Direct bookings for independent hotels have become one of the biggest challenges for owners and managers looking to improve their property’s profitability. For years, platforms like Booking.com have helped hotels fill rooms and increase their visibility, but they have also increased reliance on OTAs and the cost of commission fees. The good news is that there are effective strategies to restore the balance and encourage more guests to book directly through the hotel’s official website.
If you manage an independent hotel, you’ve probably experienced this situation. Occupancy is strong, rooms are selling, and guests keep arriving. However, when you review your monthly results, you realize that a significant portion of your revenue has been lost to commission fees. That’s when an inevitable question arises: how can you increase direct bookings without relying so heavily on Booking.com?
It starts with gradually restoring the right balance.
For years, platforms such as Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com have helped thousands of hotels increase their visibility and attract travelers from around the world. It would be unfair to suggest otherwise. The problem arises when they stop being just one sales channel and become virtually the only one.
At that point, the hotel starts losing more than just money.
It loses the ability to build customer loyalty, becomes dependent on decisions it cannot control, and watches as every new booking once again comes with a commission fee.
It loses the ability to build customer loyalty, becomes dependent on decisions it cannot control, and watches as every new booking once again comes with a commission fee.
Imagine a €200 booking.
If the commission is 20%, the hotel loses €40 in revenue before even welcoming the guest.
Now imagine one hundred bookings.
Or five hundred.
Or an entire season.
Suddenly, those commissions can add up to tens of thousands of euros per year.
And the most striking thing is that many hotels already consider it “normal,” when in reality they are giving up a significant portion of their profitability.
Table of Contents
The problem is not Booking.com.
It is important to make this clear.
Booking.com is not the enemy.
In fact, for many hotels, it remains an extraordinary showcase.
The problem arises when a property becomes so dependent on a platform that, if tomorrow it changes its algorithm, increases commissions, or reduces its visibility, bookings start to decline.
No business should place such a significant portion of its revenue in the hands of a single channel.
That is why the most profitable hotels do not try to disappear from OTAs.
What they do is ensure that more and more guests return to book directly.
How to get more direct bookings?
There is no magic trick.
Nor is there a single action that will change results overnight.
What does exist is a strategy.
1. Make the website encourage bookings
Many hotels have invested thousands of euros in a beautiful website.
But beautiful does not always mean it sells.
Think like a guest.
If they visit the website and take too long to find the booking button, if the process is slow, or if the booking engine is difficult to use on mobile, they will probably end up where it is easiest: Booking.com.
The official website must convey trust and make the booking process easy in just a few minutes.
2. Give guests a reason to book directly
Ask yourself something very simple.
Why should a guest book through your website if they get exactly the same thing on an OTA?
It is not always necessary to offer a lower price.
Sometimes it is enough to add small details that guests value:
- breakfast included;
- a welcome drink;
- late check-out subject to availability;
- free parking;
- a discount for a future stay.
These are simple gestures that help guests perceive that booking directly is worthwhile.
3. Don’t forget those who already know the hotel
Many properties are missing a great opportunity here.
If a guest has enjoyed their stay, why pay a commission again to win them back?
With a good email marketing strategy, a well-organized database, and close communication, many guests will be happy to return… this time booking directly.
Regaining control also improves profitability.
Increasing direct bookings is not only about saving on commissions.
It means getting to know your guests better, communicating with them without intermediaries, and building a relationship that makes them want to come back.
Every direct booking leaves a higher profit margin.
But above all, it provides greater independence.
And in such a competitive market as the hotel industry, that is worth far more than any commission.
Conclusion
OTAs will continue to be an important tool for attracting guests, especially for independent hotels. The key is not to stop using them, but to avoid making them the only path through which bookings arrive. Direct bookings for independent hotels not only help reduce OTA commissions but also strengthen the relationship with guests.
When a hotel gets more and more guests to choose its website for booking, it gains something beyond profitability: it regains control over its business and its relationship with its customers.
At IHCS Hotel Consulting, we help independent hotels find that balance. Because selling more does not always mean earning more. In many cases, the difference lies in how those bookings are generated.
