Guide · For hotels, B&Bs and rentals
What is an MCP server, and what does it mean for hotels?
An MCP server is a service that lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools, for example to search for stays, check a property's availability and send a booking request. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that Anthropic released in November 2024. A hotel doesn't need to build its own: it can be listed on an existing booking MCP server such as Bookd's.
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What is MCP, in plain words?
Think of MCP as a standard plug between AI assistants and the outside world. An MCP server publishes a short list of tools, each with a name, a plain description and the details it needs. When someone asks their assistant for something, the assistant reads that list, picks the right tool, calls it and uses the answer in its reply. The server does the real work, using live data; the assistant handles the conversation.
Who created MCP, and which assistants support it?
Anthropic released MCP as an open standard on 25 November 2024 (Anthropic's announcement). The specification is public at modelcontextprotocol.io. Claude supports MCP servers as custom connectors, and ChatGPT supports them as custom connectors on plans that offer them. Support depends on the assistant and the plan, and other AI apps are adding it too.
What's the difference between an API and an MCP server?
An API is built for developers: someone has to write code against it, separately for every app that uses it. An MCP server describes its tools in a way an AI assistant can discover and use by itself, with no custom code for each assistant. Many MCP servers sit on top of an existing API. Bookd's MCP server sits on top of Bookd's own booking system.
What can an AI assistant do with a hotel MCP server?
Here is a real example. Bookd's MCP server is at https://mcp.bookd.direct/mcp, and these are the tools it gives an assistant:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
search_stays | Read-only. Finds Bookd properties for a place, dates and number of guests. Only properties with a room or unit available on every night come back, cheapest first, with the nightly price, the total including any cleaning fee and taxes, and the cancellation policy. |
get_property | Read-only. Full details of one property: description, photos, amenities, house rules, check-in and check-out times, rooms or units, prices and cancellation policy. |
check_availability | Read-only. Live availability and prices for one property and dates. Bookd re-reads the property's calendars first. Nothing is booked or held. |
request_booking | Sends a booking request to the property, only after the guest has confirmed the room, dates and number of guests and given their name and email. The property is emailed and accepts or declines; the guest hears back by email. |
booking_status | Read-only. Whether a booking is requested, accepted, declined, expired or cancelled, with dates, room and price. It returns no guest personal data. |
cancel_booking | Cancels a booking for the guest. It first shows what the property's own cancellation policy means for this booking, and only cancels once the guest explicitly agrees. The dates are freed and the property and guest are emailed. |
So a guest can ask "find a B&B in Doolin for two nights next weekend". The assistant calls search_stays, shows the matches with live prices, checks dates with check_availability, and, once the guest has confirmed the details, sends the request with request_booking. The property then accepts or declines.
Does an MCP server replace my PMS, booking engine or channel manager?
No. It sits on top of them. Your own system stays the source of truth. Bookd reads availability from your calendar link (iCal), Beds24 or Apaleo, and bookings you accept are written back to Beds24 or Apaleo, or block your other calendars through your Bookd calendar link.
Who confirms the booking and takes payment?
On Bookd, the property. The assistant only sends a request; nothing is booked until the property accepts it. The property takes payment, the stay contract is between the guest and the property, and the property's own cancellation policy applies. Bookd never holds guest money or handles refunds or disputes.
Should a small hotel build its own MCP server?
Usually not. You would need to build it, host it, keep it secure, keep availability accurate and handle booking requests safely, and guests would still have to find and add it to their assistant. Being listed on an existing booking MCP server gets you the same result without any of that work.
What's happening with MCP in hotel tech?
Hotel systems are starting to adopt it. In September 2025 the property management platform Apaleo launched an MCP server aimed at hotel operations, so AI agents can work across hotel systems for hotel teams. That is a different job from a guest-facing booking server like Bookd's, which helps travellers find a property and send a booking request.
Questions
Is MCP the same as a ChatGPT plugin?
No. Plugins were a format for one assistant. MCP is an open standard, so one MCP server can work with several AI assistants that support it.
Can ChatGPT book a hotel?
It can send a booking request through a connector such as Bookd's, if the guest has added it (on ChatGPT plans that support custom connectors). On Bookd, the property then confirms the booking and takes payment.
Is guest data safe?
Bookd's tools only pass on what a booking needs: the guest's name and email (and phone, if they give it) go to the property so it can confirm. The booking status tool returns no guest personal data, and guests are never asked for card details in the chat.
Does my hotel need its own MCP server?
No. Building and running one takes development, security work and upkeep, and guests would still need to find and add it. A small hotel can be listed on an existing booking MCP server such as Bookd's instead.
How do I get my property onto Bookd's MCP server?
Create your listing at partners.bookd.direct. It is self-serve. Once your property is live, it is available through the Bookd connector automatically. No fees whatsoever, only 5% commission on bookings Bookd generates.
Is Bookd in the ChatGPT or Claude directories?
Not yet. Our listing in Claude's connector directory is under review, and Bookd is not in ChatGPT's app directory yet. Guests can add the Bookd connector by hand today.
ChatGPT and Claude are trademarks of their respective owners; Bookd is not affiliated with them. Apaleo is a trademark of its owner. Bookd is operated by Caius Data LLC, Sheridan, Wyoming, USA.
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