Maison Voyage — Direct Booking Analysis
How much are you
giving away to OTAs?
Five numbers, one honest figure. This calculator shows what your property loses to Booking.com, Expedia & co. every year — and what a direct channel would cost instead.
Estimated commission loss / year
based on €0 total room revenue
For comparison: direct booking marketing typically costs 2–5% of revenue. Shift just 15 percentage points toward direct, and you'd save roughly €0 per year — without a single extra guest.
Model calculation based on typical industry ranges (2026). Intended as a rough guide, not a substitute for a property-specific distribution cost analysis.
What OTA commissions actually cost your hotel
Every time a guest books through Booking.com, Expedia, or Agoda, a share of that room revenue never reaches your account. Commission rates typically fall between 15% and 30% of the booking value, and the real number is often higher than hoteliers expect once visibility programs and rate boosters are layered on top of the base contract.
How to reduce OTA dependency without losing reach
The goal isn't to abandon OTAs — they bring visibility most independent hotels can't replicate on their own. The goal is to stop paying commission on guests who already know you. A strong booking engine, clear rate incentives for direct bookings, and consistent SEO for your own property pages typically shift a meaningful share of demand toward the direct channel over a few months, without reducing overall visibility.
Why the headline rate isn't the real rate
Most hotels quote their base commission from memory, but the effective rate — total fees divided by total OTA revenue — usually runs a few points higher once visibility boosters, promotional discounts, and cancellation patterns are factored in. OTA cancellation rates also tend to run roughly double those of direct bookings, meaning a portion of "won" OTA bookings never becomes a stay at all.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission do OTAs like Booking.com charge hotels?
Commission rates generally range from 15% to 30% of the booking value, depending on the platform, market, and any visibility or promotional programs the property has opted into. Booking.com's standard rate is often around 15%, though many hotels end up paying more once additional programs are included.
What's a healthy direct booking to OTA ratio?
Many revenue managers aim for roughly 60–70% direct bookings and 30–40% OTA bookings, though independent hotels today often see the reverse, with OTAs accounting for well over half of bookings. The right mix depends on your brand strength, location, and how much of your own direct traffic you're able to generate.
Should a hotel stop using OTAs entirely?
Rarely a good idea. OTAs provide a "billboard effect," exposing your property to travelers who might otherwise never find you, and some of those guests go on to book direct after discovering you on an OTA. The more effective strategy is optimizing the channel mix rather than eliminating any one channel.
How can a hotel shift more bookings to direct?
The most effective levers are a fast, well-designed booking engine, rate or perk incentives for booking direct, consistent SEO investment on your own site, and a brand and content strategy that gives guests a reason to book with you directly rather than through an intermediary.