What is a metasearch engine? The ultimate guide for hotels

If your property isn’t showing up – or showing up poorly – you’re not just missing clicks. You’re missing out on guests.

But what are metasearch engines? How do they work and how can you effectively navigate them to benefit from their full potential?

What is a metasearch engine?

A metasearch engine is a pay-per-click-based platform that aggregates and displays real-time rates and availability from multiple hotel booking sites – such as online travel agencies (OTAs), hotel brand websites and wholesalers – allowing users to compare prices and options in one place.

Instead of taking bookings itself, a metasearch engine redirects users to the selected provider to complete their reservation.

Popular examples, which we expand on below, include Google Hotel Search (previously known as Google Hotel Ads), Trivago and Tripadvisor.

Metasearch engines are widely used by consumers, especially in the early stages of trip planning. They appeal to price-conscious travellers who want to ensure they're getting the best deal, as well as to those looking to understand their accommodation options quickly.

Their transparent format, showing multiple prices for the same hotel, gives users a sense of control and confidence.

The concept of metasearch dates back to the 1990s, when platforms like Kayak and SideStep emerged to simplify flight and hotel shopping. These tools were created to address growing online choice fatigue, bringing clarity to a fragmented, fast-growing travel market.

Metasearch vs traditional search engines

A traditional search engine – like Google or Bing – uses a web crawler to index vast chunks of the internet. When a user enters a search query, the engine returns a single list of links to websites it deems relevant, based on a complex algorithm. These platforms are broad in scope, serving up everything from news articles and videos to shopping pages and hotel booking sites.

Metasearch engines, on the other hand, are specialized comparison tools. Rather than linking to a wide variety of content, they pull structured data – such as for availability and price comparison purposes – from a defined set of different sources and display them in a unified format. For example, a hotel metasearch engine will show prices for the same room across different booking sites.

The main advantage of metasearch is its focus and transparency. Travelers can quickly compare options and make informed decisions based on the most relevant information. However, they don’t provide the same breadth of data that a single search engine offers.

Crucially, metasearch platforms rely on integrations, so users only see rates from sources that are actively participating.

Metasearch vs OTAs

OTAs like Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com are full-service booking platforms. They list accommodation options, take reservations, process payments and often handle customer service.

OTAs earn commission on each booking made through their platform and typically own the entire booking experience from search to confirmation.

Metasearch engines, on the other hand, don’t process bookings themselves. Instead, they display rates from multiple sources – including OTAs and hotel websites – and redirect users to complete the booking on the chosen site.

This makes metasearch a traffic-referral model rather than a transactional one.

The advantage of metasearch lies in its price transparency and brand control – you can advertise direct rates alongside OTA listings, encouraging users to book direct on your website.

OTAs, however, often offer stronger conversion tools, loyalty programmes and packaged travel options.

Some OTAs, like Booking.com, blur the line by operating as both an OTA and a metasearch engine. They may list competing rates (e.g. from sister brands) or aggregate inventory in search results. For you as a hotelier, this dual role creates more competition and highlights the importance of having a strong, visible direct channel presence on metasearch platforms

How do metasearch engines work?

Metasearch engines operate through a structured architecture designed to gather, process and display real-time data from multiple sources.

At the front end is the user interface (UI), typically a clean, intuitive search bar where users input their destination, dates and preferences. The display layer then shows relevant results in a comparative format, often with filters for price, star rating, distance, user reviews and more.

Increasingly, personalization features, such as remembering past searches or tailoring results based on user behavior, enhance relevance and drive engagement.

Behind the scenes, metasearch engines rely on data feeds and integrations rather than crawling different search engines on the open web. These data feeds are supplied by OTAs, hotel chains, wholesalers and booking engines.

Each time a user searches, the engine pulls in current rates and availability from these partners, ensuring results are accurate and up to date.

To determine which listings appear first, metasearch engines each use their own algorithm for ranking. These may factor in bid amount (how much your hotel as a partner is willing to pay per click), price competitiveness, ad relevance, click-through rates and even user preferences.

Hotels or OTAs often manage their visibility through bidding platforms, paying more to appear higher in search results.

This pay-per-click (PPC) model makes metasearch both a digital marketing and distribution channel.

You must therefore balance bid strategies, rate parity and conversion performance to succeed, making participation both high-potential and operationally complex.

How to improve performance on metasearch engines

Ranking high on metasearch engines is critical for your property because would-be guests typically click on the top few results, just like in a Google search. A top position can significantly increase visibility, click-through rates and ultimately direct bookings.

With a pay-per-click model, however, visibility alone isn't enough; your hotel must ensure that it’s converting that traffic effectively.

To strengthen performance, you should focus on several key areas:

• Rate parity: Ensure that the direct rate listed on metasearch platforms is equal to or better than OTA rates. Competitive pricing encourages users to book direct and improves ad relevance.

• Bidding strategy: Since most metasearch engines operate on a PPC basis, increasing your bid can raise your placement. Use smart bidding tools to target high-converting traffic without overspending.

• Website experience: Once a user clicks through, your hotel’s booking site must load quickly, be mobile-optimized and offer a seamless user journey. Poor user experience leads to high bounce rates and wasted spend.

• Conversion optimization: Clear calls-to-action, trust signals (like reviews and secure payment badges), and streamlined booking flows increase the likelihood of turning clicks into confirmed bookings.

• Strong content and visuals: High-quality images, detailed descriptions and updated amenities help listings stand out in a competitive field.

• Search engine optimization (SEO): Tying in with the above, optimize your booking engine, hotel web pages and social media output with relevant keywords, structured data and fast load times to improve quality scores and organic visibility, which can support your paid performance on metasearch.

• Analytics and A/B testing: Regularly review campaign data to identify what’s working, test landing pages and refine targeting strategies for ongoing performance improvement.

Together, these efforts will ensure your hotel not only shows up but wins bookings.

Metasearch is only one piece of a strong distribution strategy

While metasearch engines are a powerful search tool for driving visibility and direct bookings, they represent just one part of a hotel’s broader distribution strategy. Relying solely on metasearch can leave you exposed to fluctuations in ad performance, bidding costs or changes in consumer behavior.

Metasearch should be seen as a complementary channel, working alongside OTAs, direct website bookings, Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and even offline sales as part of an overall channel strategy. It plays a critical role in increasing price transparency, attracting high-intent users and giving you a chance to compete directly with OTAs for bookings.

However, its success depends on having competitive rates, strong brand presence and a seamless booking journey.

To manage this complexity, hotels often use channel management tools, which help distribute inventory and rates consistently across all platforms in real time. These tools reduce the risk of overbookings, ensure rate parity and make it easier to adjust pricing strategies across different channels from one central dashboard.

By integrating metasearch into a well-balanced, tech-enabled distribution strategy, you can maximize reach, maintain control and drive more profitable bookings across the board.