OTAs bring guests, but every direct booking keeps 15–20% more revenue in your pocket. Here is how to grow them without losing OTA visibility.
Online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Agoda are great at putting your property in front of millions of travellers. They are also expensive: commissions of 15–20% are normal, and on a 20-room property that can add up to several hundred thousand baht a year.
The goal is balance, not replacing OTAs
You should not switch OTAs off. The “billboard effect” is real: many guests discover you on an OTA, then search your name and book directly if your website makes it easy. The goal is to move a bigger share of bookings to your own channel.
Five things that move the needle
- A booking engine on your website. Guests who land on your site must be able to check availability and pay in under two minutes, on a phone.
- Rate parity, plus a direct perk. Keep the same base price everywhere, then add a direct-only benefit such as free breakfast, late check-out or a 5% member rate.
- Google Hotel Ads free booking links. Connect your rates to Google so your official site appears next to the OTAs in search results.
- Guest data you own. Collect emails at check-in and send a thank-you note with a direct booking code for the next stay.
- Reviews that mention your website. Ask happy guests to leave a review and remind them that booking direct next time gets them the best rate.
Measure it
Track the share of direct bookings every month. Properties using BedsBooking typically start at 10–15% direct and reach 30% or more within a year once the booking engine and Google connection are live.
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