HospisHospis
Soforthilfe
Back·Revenue & Sales

Direct-booking share stuck below 25%

The website converts, but guests keep returning through the OTAs.

Typical for: leisure and city hotels with a high share of returning guests, houses with a well-kept website but an OTA-heavy mix, operations without their own revenue or e-commerce function

Documented by Hospis

How you recognize it

  • Guests who have stayed with you twice book their third stay through Booking again
  • On the OTAs your room is the same price or cheaper than on your own website
  • The booking flow on your website needs more clicks than the OTA app — and tends to break on mobile
  • There is no reason to book direct: no advantage, no package, nothing exclusive
  • Email enquiries get a standard PDF back — not a bookable offer
  • On your social channels not a single post leads to a bookable rate

Matching Hospi

OT

Olivia Torrente-Dorninger

Sales · Revenue · Marketing — Palma de Mallorca
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Her core focus: setting up the direct channel as the leading sales channel — pricing logic, booking flow, regular-guest communication and the OTA role in one system.

Mapped to root cause
Deliberate channel pricingDirect channel run as salesExclusive direct-only offers
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

390 € fixed price

A vetted Hospi analyses your situation in a structured way — in conversation and with a written result. Every statement clearly labelled: FACT, BENCHMARK, HYPOTHESIS or CONCLUSION. You get a concrete path, not a sales meeting.

  • A legitimate outcome is also: no engagement needed.
  • If an engagement follows, the diagnosis fee is fully credited.
02

Urgent support

Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority — response within 48 hours.

Cause fields — how to tell them apart

This situation rarely has a single cause. Usually two or three of these fields are at work at once — the point is to separate them before you act.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own — that is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

The pricing logic rewards the wrong channel

How you spot it

Direct and OTA cost the same — or the OTA is even cheaper thanks to mobile discounts and Genius programmes. The guest acts rationally: same service, easier path.

The way out

A deliberate channel-pricing strategy: calculate OTA rates so the commission is priced in, and make the direct channel visibly more attractive — through price, terms (cancellation, breakfast) or both.

02

The booking flow loses guests

How you spot it

From room selection to confirmation there are too many steps; mobile stutters; availability and prices feel less binding than on the OTA. The website catches the interest — and loses it in the last metre.

The way out

Benchmark the booking flow against OTA standards: click count, mobile optimisation, load time, payment methods. If the current booking engine can't deliver, replacing it is a maths problem, not a matter of faith — the saved commission pays for it.

03

There is no reason to book direct

How you spot it

Everything on offer with you is also on the OTA. No exclusive packages, no direct-booker perks, no offers only the website knows.

The way out

Build exclusivity: packages and extras only bookable direct, plus an offer and correspondence process that turns every enquiry into a bookable, time-limited offer — not a PDF attachment.

04

The direct channel isn't actively worked

How you spot it

Social media shows beautiful pictures but no path to booking. Regulars get no reason to come direct. OTA visibility runs on its own — yours runs on the side.

The way out

Run the direct channel like a sales channel: bookable links in every post and every email, regular-guest communication with a direct-booker advantage, and an OTA strategy that uses the portals as a shop window — not as the till.

Frequently asked

Should we just switch the OTAs off?
No. The OTAs bring you guests who would never have found you otherwise — that's marketing you only pay for on booking. The goal isn't less OTA, it's making the second stay happen direct.
What's a realistic direct share?
It depends on location, share of returning guests and segment. More important than a target number is the direction: if the share has stalled for years despite a good website, the cause is pricing logic, booking flow or a missing direct advantage — and all three are solvable.
Is switching booking engines really worth it?
Do the maths: every booking that moves from OTA to direct saves the commission. A handful of bookings a week already finances a better system. The diagnosis shows whether the real problem is the engine — or the pricing logic and the incentive.

Describe your situation

The problem context is automatically included — you do not need to repeat anything.

Problem
Direct-booking share stuck below 25%

Related situations

Our rates are inconsistent across channels

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OTA commissions eat into a profitable summer

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Website looks dated next to the actual hotel

The product is premium — the digital first impression isn't.

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