Table of contents
Hotel online marketing runs into one reality: platforms bring bookings and take margin. Commission is a percentage, rates get compared, and after checkout the guest belongs to the platform. Deciding what OTA and direct channels should each do is more practical than chasing full independence.
1. OTA Is an Acquisition Tool
Platforms deliver people who do not know you yet. For new or poorly located properties their acquisition efficiency is hard to replace short term. But platform users are price-sensitive, loyal to comparison, and will check several similar hotels.
The sensible division: OTA acquires, direct retains. Relying only on platforms scales commission with volume; abandoning them loses cold demand. Most hotels blur the two, converting neither platform guests nor building a direct price advantage.
2. Three Channel Lines
| Line | Job | KPI | Budget share |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTA | Acquisition, filling low season | New guests, room nights | 30%–45% |
| Direct | Repeat, corporate accounts | Direct share, repeat rate | 25%–35% |
| Content and social | Storytelling, scene setting | Reach, on-site conversion | 20%–30% |
Hotel promotion budgets should flex by season. Shift toward direct and content in peak season and back to platforms in low season; annual commission spend drops noticeably.
3. Rate Strategy
Keep platform and direct rates aligned and differentiate with benefits: late checkout, breakfast, upgrades. This respects platform parity rules while giving guests a reason to book direct.
Layer room types too. Reserve premium views and larger rooms for direct and corporate clients; let platforms carry standard rooms. Fighting a price war on the same room type on both sides erodes your own margin.
4. Converting Platform Guests
One: capture a reachable contact at check-in, exchanged for membership value rather than pushed. Two: send a greeting and a next-stay benefit on departure day. Three: build one short-stay product per month for local demand — weekend family or micro-vacation. Four: give corporate accounts a dedicated contact and a group.
Done for a year, direct share typically moves from roughly twenty percent to over thirty. The same logic applies to store-level marketing: checkout is not the end, it is the start of the next booking.
5. Content That Is Worth Shooting
Hotels do not need cinematic films. Shoot three things: the room as it really looks, what is within a fifteen-minute walk, and breakfast. These map exactly to the three questions before booking. Keep clips under 30 seconds and produce both orientations.
| Content | Cost | Question answered | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room footage | Low | Clean? Spacious? | Platform pages, site |
| Neighbourhood tour | Low | Convenient? | Social, maps |
| Breakfast | Low | Worth the rate? | Platform, short video |
6. FAQ
Can an agency reduce commission? They can usually raise direct share and content quality; the percentage is set by platform rules. Verify any promise to lower it.
What comes first for a new hotel? Platforms to build occupancy, while spending three months building owned channels in parallel.
Is a brand film worth it? Lower priority than room footage and neighbourhood tours. Answer booking questions first.
Related
- See also: catchment and channel mix
- See also: weekly reporting definitions
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