Travelstart Hotels Scraper: Extract Hotel Listings & Pricing Data

---

What Is Travelstart?

Travelstart is one of Africa's leading online travel agencies, operating across multiple markets including Nigeria (travelstart.com.ng) and South Africa (travelstart.co.za). Its accommodation platform lists hotels, guesthouses, lodges, and other property types across the continent, with detailed profiles covering pricing, amenities, ratings, and availability.

Manually collecting this data at scale is impractical. The Travelstart Hotels Scraper automates extraction from Travelstart's hotel search and listing pages, delivering clean, structured records ready for analysis or integration.

---

Overview

The Travelstart Hotels Scraper targets hotel search result pages (e.g., all accommodation in South Africa) and extracts comprehensive property records. It is suited for:

• Travel aggregators building or refreshing hotel inventory databases
• Market researchers analyzing accommodation supply by region or type
• Revenue managers benchmarking star ratings, pricing ranks, and review scores
• Developers powering hotel recommendation engines with rich property metadata

The scraper supports bulk URL input, configurable item limits, and fault-tolerant runs via ignore_url_failures.

---

Input Format

{
  "ignore_url_failures": true,
  "max_items_per_url": 200,
  "urls": [
    "https://www.travelstart.co.za/accommodation/in/south-africa"
  ]
}

Field	Type	Description
urls	array	One or more Travelstart hotel search/listing URLs to scrape. Paste individually or use bulk edit. Example: https://www.travelstart.co.za/accommodation/in/south-africa
max_items_per_url	integer	Maximum number of hotel records to collect per URL. Default: 20. Set higher (e.g., 200) for broader market sweeps.
ignore_url_failures	boolean	If true, the run continues even if individual URLs fail. Recommended for bulk jobs. Default: true.

Tip: To target Nigerian listings, use travelstart.com.ng equivalents. Both domains share a similar URL structure.

---

Output Format

Sample output

{
  "id": "96ec6280-61b7-40af-9a56-d54ffa2e54ca",
  "provider_keys": [
    "NB"
  ],
  "provider_product_map": {
    "n_b": "13553"
  },
  "hotel_chain": null,
  "name": "Granny Mouse Country House",
  "description": "Granny Mouse Country House and Spa is in the magnificent Caversham Valley in Balgowan and surrounded by gardens overlooking conservancy areas on the Lion's River. This classic Country House hotel, with its reputation for excellence, is located an hour and a half from Durban and four and a half hours from Johannesburg.  \n  \n Award winning restaurant",
  "hotel_phone": "+27 (033)2344071",
  "hotel_email": "online@grannymouse.co.za",
  "longitude": 30.0967025756836,
  "latitude": -29.4227031711616,
  "address": "R103\r, Old Main Road\r, Balgowan",
  "city_town": null,
  "province_state": null,
  "country": null,
  "location_path": "South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Balgowan",
  "location_display_string": "Balgowan",
  "rank": 113,
  "star_rating": 0,
  "max_occupancy": 58,
  "children_allowed": true,
  "average_room_count": 29,
  "check_in_time": "2025-10-08T14:00:00Z",
  "check_out_time": "2025-10-08T10:00:00Z",
  "search_order_rank": 15,
  "price_rank": 2250,
  "review_rating": 0,
  "internal_rating": 0,
  "price_availability": [
    {
      "internal_classification_id": "CID_DeluxeRoomRiverView",
      "room_type_name": "Deluxe Room River View",
      "description": null,
      "images": [],
      "features": null,
      "room_price_result": [
        {
          "provider_key": "NB",
          "upstream_provider_key": "",
          "provider_room_packages": [
            {
              "provider_key": "NB",
              "upstream_provider_key": "",
              "room_id": "21/$$$$$$/1ee807a8-8094-454a-92b0-625bbc11493f",
              "room_type_name": "Deluxe Room River View",
              "check_in_time": "14:00",
              "check_out_time": "10:00",
              "description": "",
              "room_description": [
                "These rooms all have private decks overlooking the Lion's River and fireplaces. King-size beds can be converted to two singles. The bathrooms have both walk-in showers and corner baths. All rooms have DSTV, mini bars, telephone and tea & coffee facilities"
              ],
              "quantity": 0,
              "max_adults": 2,
              "max_children": 1,
              "max_child_age": 0,
              "images": null,
              "features": null,
              "upsells": null,
              "quantity_available": 10,
              "prices": [
                {
                  "price_for": {
                    "room_id": null,
                    "adults": 2,
                    "child_ages": [
                      0
                    ],
                    "children": 0
                  },
                  "price_variations": [
                    {
                      "booking_code": "21",
                      "description": "Bed & Breakfast",
                      "price": 2250,
                      "conversion_rate": 0,
                      "base_price": 0,
                      "base_currency": null,
                      "payment_price": 0,
                      "payment_currency": null,
                      "payment_conversion_rate": 0,
                      "nett_price": 1860,
                      "recommended_retail_price": 2250,
                      "final_price": 2250,
                      "discount_provider": null,
                      "special": null,
                      "cancellation_policy": [
                        {
                          "from": "2026-05-26T14:19:47.522Z",
                          "to": "2026-05-26T22:00:00Z",
                          "amount": 0,
                          "liable_for_percent": 1.0,
                          "remarks": null,
                          "unstructured_policy": null
                        }
                      ],
                      "tax_exclusive_price": null,
                      "is_breakfast_included": true,
                      "per_room_price": 2250
                    }
                  ],
                  "currency_code": "ZAR"
                }
              ],
              "special_leads": null,
              "cancellation_policy": [
                {
                  "from": "2026-05-26T14:19:47.522Z",
                  "to": "2026-05-26T22:00:00Z",
                  "amount": 0,
                  "liable_for_percent": 1.0,
                  "remarks": null,
                  "unstructured_policy": null
                }
              ],
              "package_info": {
                "is_bundle": false,
                "room_count": 1,
                "per_room_name": "Deluxe Room River View",
                "package_id": null
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "internal_classification_result": "FirstOneFound"
    }
  ],
  "accommodation_type": [
    "Hotel"
  ],
  "important_information": "",
  "reviews": [
    {
      "name": "David Cory",
      "subject": "Very enjoyable",
      "description": "Enjoyed our weekend.  Good spa, food was tasty and well presented, accommodation very comfortable. Even saw the snow! Staff were very friendly.",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "john  meijer, South Africa",
      "subject": "Excellent",
      "description": "We had an excellent stay.  Good breakfast.  The upgrade was greatly appreciated.",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Neil Sheldon, South Africa",
      "subject": "Out of this world!",
      "description": "I was last at Granny Mouse around 3 years ago, and this stay was even better than I remembered. All of the staff are so friendly and helpful. The champagne upon arrival, the incredible food, the fireplace in our room, the Spa, dinner in the wine cellar, delicious breakfast.  ",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Marija Saunders, South Africa",
      "subject": "5 star experience, 4 star rating",
      "description": "The GMCH team provides a personalized high quality service with much attention to detail. This includes the housekeeping, gardens, restaurants, spa and all around services of the country estate. This was my most enjoyed holiday stay ever. Well done GMCH team!",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Robynne Dunkley, South Africa",
      "subject": "Stunning!",
      "description": "Fantastic destination! All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Delicious food and a very comfortable room. Can't wait to visit Granny Mouse again and will stay longer.",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Sally George",
      "subject": "The food",
      "description": "Wonderful breakfast at the Bistro and fantastic food at The Eaves. Room could do with a small table next to the wing back chairs. ",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Mbali Cele",
      "subject": "Views and tranquility ",
      "description": "Staff very attentive and caring and friendly\n\n",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Jackie Baatsen",
      "subject": "Nice rooms",
      "description": "Good location for exploring the midlands, good accommodation and amenities.",
      "star_rating": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Salome Slabber",
      "subject": "Pleasant enough",
      "description": "Picturesque setting, lush gardens, old style decor, lovely river walk, well appointed room- room amenities and complimentary treats were welcome. The bush buck were nibbling at leaves below our balcony in the morning. We hadn’t packed smart casual dress for our one night stay so we couldn’t try out the Eaves’ cuisine. The lunch and dinner we had at the Bistro were surprisingly disappointing. The wine and mousse tasting in the Cellar was pleasant. The spa could have been more welcoming but I enjoyed the treatment. ",
      "star_rating": 8
    },
    {
      "name": "Gerhard De Kock",
      "subject": "Surprce Anniversary  cake wth meal",
      "description": "Perfect. Smooth and everything personal and friendly.",
      "star_rating": 8
    }
  ],
  "images": [
    {
      "image_id": "7470736",
      "description": "Granny Mouse Country House",
      "order": 0,
      "url": "https://sncdn.com/tpc/g/120/120/7470736.jpg"
    },
    {
      "image_id": "7470737",
      "description": "Granny Mouse Country House",
      "order": 1,
      "url": "https://sncdn.com/tpc/g/120/120/7470737.jpg"
    },
    {
      "image_id": "7470738",
      "description": "Granny Mouse Country House",
      "order": 2,
      "url": "https://sncdn.com/tpc/g/120/120/7470738.jpg"
    },
    {
      "image_id": "7470739",
      "description": "Granny Mouse Country House",
      "order": 3,
      "url": "https://sncdn.com/tpc/g/120/120/7470739.jpg"
    },
    {
      "image_id": "7470740",
      "description": "Granny Mouse Country House",
      "order": 4,
      "url": "https://sncdn.com/tpc/g/120/120/7470740.jpg"
    }
  ],
  "features": [
    "Laundry Facilities",
    "Room Service",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "Restaurant on Premises",
    "Credit Card Facilities",
    "Conference Venues",
    "Romantic",
    "Swimming Pool",
    "Jacuzzi/Hot-tub",
    "Garden",
    "Satellite TV",
    "Instant Book",
    "Indoor Fireplace",
    "Parking on Premises"
  ],
  "vat_registered": false,
  "slug": "grannymousecountryhouseandspabalgowan",
  "location_link": {
    "location_name": "Balgowan",
    "slug": "balgowan-kwazulu-natal-south-africa"
  },
  "from_url": "https://www.travelstart.co.za/accommodation/in/south-africa"
}

Each hotel record returns 35+ fields across property identity, location, pricing, ratings, and media.

Identity & Metadata

Field	Meaning
ID	Unique internal Travelstart property identifier
Name	Hotel or property name as listed
Slug	URL-friendly property identifier
Accommodation Type	Category (e.g., Hotel, Lodge, Guesthouse, B&B)
Hotel Chain	Chain affiliation if applicable
Provider Keys	Identifiers used by upstream data providers
Provider Product Map	Mapping of the property across provider systems

Contact & Location

Field	Meaning
Hotel Phone	Property contact phone number
Hotel Email	Booking or enquiry email address
Address	Street address
City/Town	City or town name
Province/State	Province or state (e.g., Gauteng, Western Cape)
Country	Country of the property
Longitude	Geographic longitude coordinate
Latitude	Geographic latitude coordinate
Location Path	Hierarchical location path (e.g., Africa > South Africa > Cape Town)
Location Display String	Human-readable location label shown to users
Location Link	URL to the location-level listing page

Property Specs

Field	Meaning
Star Rating	Official or platform star classification (1–5)
Max Occupancy	Maximum guests the property can accommodate
Average Room Count	Typical number of rooms available
Children Allowed	Whether the property accepts children
Check-in Time	Standard check-in time
Check-out Time	Standard check-out time
VAT Registered	Whether the property is VAT-registered
Important Information	Policies or notices displayed prominently on the listing

Rankings & Ratings

Field	Meaning
Rank	Overall platform rank for the property
Search Order Rank	Position in search result ordering
Price Rank	Relative pricing tier vs. comparable properties
Review Rating	Aggregate guest review score
Internal Rating	Travelstart's own quality/relevance rating
Price Availability	Indicates whether pricing data is currently available

Content & Media

Field	Meaning
Description	Full property description text
Reviews	Guest review snippets or structured review data
Images	Array of property image URLs
Features	Amenity and facility list (e.g., pool, WiFi, parking)

---

How to Use

1. Find search URLs — On Travelstart.co.za or .com.ng, navigate to a hotel search for a destination (e.g., /accommodation/in/cape-town). Copy the URL.
2. Configure the input — Add URLs to the urls array. Set max_items_per_url based on how many results you expect on that page.
3. Run the scraper — Launch the actor and monitor progress in the run log.
4. Export results — Download as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Best practices:

• Use destination-specific URLs (city or region level) for more targeted datasets.
• For national-level sweeps, increase max_items_per_url to 200+.
• Set ignore_url_failures: true on multi-URL runs to avoid interruptions from occasional page errors.

---

Use Cases & Business Value

• OTA inventory sync: Keep hotel databases current with Travelstart's African listings
• Competitive benchmarking: Compare star ratings, review scores, and price ranks across markets
• Destination analysis: Map accommodation supply density by province or city
• Feature gap analysis: Identify which amenities are most common in top-ranked properties

The scraper replaces hours of manual copying with a single automated run, producing consistent data ready for BI tools, spreadsheets, or custom applications.

---

Conclusion

The Travelstart Hotels Scraper gives travel professionals and developers direct access to structured accommodation data from one of Africa's most prominent OTA platforms. With 35+ fields per property and flexible configuration, it's a practical tool for building datasets, tracking market trends, and powering travel applications.