- Travel sites are useful for being discovered, but every booking they bring costs a commission, often reported at around 15% or more.
- Guests book direct when it is easy, trustworthy and offers a clear reason, such as a perk they can’t get elsewhere.
- You need a fast, mobile-friendly website with a real booking engine, not just an enquiry form.
- Returning guests and guests who already found you on a travel site are your best direct-booking opportunities.
- One Galle boutique hotel raised direct bookings from 12% to 38% and cut commission costs by 30%.
For many hotels, guesthouses and villas in Sri Lanka, from Galle and Ella to Kandy and the east coast, online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia bring most of the guests. They are excellent at helping travellers discover you. But every booking they bring comes with a commission, and those fees add up quickly.
Winning more direct bookings is one of the most effective ways for a hotel to improve profit without adding a single room. Here is how to do it.
Why direct bookings matter
Commission rates depend on your contract and any visibility programmes you join. Industry sources commonly report around 15%, with a typical range of roughly 10% to 25%. On a 20-room property, even a modest shift from OTA to direct bookings can mean a meaningful amount of money every month.
Direct bookings bring other benefits too:
- You own the guest relationship and contact details.
- You can communicate before arrival and personalise the stay.
- It is easier to bring guests back and encourage referrals.
- You depend less on changes to one platform’s rules or rankings.
Why guests book on travel sites instead
Guests often find a hotel on a travel site, then look it up on Google or Instagram. If your own website is slow, out of date, hard to use on a phone, or only offers an enquiry form, they go back to the travel site and book there. Common reasons include:
- No way to see availability or book instantly.
- No obvious reason to book direct.
- Photos and information that don’t match what is on the travel site.
- Concern about paying a small business directly.
1. Make your website a place guests want to book
Your website should feel at least as trustworthy and easy as the travel sites:
- Fast and mobile-first, with large, real photos of rooms, views and experiences.
- A clear story about what makes your property special and who it is for.
- Visible reviews from Google and travel sites.
- Clear policies for payment, cancellation and check-in.
- A “Book Direct” button visible on every page.
2. Add a real booking engine
An enquiry form is not enough. Guests expect to see live availability, choose a room and secure it with a card. A booking engine does this on your website, and a channel manager keeps your availability synced with every travel site so you avoid double bookings. Take a deposit or full payment through a payment gateway to reduce no-shows. See our booking systems service for how we set this up.
3. Give guests a reason to book direct
Many OTA contracts include rate parity terms, so check yours before offering lower prices. A common and effective approach is to add value instead:
- Free breakfast or a welcome drink
- Early check-in or late checkout, subject to availability
- Airport or station transfer at a reduced rate
- A free experience, such as a cooking class or guided walk
- Flexible cancellation
Say it clearly on the website: “Book direct and get…”.
4. Show up on Google
Many guests search for your hotel by name. Make sure they find you, not just the travel sites:
- Complete and keep your Google Business Profile active, with photos, a booking link and replies to reviews.
- Connect your booking engine to Google’s hotel listings so your direct rate appears beside the travel sites, where your booking engine supports it.
- Write useful content about your area, such as things to do nearby, to attract travellers earlier in their planning.
5. Use WhatsApp to turn questions into bookings
Many travellers, especially from Sri Lanka and nearby countries, prefer to ask questions on WhatsApp before booking. Fast, helpful replies win bookings. Use quick replies for common questions, send a direct booking link, and automate pre-arrival messages with directions, check-in times and local tips. Our guide to WhatsApp automation explains how.
6. Turn every guest into a future direct booking
Guests who first booked through a travel site are your best opportunity. Once they stay, they know you.
- Collect contact details at check-in, with permission.
- Give a returning-guest offer for direct bookings.
- Send a thank-you message after checkout with a review link.
- Stay in touch occasionally with seasonal offers.
A real example from Galle
A boutique hotel in Galle came to MVRK+ with most rooms booked through travel sites, an outdated brand that didn’t reflect the guest experience, and guest questions answered one by one, often late at night.
We built a clearer brand around what guests valued most, a new website with direct booking, and automatic messages before arrival and after checkout. Within five months, direct bookings rose from 12% to 38% of the total, commission costs fell by 30% and revenue per room grew by 25%. You can read more in our case studies.
Where to start
Look at your last three months of bookings and work out what share came direct and what you paid in commission. Then check your website on your phone as if you were a guest. If booking direct isn’t obviously easier and better, start there.
MVRK+ works with hotels, guesthouses and villas across Sri Lanka, including Kandy and Colombo.
Frequently asked questions
Commission depends on your agreement and any visibility programmes you join. Industry sources commonly report rates of around 15%, with a typical range of roughly 10% to 25%. Check your own contract for the exact figure.
It depends on your contract. Many online travel agency agreements include rate parity terms. A common approach is to keep the room price the same but add value for direct guests, such as breakfast, a late checkout, an airport transfer or a welcome drink. Check your agreements before changing prices.
A booking engine lets guests check availability, choose a room and pay or secure a booking directly on your website. Without one, guests have to send an enquiry and wait, and many will book through a travel site instead. Most booking engines connect to a channel manager to keep availability in sync.
Usually not. Travel sites bring guests who would never find you otherwise. The goal is a healthier balance, where more guests, especially returning guests, book directly with you.