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 with so many OTAs available, how do you know where to list your hotel? Which OTAs are the best?
Well, every OTA is best in its own way; however, there are a few that might do a better job and deliver better results.
So for all the hoteliers reading this blog, here I am sharing some of the best OTA platforms to increase your hotel bookings by manifolds.
Table of Content
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. Agoda
With a strong emphasis on providing customers with cheap or discounted accommodation, Agoda is getting popular among travellers.
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 low costs. Therefore, it is an ideal platform to attract international travellers.
Agoda is owned by Booking Holdings (which also owns Booking.com) and it charges between 15 to 20% on successful bookings.
3. 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 it is – they are personalized, homely, and have a local connection. So if you have a well-furnished property, then Airbnb 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.
4. Hotelbeds
With more than 71,000 tour operators, travel agents, and airlines, and 50 million room nights sold annually, hotelbeds is one of the renowned names in the accommodation distribution space.
By listing your hotel on hotelbeds you get all the solutions and tools you need to maximize your room occupancy rates. Additionally, it also offers a wide range of marketing solutions and products that gets your property much-needed attention. Meaning, your hotel gets seen in the right place at the right time.
Over the years, hotelbeds has worked dedicatedly to build strong relationships at both ends of the travel chain to offer products, services, and solutions that help all its client and partners grow.
It can rightly be said that it is one of those platforms that can contribute significantly to maximizing your hotel occupancy and revenue.
5. Cleartrip
Founded in 2006 as a hotel and air aggregator, Cleartrip is another popular OTA that accommodation providers shouldn’t overlook.
Being one of India’s fastest-growing online travel portals and with hundreds of partners from the travel and hospitality industry, the OTA provides access to a bouquet of offerings and enables people to take that much-needed vacation at attractive prices.
Upon its acquisition by Flipkart, the platform even participated in the Flipkart Big Billion Day event, which was like a travel shopping spree on the Cleartrip website and app as well.
If your hotel is in India and looking for a bundle of services to just boost occupancy but also increase revenue, then Cleartrip should be one of your go-to OTA.
6. MakeMyTrip (GoMMT)
Established in 2000, MakeMyTrip is a household name in the Indian OTA space and over the years the company has strengthened its offerings extensively.
It has more than 2.5 million daily users searching for hotels and homestays, making it the preferred OTA for accommodation providers.
One of the events that made MMT one of the most preferred partners was its merger with Ibibo Group in 2017, making it GoMMT.
Today, GoMMT is a leading travel group in the country, providing a one-stop shop for all accommodation providers.
Whether you own a hotel, villa, resort, lodge, guest house, serviced apartments, hostel, homestay, cottage, or a BnB, you can list your property for free with MakeMyTrip & Goibibo and leverage its best-in-class offerings to maximize online bookings and bottom line.
If your property isn’t listed on GoMMT, there’s no doubt that you’re lagging. So, without further ado, get your accommodation listed on this sought-after platform.
7. Expedia
Expedia lures maximum travellers 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. Travellers 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 great exposure to increase your hotel presence.
Furthermore, as a fun fact, Expedia is one such entity that owns more than 200 travel booking sites, and over 150 mobile apps and websites worldwide. So, you must understand how this company is still a reigning leader.
While it’s not practical to list all of them, here are some of the popular ones:
8. Trip.com
With Trip.com rewards (coupon codes and discounts), travellers 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.
9. eDreams
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 travellers 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.
Conclusion
With the rise in OTAs, their discount offers, comparing options, and holistic travel packages, it has become challenging for hoteliers to escalate their booking flow through their own websites.
Hence, comes the need to be a part of this OTA culture where they can drive maximum bookings and stay dynamic in the hotel industry.
Despite the discussed benefits, you should always be aware of the functioning of OTA platforms before listing your property on one.
Because driving more bookings is not equivalent to driving more revenue. The commission charges and additional charges should be taken into serious consideration.
Apart from this, if you successfully list your property on these OTAs then nothing can curb your online bookings and that’s for sure.
Also, if there are any more you want to see on this list, kindly mention them in the comments section.
Keep your online buzz alive! Happy Hoteliering!
