Online travel agents are brilliant at one thing: being the first place a traveller looks. That visibility is worth paying for — but only up to a point. Every booking that arrives through an OTA takes a 15–20% commission, and, more quietly, takes the guest relationship with it. You never get their email. You never get to talk to them before they arrive. You're renting your own guests.
The good news: you don't need to declare war on the OTAs to win the balance back. You just need to give guests a reason to come back directly next time.
The leak isn't the first booking — it's the second
Most hotels accept that the first booking might come via Booking.com. That's fair; it's discovery. The expensive mistake is letting the second booking go the same way, because you never built a direct relationship in between.
That relationship is built in the gaps the OTA can't reach:
- The pre-arrival moment, where you set the tone for the whole stay
- The on-property experience, where you earn the loyalty
- The post-stay follow-up, where you ask them to come back — to you
Three moves that shift bookings direct
1. Own the pre-arrival window. The OTA hands you a confirmed guest and then disappears. Step into that gap with a beautiful, branded guide that makes the guest feel looked after before they've packed a bag. It's the first time they experience your hotel rather than a listing.
2. Make "book direct" effortless and obviously better. A small, genuine perk — a welcome drink, a guaranteed early check-in, a better rate — given only to direct guests is enough. Say it plainly on your guide and in your follow-up.
3. Capture the email, then earn the right to use it. Once a guest interacts with your guide or shop, you have a direct line. Use it sparingly and well: a thank-you, a reason to return, a seasonal note.
You'll never out-spend the OTAs on marketing. You can absolutely out-care them on experience.
Measure the right number
Don't obsess over total bookings. Watch your direct booking ratio over time, and your repeat guest rate. Those two numbers are where independent hotels quietly claw back margin that chains spend millions trying to protect.
Porter is built to own exactly those moments the OTAs can't — a branded guide before arrival, and a feedback loop after — so the next booking comes to you.