Every booking through an OTA costs commission. Booking.com takes 15% to 20%. For an independent hotel or hostel, that’s not a marketing cost with a clear return. It’s a permanent margin reduction on every guest who could have booked direct.
A property averaging 50 bookings a month through OTAs at £100 per night is paying roughly £1,500 to £2,000 a month in commission alone. Redirecting even a quarter to direct would more than fund the infrastructure that makes it possible.
OTAs win because they’re better at being found, not because they’re better at hospitality. But a large share of guests who book through an OTA searched for the property by name first.
They found the hotel, looked at the website, and went back to Booking.com. The guest was already there. They already wanted to book. The website just didn’t close it.
Three places consistently: the booking process has more friction than the OTA, the direct price isn’t visibly better, and the website doesn’t rank for the property’s own name.
If a guest Googles your hotel and the first result is your Booking.com listing rather than your own website, you’ve lost control of the booking journey before it starts.
A booking engine that matches the OTA for speed. Visible direct-rate incentives. Local SEO ensuring your own site ranks above your OTA listings. And fast follow up on every direct enquiry.
The real cost of OTA commission, worked example
A 15-bed hostel, 80% occupancy, £35/night.
Monthly revenue: ~£12,775
60% via OTAs at 18% commission: £1,380/month in commission
Redirect 10 bookings direct: ~£190 saved/month
Redirect 30: ~£570 saved/month, £6,840/year
Website, local SEO, and automated follow up on every renovation enquiry.
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