How Can a Hotel Increase Direct Bookings?

A hotel increases its direct bookings by being visible where guests compare, by offering a clear reason to book direct and by making booking on its own site easy. In practice: protect the brand on Google, show the direct rate on metasearch, offer member benefits, improve the booking engine and use the CRM to bring guests back.

Key takeaways

• In Europe, direct bookings reached 51.3% of hotel bookings in 2025 and OTAs 29.9%, according to HOTREC.
• Since the Digital Markets Act, Booking.com can no longer impose rate parity: hotels may offer a lower price on their own website.
• Every direct booking should be compared with what the same stay would have cost in OTA commission.

Why do direct bookings matter for a hotel?

An OTA booking comes with a commission, and often a payment fee; a direct booking does not. It also gives the hotel the guest's contact details, to personalize the stay and invite them back. HOTREC's latest study also shows that 51% of European hotels say OTAs sell their rooms below their own rate frequently or occasionally, which makes rate control a priority.

What are the most effective levers to increase direct bookings?

1. Protect your brand on Google: a brand protection campaign keeps your official site above OTAs on searches for your hotel's name.
2. Be present on metasearch: show your direct rate next to OTAs on Google Hotel Ads, free booking links and other metasearch engines.
3. Use your pricing freedom: under the DMA, you may offer a better rate or better conditions on your website than on Booking.com.
4. Give a reason to book direct: member rates, breakfast, late check-out, flexible cancellation or room choice, shown clearly on the site.
5. Improve the booking engine: a fast, mobile-first booking engine, in your brand's colors, with few steps.
6. Bring guests back with the CRM: pre-stay and post-stay emails and offers for returning guests. See how to build loyalty with a hotel CRM.

How do OTAs fit into a direct booking strategy?

OTAs remain a strong acquisition channel, especially for distant markets and last-minute demand. The goal is not to leave them but to balance the mix: use them to be discovered, then win the next booking directly. Our article on the difference between OTAs and metasearch explains how each channel works.

How do you measure the success of a direct booking strategy?

• share of direct revenue in total room revenue, month by month;
• cost per direct booking by channel (search, metasearch, social ads), compared with OTA commission;
• website conversion rate and booking engine abandonment;
• share of repeat guests booking direct.

How does Influence Society help hotels grow direct bookings?

At Influence Society, direct bookings are the figure we steer every campaign against. We combine brand protection, metasearch, paid social and CRM in a single plan, with tracking from the first click to the booking, and compare each channel's cost with what the same stays would have cost through OTAs.

Sources: HOTREC European Hotel Distribution Study, 2025 data, published September 2026, as reported by Hospitality Net, October 21, 2026; European Commission, How the DMA ensures businesses using Booking.com are free to set their prices, September 28, 2026 (accessed November 2026).