Distribution
What is a direct booking?
A direct booking is a reservation a guest makes with the hotel itself, through its website, by phone, by message or at the desk, rather than through an online travel agency. The hotel pays no OTA commission on it and holds the guest's contact details from the start.
Why hotels want more of them
A direct booking keeps the 15% to 25% that would go in OTA commission, less payment gateway fees. The hotel can also write to the guest before arrival and invite them back, which is harder when the OTA holds the relationship.
How to get more
Make booking on your website as easy as on an OTA, with a booking engine that works on a phone. Give direct guests something OTAs can't, such as an early check-in or a free breakfast, rather than undercutting your OTA rates and breaking rate parity. We cover this in direct bookings without a rate war.
In StaySynq
StaySynq's booking widget takes direct bookings on your own website, with UPI and card checkout, and posts the payment to the folio.
Common questions
Are direct bookings always cheaper for the hotel?
Usually, but not free. Count payment gateway fees and what you spend on your website and advertising to win the booking.
Related terms
- Booking engineA hotel booking engine is the software on a hotel's own website that shows live room availability and rates, takes the guest's details and payment, and confirms the reservation. Bookings made through it are direct, so the hotel pays no OTA commission on them.
- OTA commissionOTA commission is the fee an online travel agency charges a hotel for each booking it delivers, set as a percentage of the booking value. It commonly falls somewhere between 15% and 25%, depending on the OTA, the contract and any extra visibility programmes the hotel has joined.
- Rate parityRate parity is the practice of offering the same price for the same room, dates and conditions on every public sales channel, including OTAs and the hotel's own website. Many OTA contracts require it, and visible differences can push a hotel down in OTA search results.
- OTA (online travel agency)An OTA, or online travel agency, is a website or app that sells hotel rooms on behalf of hotels and earns a commission on each booking. MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia are examples. OTAs bring reach and marketing that a single hotel can't match, in exchange for a share of the revenue.
Ready to unify your operations?
Book a 30-minute demo. We'll walk through your specific property type, room count, and channel mix, then show you exactly what your data looks like on StaySynq.
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