Do I have to leave Booking.com and the other travel sites?

No, and usually you shouldn’t. Those sites bring you guests who would never have found you on their own. The problem starts when they become your only channel: then you pay commission on every night, and the relationship with the guest belongs to them, not to you. The aim is to have a direct channel that works, so the travel sites become a choice rather than the only road.

What does a booking from an OTA really cost?

The commission itself is usually between 15% and 20% of the stay, but the full cost is higher: add to it that your price is set by the comparison on the platform, and that the guest’s email address often isn’t yours. The calculator in this section tells you what it weighs in your own case.

I already have a website. Does it need rebuilding from scratch?

Not always. Sometimes the problem is just the booking engine, or the Google listing, or the fact that on a phone the journey breaks halfway through. That is why the starting point is looking at where your bookings come from today: without that number, any change is a gamble.

What kind of properties do you work with?

Independent hotels, serviced apartments, B&Bs, guesthouses and holiday lets. Places where you welcome the guest yourself and the difference is made by the service, not by the number of rooms.

How long before I see results?

It depends what you change and how close the season is. Work on the site and on the booking flow shows quickly; visibility in search takes months. If your season is short, the order in which you do things matters more than the things themselves.

Hotels and places to stay

Every direct booking is commission you don’t pay.

I work with hotels, serviced apartments, B&Bs and holiday lets that want to depend less on the booking sites. Not to leave them: just to stop relying on them alone.

Work out what the OTAs cost you Let’s talk about your property

The problem, in money

The booking sites bring you guests who would never have found you on their own, and that is worth what it costs. The problem starts when they become your only channel: you pay commission on every night, your price is set by the comparison on the platform, and the guest stays theirs.

On a typical property the commission runs from 15% to 20% of the stay. Over a full year that is not a line in the accounts: it is somebody’s salary.

The first step is not rebuilding the website. It is knowing what you are actually paying.

Run the numbers on your own property

In this section

Two tools, before you ever speak to me.

Properties I work with

Two case studies, told in full.

Common questions

The questions I get asked most.

Do I have to leave Booking.com and the other travel sites?: No, and usually you shouldn’t. Those sites bring you guests who would never have found you on their own. The problem starts when they become your only channel: then you pay commission on every night, and the relationship with the guest belongs to them, not to you. The aim is to have a direct channel that works, so the travel sites become a choice rather than the only road.
What does a booking from an OTA really cost?: The commission itself is usually between 15% and 20% of the stay, but the full cost is higher: add to it that your price is set by the comparison on the platform, and that the guest’s email address often isn’t yours. The calculator in this section tells you what it weighs in your own case.
I already have a website. Does it need rebuilding from scratch?: Not always. Sometimes the problem is just the booking engine, or the Google listing, or the fact that on a phone the journey breaks halfway through. That is why the starting point is looking at where your bookings come from today: without that number, any change is a gamble.
What kind of properties do you work with?: Independent hotels, serviced apartments, B&Bs, guesthouses and holiday lets. Places where you welcome the guest yourself and the difference is made by the service, not by the number of rooms.
How long before I see results?: It depends what you change and how close the season is. Work on the site and on the booking flow shows quickly; visibility in search takes months. If your season is short, the order in which you do things matters more than the things themselves.