Smarter Tools to Cut OTA Costs

Every time a traveler books through an OTA, up to 25% of your revenue may be lost to commissions. Taking back control starts with understanding traveler behavior, offering loyalty incentives, and using strategies that bring bookings back to your site.

Strategies That Drive Direct Bookings

Train Frequent Travelers to Book Direct

The top reason travelers book directly is to earn loyalty points and rewards. Stash taps into this behavior to help independent hotels compete with chain programs, offering meaningful incentives without added complexity.

Just Say “No” to Repeat OTA Bookers

After enrolling in Stash, 80% of OTA guests who sign up for points return to book direct. With the right tools in place, guests become loyal returners who no longer rely on third-party sites to plan their next stay.

Why OTAs Shouldn’t Be Your Default Channel

OTAs can help fill rooms, but they often come with high costs and hidden disadvantages:

• Email Hogs: Guest contact information is withheld, making remarketing and relationship-building nearly impossible (They keep the guest, you get the stay)

• Behind Your Back: Some OTAs use commission margins to undercut your direct rates (The nerve!)

• Playing Favorites: Properties that pay more receive better visibility and placement (Visibility isn’t earned, it’s bought)

• Highway Robbery: 18% to 25% commission per reservation (Ouch!)

• Digital Dominance: OTAs spend billions on advertising and often target independent hotel names (Yes, even yours)

• In Bed With the Chains: Independent hotels don’t have the critical mass to negotiate lower margins like the chains (Figures!)

A real drag, indeed. But on the other hand, OTAs are a useful tool for filling rooms when needed, with many hotels relying on third-party channels for more than 50% of their business. As a responsible hotelier, you’d be crazy not to include them in your distribution strategy. After all, 80% of a booked rate is better than a vacant room.

Still, with “partners” like that, you need a real partner. Someone who has your back and helps you work around the OTAs without falling prey to their tactics.

Stop Losing to Chains and OTAs

Get the proven strategies successful independents are already using:

“An Independent Hotel’s Guide to Driving Direct Bookings: Tried & True Tactics for Fighting Back Against OTAs.”

Spoiler alert: This guide will challenge what you think you know about OTAs, reveal smarter ways to build loyalty, and offer direct booking strategies you can actually use.