OTAs Undercut Hotel Direct Rates in 75% of Searches
Biannual World Parity Monitor reveals the scale of price pressure on hotel direct channels — and where hotels still hold the advantage
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The Five Stages of Rate Parity Acceptance
Rate parity is an evergreen topic. I wrote an article on rate parity for hotels in 2023, and all the way back in 2015. It’s an issue that seems to stir up a lot of concern at the asset management and property levels…
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Research: OTAs Dominate as Primary Source in AI-Powered Hotel Discovery
Cloudbeds has released a new report titled The Signals Behind Hotel AI Recommendations. The study is the first in the hospitality industry to examine in detail how generative AI platforms identify and recommend hotels to travelers…
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Hotel glitch hits Thai travel scheme as bookings halted despite unused subsidies
Top hotels suspend bookings under ‘Half-Half Thai Travel 2025’ scheme due to system glitches.
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Should the Government be Regulating Commissions Hotels Pay to the OTAs?
Recently, the Switzerland’s price watchdog (Der Preisüberwacher / Le surveillant des prix) ruled that Booking’s hotel commissions were 'abusively high' and ordered the OTA to lower them by 25% for Swiss hotels…
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What is a metasearch engine? The ultimate guide for hotels
When travellers search for a hotel, they’re not just browsing, they’re comparing…
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How GDS Commission Shares Impact Global Hotel and Agency Revenue
Part one of this two-part series explores the global landscape for GDS commission shares, which represent tens of millions of dollars in revenue for travel management companies and agencies. A better understanding of gaps by region, country, and…
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New study: If You Spend $89 on OTA Commissions, Your Hotel's Occupancy Will Be 100%
According to research undertaken by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in February 2025, hotels see strong financial returns from commissions paid to the OTAs.
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How to overcome revenue managers’ aversion to the direct online channel?
Recently, a revenue manager reacted to my LinkedIn post about independent hoteliers’ overdependence on the OTAs by stating Even with the best intentions, money and talent, there's no way independents can beat the big OTA's in search and make money…
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Hotels + OTAs: A love-hate relationship that needs to change
Online travel agents (OTAs) have been made the arch-enemy of hotel direct bookings – a narrative we’ve seen across the sector due to the volume of bookings and high commission costs they command. But if hotels can reframe their thinking, OTAs are a…
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Europe gains pricing control as hotels tackle rate parity
The European hotel market is leading in price parity by outperforming OTAs and Metasearch engines with more aggressive pricing, according to the World Parity Monitor by 123Compare.me, giving hotels real-time control of its pricing distribution…
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How the DMA Protects OTA Giants and Destroys Independent Hotels. The EU’s Digital Market Disaster
When the European Union introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA), it was supposed to revolutionize the digital economy, it promised fairness but delivered chaos.
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Great news about direct hotel bookings or simply wishful thinking?
Skift Research came with its much anticipated Hotel Distribution Outlook 2024. In this report, based on the wishes of both branded and independent hoteliers surveyed, Skift Research predicts that by 2030, direct digital channels will have overtaken…
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The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled on price parity clauses in contracts between an important hotel reservation platform and hotel establishments. The CJEU has determined that these clauses must be analyzed under the rules on…
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Q2 2023 Shows a Steady Growth of Online Booking Platforms in EU
Online booking platforms continue to grow in Europe, in spite of several Member States imposing specific bans on short-term rentals to fight long-term accommodation shortages…
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Sojern and Profitroom Join Forces to Drive Direct Hotel Bookings
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Aug. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sojern, the leading travel marketing platform, and Profitroom, a globally renowned award-winning booking and technology platform, today announced a new collaboration…
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The cost of acquiring a guest: Making the most of your booking channels in a recovering market
As international travel returns following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions and the hotel sector prepares for higher volumes of demand, property owners and investors will be looking to recoup some of the losses their businesses have…
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2022 predictions for business events
2022 will be a year of rebuilding and recovery for the business events, accommodation, and meetings industry, according to the HBAA, soon to be known as beam.
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