Website for a hotel: more direct bookings without Booking.com

Booking.com takes 15–25% commission on every reservation. For a 100-room hotel running 60% occupancy, that’s 30,000–60,000 PLN handed to the middleman every month. Hotels with a strong website and a direct-booking system cut the OTA (Online Travel Agencies) share of their revenue to 30–40%, saving hundreds of thousands of zloty a year.

OTAs are useful — but they shouldn’t dominate

Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb — these platforms are fantastic for picking up new guests who would never have found you otherwise. But once a guest knows you and wants to return — they should book directly. Your site is the tool for building that direct relationship.

The “billboard effect” rule: 75% of travellers who find a hotel on Booking.com still visit its own website before booking. If your site is worse than your Booking profile — you lose direct-booking potential. If it’s better — the customer books directly.

What must a hotel website include?

1. A top-class photo gallery

A hotel is a visual experience. Professional photography is absolutely essential — no phone snaps, no pre-renovation shots. Invest in a photo shoot that covers:

• Every room type (standard, deluxe, suite) — at least 5 photos per room
• Common areas: lobby, restaurant, spa, pool, conference rooms
• The exterior at different times of day (daylight, dusk)
• Details: breakfast, bed linen, view from the window
• Atmosphere: staff (with consent), guests (with consent and faces blurred)

2. Room descriptions with unique copy for each type

Each room type should have its own subpage with a description (what the room includes, the view, the floor, max. number of guests), a list of amenities (air conditioning, minibar, safe, bathtub vs. shower), and a gallery. Avoid generic copy like “cosy room with a bathroom” — write with specific details that set each room apart.

3. Direct booking engine — with a best-price guarantee

The key to direct bookings: guarantee that the price on your site is equal to or better than on Booking.com. Add a banner “Best price guaranteed when you book direct” — and actually honour it. Dedicated booking engines for hotels: Profitroom, Hotres Booking Engine, SiteMinder.

4. Packages and special offers up front

Romantic package, spa package, family package, last-minute offer — these are extra revenue streams that OTAs cannot showcase properly. Your site can present them attractively, with photos and details, generating a higher cost per booking than an OTA can.

5. Local attractions and content about the area

A guide to the area (top 10 attractions, restaurants, hiking trails) is content that ranks in Google and attracts travellers planning a trip. If a guest searches “what to see in [city]” and lands on a blog run by Hotel X — you register as the local expert and the natural base camp.

6. A section for groups and corporate events

Corporate events, weddings, conferences, training — this is the revenue category with the highest transaction values and the lowest price elasticity. A dedicated page with an inquiry form (number of attendees, date, event type, expectations) lets you capture this traffic without intermediaries.

7. FAQ and cancellation policies visible before booking

A customer who sees a clear cancellation policy before booking books more confidently. Hiding policies in terms-and-conditions fine print is a recipe for negative reviews after the fact. A transparent FAQ reduces the hesitation around booking direct (vs. Booking.com’s free cancellation).

SEO for a hotel

SEO priorities for hotels:

• “hotel [city]” — the headline phrase, fierce competition, worth chasing
• “hotel [district/area]” — less competition, higher conversion
• “accommodation [city]”, “places to stay [city]”
• “hotel with pool [city]”, “weekend hotel [city]”
• “wedding [city] hotel”, “wedding venue [city]”
• “conference [city] hotel”

How much can you save on direct booking?

A hotel with 50 rooms, an average price of 300 PLN/night, 65% occupancy, and 100 bookings per month through OTAs (20% commission):

• OTA commission: 100 × 300 × 0.20 = 6,000 PLN/month
• If we shift 50% to direct booking: saving 3,000 PLN/month = 36,000 PLN/year
• Professional site with booking engine: 5,000–8,000 PLN
• Payback period: ~2 months