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Hospitality is the most dependent on the OTAs, compared to all other travel sectors: airlines, car rental companies and cruise lines.
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In the early 2000s, the online travel landscape looked very different from today. Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.com, Travelocity and CheapTickets all operated as independent companies, competing aggressively for consumer attention…
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Airbnb is changing its service fee structure from split to single fee, potentially positioning the company to compete with online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Booking.com. But not all affected will benefit. While it may give the…
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Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends…
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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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Why Agentic Search Is Quietly Rewriting the Rules and How to Keep Up
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Chris Bowling, head of digital and consumer marketing at BWH Hotels GB, shares some advice for independent hoteliers on how to remain competitive and visible.
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Now, in a courageous initiative set to shake up the tourism market, industry heavyweights with a background in tech are backing a bold new startup, DirectBooker. 
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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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Across Europe, we're witnessing an unprecedented wave of collective legal action as hotel associations in more than 25 countries have joined forces to sue Booking, seeking billions in damages for commissions paid between 2004 and 2024…
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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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When travellers search for a hotel, they’re not just browsing, they’re comparing…
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In 2028, Los Angeles will become the center of global attention as it hosts the XXXIV Summer Olympic Games. Although the event is still several years away, in the tourism and hospitality industry, time moves differently. Preparing for such a…
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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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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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Artificial intelligence could end up closing down the world of travel as it increasingly limits results to a traveller’s known wants and desires as opposed to giving them fresh ideas.
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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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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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