Questions
Direct booking,answered.
These are the questions hoteliers ask us most. Each answer is short and honest. If yours is not here, ask us.
01
What is a direct booking?
A direct booking is a stay booked on the hotel’s own website. No middleman. The guest pays you, and you keep the whole rate. You also keep the guest’s contact details, so you can invite them back.
02
How much commission do the OTAs take?
Most boutique hotels pay 18–25% of each stay. That fee goes to the site that sent the guest. Over a full summer, that is a fifth to a quarter of your top-line handed to someone else. A direct booking costs you 0% commission.
03
Why do guests book on the OTAs instead of the hotel’s site?
Because the hotel’s own site gives them no reason to book there. Most hotels think they have a direct booking problem. They have an offer problem. Give guests a better offer on your own site. Think upgrades or late checkout, not discounts. See how it works.
04
Does a direct booking system work for small hotels?
Yes. It works on 8 rooms and on 80. Small hotels can test offers faster than big chains. The whole system is built for small boutique hotels. Read the story.
05
What does it cost to run?
Plan for 500€ to 1.500€ per month in ad spend. That is less than one busy week of OTA fees in summer. The system’s own price is not on this page. I share it on the audit call, with the math.
06
We are full in summer. Do we still need direct bookings?
Full hotels gain the most. When rooms are full, you can work on margin instead. Repeat guests who book direct pay you 0% commission. Over time they are worth 3–4x more.
07
How fast do direct bookings grow?
I work in 30, 90 and 180 day windows. Setup takes 30 days. Then 30 more days of tuning. The guarantee: 7x back within a year, verified in your own system. If I miss it, I keep working free until you hit it.
08
Which booking engines does it work with?
Most of them. I plug into what you already run. I do not replace it.
09
What about GDPR and our guest data?
Your guest data stays yours. We work as a data processor. We sign a DPA before any work starts. Pixel data needs consent. Each hotel’s audience stays its own. Nothing crosses between properties.
10
How many hotels do you work with per destination?
Five per destination, per season. No more. That keeps every hotel’s offer its own.
11
How do we start?
One call. The audit is 30 minutes and it is free. You get three answers. Where guests slip away. What a better offer could return. And what the system costs. Then you decide. See if your hotel fits