation to the beach, the city center, ski stations or golf courses. The fields that can be defined in the <distance_to> element are:
- beach: Distance between the rental and the beach (numeric field).
- center: Distance between the rental and the city center (numeric field).
- ski_slopes: Distance between the rental and the ski station (numeric field).
- golf_course: Distance between the rental and the golf course.
In all fields, the distance unit must be specified using the ‘unit’ attribute:
```
<distance_to>
    <beach unit="meters"><![CDATA[...]]></beach>
</distance_to>
```
‘Unit’ values are: “meters”, “kilometers” or “miles”.
zone_information: Tag that includes textual information about the area in different languages. You can provide information about the area in different seasons of the year.
```
<zone_information>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</zone_information>
```
See more information about the <language> tag.
address: Lodging address.
neighborhood: Neighborhood where the lodging is located.
city_area: Area of the city where the lodging is located.
city: City where the lodging is located.
region: Name of the region / province where the lodging is located.
zone: Tourist area where the lodging is located.
postcode: Postal code.
latitude: Latitude where the lodging is located. See technical specs for more information.
longitude: Longitude where the lodging is located. See technical specs for more information.
orientation: Text-form information about the orientation of the lodging (north, south, east, west, etc.).
agency: Name of the agency. See by_owner field for more information.
contact_name: Name of the renter or the agency’s contact person.
contact_email: Renter or agency’s e-mail address.
contact_telephone: Renter or agency’s phone number.
rate: Price of the rental, by periods. This tag includes fields to specify minimum, median and maximum price per period. If not otherwise specified, it’s considered a monthly price, but you can explicitly specifiy the period (daily, weekly or monthly) as an attribute in this tag. Fields to define in the tag <rate> tag are:
- low_season: Price of the rental in the specified period, low season.
- mid_season: Price of the rental in the specified period, mid-season.
- high_season: Price of the rental in the specified period, high season.
```
<rate period="weekly">
    <low_season><![CDATA[...]]></low_season>
    <mid_season><![CDATA[...]]></mid_season>
    <high_season><![CDATA[...]]></high_season>
</rate>
```
When prices are specified in a currency that isn’t the country’s official currency, you must use the ‘currency’ attribute. Values will be defined by the ISO-4217 rule. This way, Trovit can make the conversion to the official currency.
```
<rate period="weekly" currency="USD">
    <low_season><![CDATA[...]]></low_season>
    <mid_season><![CDATA[...]]></mid_season>
    <high_season><![CDATA[...]]></high_season>
</rate>
```
This will specify the prices by season for a weekly rental, in dollars. Don’t include the currency symbol next to the value.
extra_charges: Tag that includes textual information about additional costs to the rental, such as cleaning charges, parking charges, additional beds… in different languages.
```
<extra_charges>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</extra_charges>
```
See more information about the <language> tag.

payment_information: Tag that includes textual information about the different payment forms, in different languages.

<payment_information>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</payment_information>

See more information about the <language> tag.

booking_url: URL of the page where reservations can be made.

<booking_url>
    <language code="es"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="en"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    <language code="fr"><![CDATA[...]]></language>
        ...
</booking_url>

availability:: Rental availability. This tag includes the daily availability of the lodging, month on month. Information about availability is very important for users, and will have an impact on your position in Trovit’s search results. The field to define availability for a full month is <month>:
- month: Sequence of 0′s and 1′s (as many numbers as days in the month) that indicate if the lodging is available (0) or occupied (1) on a given day. This tag must include two attributes: a ‘value’ attribute that indicates the month and a ‘year’ attribute that indicates the year.
```
<availability>
    <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
    <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
</availability>
```
check_in_week_day: Day of the week where renters can check in. Rule ISO-8601 is followed, where 1 is Monday and 7 is Sunday.
```
<check_in_week_day><![CDATA[1]]></check_in_week_day>
```
In this case, check-in is on the first day of the week, i.e. Monday.
check_in_time: Minimum check-in time. Accepted format is HH:MM.
check_out_time: Maximum check-out time. Accepted format HH:MM.
minimum_stay: Minimum stay accepted by the renter (in number of days). Please set the value to zero (0) if there’s no limit.
max_people: Maximum number of persons who can stay at the lodging.
floor_area: Floor area of the property. If no unit is specified, the local unit will be used by default. The unit can also be specified with the ‘unit’ attribute:
```
<floor_area unit="feet"><![CDATA[...]]></floor_area>
```
The ‘unit’ values that you can use are: “meters” o “feet”.
plot_area: Area of the piece of land where the property is located. If no unit is specified, the local unit will be used by default. The unit can also be specified with the’unit’ attribute:
```
<plot_area unit="hectares"><![CDATA[...]]></plot_area>
```
The ‘unit’ values you can use in this case are: “meters”, “feet”, “acres” o “hectares”.
rooms: Number of rooms in the property.
bedrooms: Number of bedrooms in the property.
bathrooms: Number of bathrooms.
double_bed: Number of double beds.
single_bed: Number of single beds.
sofa_bed: Number of sofas that can be converted into beds.

pictures: This tag includes the images of the property.
The field that defines a specific image is <picture>:
- picture: This tag includes the fields to specify the URL and title of the image (title is optional).
  Fiels that must be defined in the <picture> tag are:
  - picture_url: Image URL.
  - picture_title: Image title.
```
<pictures>
    <picture>
        <picture_url><![CDATA[...]]></picture_url>
        <picture_title><![CDATA[...]]>/picture_title>
    </picture>

    <picture>
        <picture_url><![CDATA[...]]></picture_url>
        <picture_title><![CDATA[...]]>/picture_title>
    </picture>
        ...
</pictures>
```
The image that Trovit displays will be the first of the images included.
Choose the one that best showcases the property, as this has a large impact on user behaviour.

Trovit doesn’t allow the inclusion of corporate images with messages such as ‘Image not available’.
If Trovit detects images like those, it reserves the right to block your ads.

Once your ads are inserted in Trovit, the images associated to the ads can’t be modified, not even the next time we read your feed, so make sure the ads you add to your feed include the correct images.

comments: This tag includes the different comments about the lodging. It can also include a ‘score’ tag to indicate the score it has been given by users or by the page that advertises it. See technical specs for more information.
The field that defines a specific comment is <comment>:
- comment: This tag includes the fields to specify a title and the text of the ad. It can also include a ‘code’ attribute to indicate the language in which the comment is written.
  Fields to define in a <comment> element are:
  - comment_title: Title of the comment (in the language specified in the ‘code’ attribute, if it is specified).
  - comment_description: Text of the comment (in the language specified in the ‘code’ attribute, if it’s specified).
```
<comments>
    <comment code="...">
        <comment_title><![CDATA[...]]></comment_title>
        <comment_description><![CDATA[...]]></comment_description>
    </comment>

    <comment code="...">
        <comment_title><![CDATA[...]]></comment_title>
        <comment_description><![CDATA[...]]></comment_description>
    </comment>
    ...
</comments>
```
date: Date of the ad’s publication. The accepted format is DD/MM/AAAA.
time: Time of the ad’s publication. The accepted format is HH:MM o HH:MM:SS.

The following fields must be filled out on a true/false basis. See technical specs to know which values denote ‘false’ and which ‘true’.

by_owner: If the lodging is being offered directly by its owner. In case of being false, it means the lodging is being advertised by an agency.
cleaning_service: If there is a cleaning service or not.
complete_rental: If the lodging is fully offered or just a part of it.
gay_friendly: If the lodging is gay-friendly or not.
online_reservation: If the lodging can be reserved online or not.
pets: If pets are welcome or not.
reservation_guarantee: If the reservation is guaranteed or not.
smoking: If smoking is allowed or not.
air_conditioning: If A/C is available or not.
barbecue If the property has a barbecue or not.
bed_linen: If the lodging comes with bed linen or not.
central_heating: If the lodging offers central heating or not.
children_play_area: If the property has a children’s play area or not.
coffee_maker: If the lodging has a coffee maker or not.
cooking_utensils: If the lodging has cooking utensils or not.
cot: If the lodging has a baby’s crib or not.
dishwasher: If the lodging has a dishwasher or not.
dryer: If the lodging has a dryer or not.
dvd: If the lodging has a DVD player or not.
fan: If the lodging has a fan or not.
fireplace: If the lodging has a fireplace or not.
garden: If the lodging has a garden or not.
gym: If the lodging has a gym or not.
hairdryer: If the lodging has a hair dryer or not.
hi-fi: If the lodging has a hi-fi stereo or not.
internet: If the lodging offers an internet connection or not.
iron: If the lodging has an iron or not.
ironing_board: If the lodging has an ironing board or not .
kettle: If the lodging has a kettle or not.
kitchen: If the lodging has a kitchen or not.
lift: If the lodging has a lift/elevator or not.
microwave: If the lodging has a microwave or not.
mobile_heater: If the lodging has space heaters or not.
oven: If the lodging has an oven or not.
parking: If the lodging has parking or not.
pool: If the lodging has a swimming pool or not.
refrigerator: If the lodging has a refrigerator or not.
satellite_tv: If the lodging has satellite TV or not.
sauna: If the lodging has a sauna or not.
telephone: If the lodging has a telephone or not.
tennis_court: If the lodging has a tennis court or not.
terrace: If the lodging has a terrace or not.
toaster: If the lodging has a toaster or not.
towels: If the loding has towels or not.
tv If the lodging has a TV or not.
washing_machine: If the lodging has a washing machine or not.
wheelchair_access: If the lodging has wheelchair access or not.

The XML feed should look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<trovit>

<ad>
    <id><![CDATA[...]]></id>
    <country><![CDATA[...]]></country>
   <url>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </url>
    <title>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </title>
    <content>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </content>
    <type><![CDATA[...]]></type>

    <property_type><![CDATA[...]]></property_type>
    <activities>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </activities>
    <transport_information>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </transport_information>
    <distance_to>
        <beach unit="meters"><![CDATA[...]]></beach>
        <center unit="meters"><![CDATA[...]]></center>
        <ski_slopes unit="meters"><![CDATA[...]]><  /ski_slopes>
        <golf_course unit="meters"><![CDATA[...]]></golf_course>
    </distance_to>
    <zone_information>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </zone_information>

    <address><![CDATA[...]]></address>
    <neighborhood><![CDATA[...]]></neighborhood>
    <city_area><![CDATA[...]]></city_area>
    <city><![CDATA[...]]></city>
    <region><![CDATA[...]]></region>
    <zone><![CDATA[...]]></zone>
    <postcode><![CDATA[...]]></postcode>
    <latitude><![CDATA[...]]></latitude>
    <longitude><![CDATA[...]]></longitude>
    <orientation><![CDATA[...]]></orientation>

    <contact_email><![CDATA[...]]></contact_email>

  <rate period="weekly" currency="USD">
       <low_season><![CDATA[...]]></low_season>
       <mid_season><![CDATA[...]]></mid_season>
       <high_season><![CDATA[...]]></high_season>
    <extra_charges>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </extra_charges>
    <payment_information>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </payment_information>
    <booking_url>
        <language code="..."><![CDATA[...]]></language>
    </booking_url>

    <availability>
       <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
       <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
       <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
       <month value="..." year="..."><![CDATA[...]]></month>
    </availability>

    <check_in_week_day><![CDATA[...]]></check_in_week_day>
    <check_in_time><![CDATA[...]]></check_in_time>
    <check_out_time><![CDATA[...]]></check_out_time>
    <minimum_stay><![CDATA[...]]></minimum_stay>
    <max_people><![CDATA[...]]></max_people>
    <complete_rental><![CDATA[...]]></complete_rental>
    <online_reservation><![CDATA[...]]></online_reservation>
    <reservation_guarantee><![CDATA[...]]></reservation_guarantee>

    <floor_area unit="feet"><![CDATA[...]]></floor_area>
    <rooms><![CDATA[...]]></rooms>
    <bedrooms><![CDATA[...]]></bedrooms>
    <bathrooms><![CDATA[...]]></bathrooms>
    <double_bed><![CDATA[...]]></double_bed>
    <single_bed><![CDATA[...]]></single_bed>
    <sofa_bed><![CDATA[...]]></sofa_bed>

    <parking><![CDATA[...]]></parking>
    <cleaning_service><![CDATA[...]]></cleaning_service>
    <pets><![CDATA[...]]></pets>
    <toaster><![CDATA[...]]></toaster>

    ...

    <comments score="...">
        <comment code="...">
            <comment_title><![CDATA[...]]></comment_title>
            <comment_description><![CDATA[...]]></comment_description>
        </comment>

        <comment code="...">
            <comment_title><![CDATA[...]]></comment_title>
            <comment_description><![CDATA[...]]></comment_description>
        </comment>
        ...
    </comments>

    <pictures>
        <picture>
            <picture_url><![CDATA[...]]></picture_url>
            <picture_title><![CDATA[...]]></picture_title>
        </picture>

        <picture>
            <picture_url><![CDATA[...]]></picture_url>
            <picture_title><![CDATA[...]]></picture_title>
        </picture>
        ...
    </pictures>

    <date><![CDATA[...]]></date>
    <time><![CDATA[...]]></time>

</ad>

<ad>
    ...
</ad>

<ad>
    ...
</ad>

...

</trovit>

XML feed example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<trovit>

<ad>
    <id><![CDATA[7004578]]></id>
    <country><![CDATA[es]]></country>
    <url>
        <language code="es"><![CDATA[http://www.yourdomain.com/ad/7004578]]></language>
    </url>
    <title>
        <language code="en"><![CDATA[Wonderful 2-bedroom apartment on the beach]]></language>
    </title>
    <content>
        <language code="en"><![CDATA[Wonderful apartment in the heart of Montgat, close to Barcelona]]></language>
    </content>
    <type><![CDATA[Beach Rentals]]></type>

    <property_type><![CDATA[Apartment]]></property_type>

    <address><![CDATA[Av. Meridiana, 24]]></address>
    <neighborhood><![CDATA[Los Mallorquines]]></neighborhood>
    <city><![CDATA[Montgat]]></city>
    <region><![CDATA[Barcelona]]></region>
    <postcode><![CDATA[08390]]></postcode>
    <latitude><![CDATA[41.409583]]></latitude>
    <longitude><![CDATA[2.187223]]></longitude>

    <rate period="weekly" currency="USD">
        <low_season><![CDATA[400]]></low_season>
       <mid_season><![CDATA[520]]></mid_season>
       <high_season><![CDATA[660]]></high_season>
    </rate>

    <availability>
        <month value="1" year="2011"><![CDATA[1110000000111000011111001100111]]></month>
        <month value="2" year="2011"><![CDATA[1110000000111000011111001100]]></month>
        <month value="3" year="2011"><![CDATA[0000000000111000011111001100111]]></month>
        <month value="4" year="2011"><![CDATA[100110000011100001111100110011]]></month>
    </availability>

    <check_in_week_day><![CDATA[5]]></check_in_week_day>
    <check_in_time><![CDATA[14:00]]></check_in_time>
    <check_out_time><![CDATA[12:00]]></check_out_time>
    <minimum_stay><![CDATA[2]]></minimum_stay>
    <max_people><![CDATA[12]]></max_people>
    <complete_rental><![CDATA[1]]></complete_rental>
    <online_reservation><![CDATA[1]]></online_reservation>
    <reservation_guarantee><![CDATA[1]]></reservation_guarantee>

    <rooms><![CDATA[5]]></rooms>
    <bedrooms><![CDATA[4]]></bedrooms>
    <bathrooms><![CDATA[2]]></bathrooms>
    <parking><![CDATA[0]]></parking>

    <comments score="4">
        <comment code="en">
            <comment_title><![CDATA[Great stay]]></comment_title>
            <comment_description><![CDATA[We had a great time for a weekend by the beach. Montgat is very nicely located close to Barcelona and the apartment is conveniently situated. Great service from the owners]]></comment_description>
        </comment>
    </comments>

    <distance_to>
        <beach unit="meters"><![CDATA[100]]></beach>
        <center unit="kilometers"><![CDATA[1]]></center>
    </distance_to>

    <pictures>
        <picture>
            <picture_url><![CDATA[http://www.yourdomain.com/image.jpg]]></picture_url>
            <picture_title><![CDATA[living room]]></picture_title>
        </picture>
    </pictures>

    <date><![CDATA[01/01/2011]]></date>
    <time><![CDATA[18:30]]></time>
</ad>
</trovit>

Technical specifications

For more information, click here: See technical specs.