Use this article to connect your Understory account to the Viator integration, set up your experiences so availability syncs automatically, receive Viator bookings directly in Understory, and disconnect Viator if you need to. Viator is one of the world's largest experience marketplaces. Once the Viator integration is connected, a guest who books on Viator appears in Understory just like any other booking — with no manual entry needed.
To set up the Viator integration you need access to Company settings in Understory (typically an account owner or admin) and a Viator Supplier account.
What you need before connecting Viator
Before you connect Viator, make sure you have these two things in place:
A Viator Supplier account. If you don't have a Viator Supplier account yet, sign up at https://supplier.viator.com/sign-up.
Your experiences created in both Understory and Viator. The Viator integration links experiences that already exist in both systems — it does not create experiences for you in either system. You can connect your account first and create your Viator experiences afterwards, but the experiences must exist in both Understory and Viator before you can finish the integration.
You'll also need your Viator API key (the access key that authorizes the connection) and your Supplier ID (your unique Viator supplier identifier). You'll find both in your Viator Supplier portal during setup, as described in the next section.
How to connect Viator in Understory
To connect the Viator integration in Understory, follow these steps:
Go to Company settings > Integrations in Understory, find Viator in the list of integrations, and click Get started.
Click Connect. A dialog appears explaining the prerequisites. When you're ready, click Ready to connect.
Enter your Viator credentials inside Understory. Open your Viator Supplier portal, go to your account's API / connectivity settings, and copy your Viator API key and Supplier ID. Paste both into Understory and click confirm.
Once your credentials are accepted, you're connected. Understory shows a list of all your live Understory experiences. You now need to set up each experience you want to sync to Viator, as described below.
If your credentials are not accepted, double-check that the API key and Supplier ID are copied exactly from your Viator Supplier portal with no extra spaces.
How to set up an experience for Viator
After connecting the Viator integration, set up each experience you want to sell on Viator. For every experience, there are three steps:
Map your tickets to Viator ticket types
Create product options (each with a name, description, location, and languages)
Select each product option in Viator
Step 1: Map your tickets to Viator ticket types
To map your tickets, click an experience in the list, then click + Product option. If you haven't mapped your tickets for this experience yet, Understory asks you to do that first.
Viator uses fixed ticket types (Adult, Child, Youth, Senior, and similar) instead of custom names, so you need to tell Understory which of your tickets corresponds to which Viator type. Understory tickets are flexible and not tied to a specific type — Understory sells tickets individually, in pairs, or in groups, whereas Viator only allows tickets to be sold individually or in groups.
To sell tickets individually on Viator:
Select Individual.
Map each of your Understory tickets to one Viator ticket type.
Map at least one ticket to Adult — Adult is required.
Use each Viator ticket type only once. If you have two "adult-like" ticket types, map them to different Viator categories (for example, Adult and Senior).
Set a ticket to Don't sync if you don't want it sold on Viator. A ticket set to Don't sync stays bookable through your Understory storefront.
To sell tickets as group tickets on Viator:
Select Group.
Select the ticket that should be purchased when a group books via Viator.
This ticket is mapped to the GROUP type in Viator.
If an experience has only one ticket type, Understory maps it to Viator automatically.
Understory does not have a true "group ticket" concept, so Viator group tickets are sold as groups of 1 (one person per group). This is required to control availability at the event and resource level.
Step 2: Create product options for the experience
After mapping your tickets, create the product options for the experience. Product options are how Viator organizes variations of an experience — for example different locations, different languages, or other variations.
To create each product option in Understory:
Choose a name. Understory suggests a default name based on your location and experience name, which you can customize.
Add a description. Write a short description for the product option.
Select a location. Pick which of your Understory locations this product option is for.
Select languages. Choose which languages this product option covers. Pick No language if you haven't set a language on your events in Understory — Viator then receives availability for all events that have no specified language.
Click Complete. The product option is created and becomes available to select in Viator.
After you click Complete, the product option can take up to 1 hour to appear in Viator. If you don't see it in Viator right away, wait up to 1 hour and check again.
Step 3: Select the product option in Viator
The final step is to select each product option in Viator. Unlike some other channels, Viator doesn't use a product ID that you copy and paste. Instead, once you create a product option in Understory, it appears in a list inside Viator on the matching product (within approximately 1 hour) and you select it there.
Go to your Viator Supplier portal.
Open the product (experience) you want to connect.
Find the product's connectivity / reservation system settings.
Select Understory as the reservation system.
Choose the matching product option from the list.
Repeat for each product option you created in Understory.
Selecting the product option in Viator is what links your Understory experience to Viator. Until you select it in Viator, availability won't sync and bookings won't flow through.
How the Viator integration works once connected
Once the Viator integration is connected and your experiences are set up, here's how it behaves:
Availability syncs instantly. When events are created, updated, or booked in Understory, the updated availability is pushed to Viator immediately.
Bookings flow into Understory. When a guest books your experience on Viator, the booking appears automatically in your normal bookings list in Understory, with a label showing that the booking came from Viator.
Viator handles guest communication. Confirmation emails, reminders, and other guest-facing messages for Viator bookings are sent by Viator, not by Understory. You won't see Understory send emails for Viator bookings — this is expected behavior.
Prices are managed in Viator. Set your prices in the Viator portal. Prices in Understory and Viator are independent and do not need to match.
Things to know about the Viator integration
Keep these requirements and limitations of the Viator integration in mind:
Experiences must exist in both systems. The Viator integration syncs between Understory and Viator — it does not create experiences for you on either platform.
Each variation needs its own product option. If you offer an experience at multiple locations, in multiple languages, or as different variations, create a separate product option for each one in Understory and select the matching product option in Viator.
Ticket mapping changes require attention. If you add or change ticket types on an experience in Understory, update the Viator ticket mapping. Go to the experience detail page and click Ticket settings to review it.
Only time-based experiences are supported. Experiences that run at specific start times work with Viator. Full-day activities without a specific start time are not currently supported by the Viator integration.
You can also connect to Tripadvisor. When you create a product in Viator, you can also connect it to Tripadvisor. Viator provides a full guide for this in their own help center. When everything is connected, availability syncs between Understory, Viator, and Tripadvisor.
How to disconnect Viator
To disconnect your Viator account from Understory:
Go to Company settings > Integrations > Viator.
Click the three-dot menu in the top right.
Click Disconnect.
Disconnecting Viator resets your Viator setup and removes your stored API credentials. If you reconnect later, you'll need to configure your product options and ticket mappings again.
Viator integration FAQs
Will guests who book on Viator get a confirmation email from Understory?
No. For Viator bookings, Viator sends all guest communication, including confirmation emails and reminders. Understory does not send emails for bookings made through Viator, and this is expected.
Do my prices in Understory and Viator need to match?
No. Prices in Understory and Viator are managed independently. Set your Viator prices in the Viator portal — they do not need to match your Understory prices.
How long does it take for a product option to appear in Viator?
After you create a product option in Understory, it can take up to 1 hour to appear in the list inside Viator. If it hasn't appeared, wait up to 1 hour and check again before selecting it on the matching Viator product.
Why aren't my availability and bookings syncing with Viator?
The most common reason availability doesn't sync and bookings don't flow through is that the product option hasn't been selected in Viator yet. Open the product in your Viator Supplier portal, set Understory as the reservation system, and choose the matching product option. Also confirm the experience exists in both Understory and Viator.
Why are my Viator group tickets sold as groups of 1?
Understory does not have a true "group ticket" concept, so Viator group tickets are sold as groups of 1 (one person per group). This is necessary so Understory can control availability at the event and resource level.
Can I sell full-day experiences on Viator?
No. The Viator integration currently supports only time-based experiences that run at specific start times. Full-day activities without a specific start time are not supported.
Did this answer your question about the Viator integration? If not, please reach out to us in the chat window at the bottom right and we'll be happy to help.