If you run a small hotel or rooms to let, chances are you often say “thank goodness for Booking, otherwise I wouldn’t fill up”.

And you’re partly right - but there’s another side: dependency, and the commission that eats away at your profit. OTAs (Booking, Expedia, etc.) are useful. The problem starts when they become your only oxygen.

The hidden cost of OTA “convenience”

Booking platforms bring you guests, but they don’t do it for free: commissions that often reach 15-25% per booking. So for every 100 euros a guest pays, a significant chunk doesn’t go to you, but to the platform.

Over a full season, this means:

  • Less money for renovations, staff, improvements.
  • More pressure on your prices to “make the numbers work”.

And the more you rely on OTAs, the harder it is to break out of this cycle.

When you don’t control your own guest

With a direct booking, the guest talks to you. They leave you their details, you build a relationship, you can bring them back next year. With OTAs, that relationship mostly belongs to the platform: emails, messages, communication all go through them.

This means:

  • It’s hard to build loyalty and gain repeat guests.
  • You don’t have a full picture of your guests’ data, to make smart offers or communicate.

Simply put: you fill up, but you don’t “bond” the guest with your own brand.

What happens if the rules change tomorrow?

Another issue is that you don’t control the “rules of the game”. Platforms can change terms, commissions, ranking, cancellation policies - and you simply adapt.

If for any reason you drop to a lower position in the results, suddenly your bookings can fall through no fault of your own. When most of your bookings go through there, that’s a risk.

You don’t need to “cut” OTAs - you need to shift the balance

The point isn’t to turn your back on the platforms. OTAs will keep bringing you new guests and international audiences who might not find you otherwise.

The goal is different: to gradually build a stronger direct channel, so that:

  • You keep a larger share of every booking.
  • You have your own customer base and your own booking rhythm.

Think of it as a balance: OTAs to get discovered, website/social to get re-chosen.

Small steps that make a big difference

It doesn’t all need to happen overnight. You can start with small, practical steps:

  • Have a site that makes direct booking easy, especially on mobile.
  • Give the guest a small, clear reason to book with you (e.g. better cancellation, early check-in, welcome drink), not just “same price as the OTAs”.
  • Treat every OTA guest as an opportunity: gently encourage them to find you directly next time.

These alone, over one season, can noticeably shift your direct vs OTA ratio.

How I can help your property

If you have a small hotel, villa or rentals and feel “held hostage” by the booking platforms, we can work on a very specific goal: to gradually reduce your OTA dependency and strengthen your direct bookings.

Together we can:

  • See where you stand now (site, social, booking channels, OTA vs direct ratio).
  • Design simple steps so your direct channel becomes a real option for the guest.
  • Put “smart” tools in place (automations, AI, email flows) that work behind the scenes for you.

No theory, no heavy technical vocabulary - only what you need to see a difference in your bookings.

Want to see what’s possible for your property?

If you recognize yourself in what you read - you depend heavily on 1-2 platforms, you pay significant commissions every month, and you don’t have the time or inclination to “get into” digital yourself - then let’s talk.

I’ll look at your online presence (site, social, OTA profiles) and suggest the 2-3 most essential steps to strengthen your direct bookings - tailored to your reality, not theoretical.