Top 9 OTAs for Hotels to Boost Bookings

It is a well-known fact that hoteliers nowadays secure a large percentage of their overall bookings through the online ecosystem.

And there’s no hiding that Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are a major source for optimizing their online booking flow.

It is observed that OTAs control approximately 2/3rd of all online bookings.

Then it must be the best friend of hoteliers, right? Indeed!

But hoteliers often get muddled among various OTA platforms and miss out on the best ones.

So for all the hoteliers reading this blog, here I am sharing the best OTA platforms to increase your hotel bookings by manifolds.

Top 9 OTAs to Drive Maximum Bookings

I am listing below the prime OTAs in the hotel industry that can promote your hotel on a larger scale to drive maximum bookings.

Here goes the list:

1. Booking.com

Booking.com is recognized as the global leading OTA platform where more than 1.5 million rooms are booked on a daily basis.

It connects a wide spectrum of accommodations; from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses, and even igloos.

Its website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages which helps accommodation providers to generate a worldwide network and enhance exposure.

But the real treat for hoteliers is that the listing process doesn’t charge you anything. You only get charged if a booking is successfully completed.

In addition, this platform showcases the booking info in a very clear way so that the users get transparency on every detail and policy. This helps establish a strong sense of trust among its users.

2. Airbnb

Airbnb is a classic choice for small and local properties to boost their booking flow.

And if you look precisely at the contemporary picture, you will see that this platform is gaining popularity among big hotels too.

The reason that guests get attracted to the properties listed on Airbnb is – they are personalized, homely, and have a local connection. So if you have a well-furnished property, then this platform is the ideal place to land.

Airbnb might drive a few bookings compared to other mainstream OTAs but it ensures longer stays.

Also, it does not charge you money directly—it takes a cut out of every booking which is the lowest among other OTAs, typically 3% of the booking amount.

3. Expedia

Expedia lures maximum travelers to its platform through the “Best Price Guarantee”!

Yes, it pulls out the cheapest deals for the consumers and hence they love it. And this is why the booking traffic is always massive on Expedia.

Adding to this, it provides everything in one place. Travelers can book their flights, hotels, or packages for their entire trip in one go at an affordable price.

With commission fees between 20% and 25% on bookings, it gives a great exposure to increase your hotel presence.

4. Hotels.com

Hotels.com offers a price reduction to its users after every 10 overnight stays.

These rewards not only drive more bookings but also persuade people to book more frequently to avail that price reduction.

Now here is a little something for you – Hotels.com is owned by Expedia Group. 

So, if you have listed your hotel on Expedia, it will automatically be visible on Hotels.com. This way you can drive double benefits.

5. Agoda

With a strong emphasis on providing customers with cheap or discounted accommodation, Agoda is getting popular among travelers.

It can help your property business to stand out whether it is a hotel, hostel, or any resort. It is preferred for group bookings and packages because it offers flight + hotel bookings at cheap costs. Therefore, it is an ideal platform to attract international travelers.

Agoda is owned by Booking Holdings (which also owns Booking.com) and it charges between 15 to 20% on successful bookings.

6. MakeMyTrip

With 2.5 million daily users searching for hotels and homestays on MakeMyTrip, it is the best choice to add more bookings to your account.

Accommodation businesses must avail MakeMyTrip’s free listing policy for strengthening the online profiles of their hotels, villas, homestays, apartments, beach huts, tree houses, farmhouses, luxury camps, and whatnot.

It takes a commission between 10% to 40% depending on various factors like listing on the first page or utilizing the best promotional deals.

7. Trip.com

With Trip.com rewards (coupon codes and discounts), travelers get a chance to save on their bookings. This is why it has 400 million users worldwide. 

If an OTA has such a massive following then isn’t it the best match for your hotel? It is!

This OTA lets the customers buy their whole trip at one-stop. Whether it is booking a hotel, flight tickets, car rentals, or holiday deals.

The commission rates are also flexible depending on various factors like your property size, location, duration of stay, and so on.

8. Travelocity

Listing your hotel on Travelocity will make you a member of Expedia Group; which is a hub for more than 200 booking sites, 590K properties, 1.8M online bookable vacation rentals, 500+ airlines, 175+ car rental companies, and 35K+ activities.

From these stats, it is crystal clear that the booking traffic would ultimately be very high.

Moreover, Travelocity offers the best deals for vacation packages to its customers. Hence, you can experience more group bookings coming your way through this OTA.

9. E-dreams

In quarter one of the fiscal year 2023, e-Dreams reported 4.4 million bookings, which is the highest ever in a quarter and 50% up on bookings compared to pre-pandemic.

This rapid increase in bookings has a hidden fact that it offers up to 40% discount on its vacation packages (flight + hotel).

Here is a little more: If you list your property on E-dreams ODIGEO you can leverage the opportunity of getting exposure through 3 more international brands along with eDreams - Opodo, GoVoyages, and Travellink.

This can help you reach 18.5 million travelers in 46 countries. So think it over!

OTA Listing and Your Channel Manager Go Hand in Hand

Firstly, listing your hotel on OTA platforms can work only if you have a suitable channel manager at your property because that is the source to connect your hotel with any OTA.

With a channel manager, you update your inventory and rates on various channels or OTAs you are listed on. It automates the process of adjusting rates and room availability.

Now, to connect with any OTA platforms including the top ones mentioned above, you need to make sure that your channel manager offers the required integration to do so.

You can check out eZee Centrix, our channel manager, which offers integration with 130+ OTAs, GDS, and vacation portals. 

In addition to this, if you prefer any local OTA platform whose integration isn’t available then you can contact us and get it integrated with our channel manager depending on its feasibility.