Booking, Expedia and TripAdvisor have solved a real problem: they give visibility to establishments that nobody would otherwise find. The The price of that visibility is a commission between 15% and 25% per booking, the loss of customer data and the relinquishment of control over prices and availability. For many hotels and restaurants, OTAs have gone from being a complementary channel to becoming a structural dependency. Reversing this situation does not require abandoning them: it requires building, in parallel, an effective in-house customer acquisition strategy.
The problem of dependence on OTAs: commissions, data and control
A commission of 18-20% on each booking is not just an operational cost: it is profit that cannot be reinvested, used to improve the service or set aside to weather a low season. But the direct financial impact is not the only problem.
Why reducing dependence is a strategic decision
When a guest books through an OTA, the accommodation provider does not know who that guest is until they arrive. It cannot contact them beforehand, cannot send them a loyalty offer afterwards, and cannot build a direct relationship that would lead to a second booking without having to pay commission again. The OTAs accumulate the data; the accommodation provider accumulates the stays. In the long term, this information asymmetry is just as costly as the commission itself.
⚙️ Establishment parameters
Indicative estimate. The actual cost of direct channels (website, booking engine, SEO) ranges from 3% to 6% of the booking value, compared with 15–25% for OTAs.
The foundations of in-house marketing: website, SEO and direct booking engine
The alternative to OTAs It’s not about disappearing from them all of a sudden. It’s about building your own digital infrastructure that captures demand organically and converts it without intermediaries.
How to create a website that rivals Booking in terms of user experience
A hotel or restaurant website that converts has three non-negotiable elements: fast loading and mobile-friendly, SEO optimisation for searches by destination and type of establishment, and an integrated booking engine which allows customers to complete their purchase in fewer than three steps. Local SEO, with an optimised and up-to-date Google Business Profile, is particularly important for restaurants: 60% of table bookings start on Google Maps. A restaurant that isn’t well-positioned there is unwittingly losing customers to the competition.
Social media for the hospitality industry: what works in 2026 and what doesn’t anymore
Organic reach on social media has fallen steadily in recent years, but that does not mean that social media has ceased to be relevant to the hospitality industry. It means that the strategy needs to be more targeted.
Channels and content that make a real difference
Instagram and TikTok remain the main sources of inspiration Par excellence: travellers decide where they want to go before checking availability, and they make this decision largely on the basis of images and videos. The content that generates bookings is neither corporate nor promotional: it is the content that authentically showcases the actual experience of the establishment. LinkedIn is a good fit for hotels catering to the MICE sector or corporate groups. Google Business Profile is the channel for attracting local customers one of the most underrated aspects of the sector: replying to reviews, posting updates and keeping opening hours up to date have a direct impact on visibility and purchasing decisions.
Email marketing and customer loyalty: the most profitable channel that many businesses overlook
Email remains the the channel offering the best return on investment in digital marketing. In the hospitality sector, moreover, there is a structural advantage: the establishment already has the details of customers who have visited it.
CRM, segmentation and automation
A A properly configured CRM system allows you to segment your customer base by type (leisure, business, family, couples), by frequency of visits and by usual season. With this segmentation, emails cease to be generic newsletters and become relevant communications: a weekend offer for couples travelling together, an event proposal for corporate groups, or an anniversary reminder for customers who booked on the same date the previous year. Automating post-stay emails – asking for a review and offering a perk for the next visit – is one of the actions with the highest return and the lowest implementation cost.
Online reputation: how to manage reviews so they work in your favour
The Reviews on Google, TripAdvisor or Booking have a direct influence on the decision from new customers. Managing them effectively isn’t just about responding politely: it’s about using feedback as a means of continuous improvement.
Protocol for responding to and collecting reviews
Responding to all reviews, both positive and negative, within 48 hours is the minimum standard. In the case of negative reviews, the response is not directed at the customer who has complained: it is aimed at everyone who will read that response before making a booking. Proactively asking for reviews is legitimate and effective, provided it is done without imposing conditions or offering incentives for a specific rating, as this breaches the policies of the major platforms. The most effective way to request them is via a post-stay email, with a direct link to your Google profile.
Digital marketing training for hospitality staff: where to start
A business’s digital strategy cannot rely on a single person or an external agency that lacks an internal understanding of the business. The team needs training in basic digital skills tailored to their role.
What each role needs to learn
Reception and reservations staff need to be able to manage the direct booking engine, understand how to manage availability and know how to respond promptly to enquiries via digital channels. The front-of-house or customer service team can play an active role in gathering reviews and contributing to social media content. Management needs to understand basic conversion metrics, customer acquisition costs by channel, and the comparative profitability of OTAs versus the direct channel. From the catalogue of Educa.Pro it is possible to access digital marketing training specifically tailored to the hospitality sector, with bonus schemes through FUNDAE for the entire workforce, including temporary seasonal contracts.
A business that relies on OTAs for 80% of its bookings does not have a marketing strategy: it has a supplier that charges it simply for existing. Changing that proportion, even if only partially, is one of the decisions with the greatest impact on medium-term profitability.
