A website for a hotel — more bookings without Booking.com

Booking.com takes a 15–25% commission on every reservation. For a hotel with 100,000 PLN in monthly revenue that’s 15,000–25,000 PLN handed over to the platform. Your own website with a booking engine is the most effective way to claw that money back. Every direct booking is pure margin.

Room presentation — let the guest see before they book

Each room type deserves its own subpage with: a photo gallery (minimum 5–8 images), a description of amenities (TV, Wi-Fi, minibar, air conditioning), square footage and view, price per night (with peak vs. off-peak), maximum number of guests, and cancellation policy. Photos are critical — rooms that look better in photos than in reality are a disaster, but rooms that look worse in photos than in reality are a loss. Invest in a professional photo shoot.

A direct-booking engine

The on-site booking engine must be: simple (3–4 steps: dates, room, details, payment), fast (no 10-second loading between steps), secure (SSL, payments via a certified provider), and mobile-friendly (60%+ of bookings come from a phone). Integration with the PMS (Property Management System) synchronizes availability in real time — no double bookings.

Gallery of the property and the area

A guest doesn’t book just a room — they book an experience. Show: the hotel restaurant and menu, pool/spa/gym (if you have them), lobby and shared spaces, the surroundings (tourist attractions, beach, mountains), event photos (weddings, conferences). A 360-degree virtual tour boosts booking conversion by 15–30%.

Local attractions — give a reason to come

A “What to do nearby” section on the hotel site serves two goals: it helps the guest decide on your hotel (there’s plenty to do!) and it ranks the site for queries like “hotel near [attraction]”, “accommodation [tourist region]”. Describe local attractions, restaurants, hiking trails, events. Link to them — Google will appreciate it.

Guest reviews — your best advertising

Hotels with a Google rating below 4.0 lose 50% of potential bookings. Display reviews on the site, encourage guests to leave them (post-checkout email with a review link), respond to every review (including negative ones — it shows you care). Integrate reviews from TripAdvisor, Google and Booking — show you have positive feedback across all platforms.

Special offers and packages

The hotel site should promote offers available ONLY for direct bookings: lowest guaranteed rate, free breakfast, late checkout, room upgrade. That gives the client a reason to book with you directly instead of through Booking. Communicate it clearly: “Book direct — best rate guaranteed”.

How much will you save on commissions?

Let’s do the math: 50 bookings per month via Booking × average 400 PLN × 20% commission = 4,000 PLN/month to Booking. Shifting 50% of bookings to your site = 2,000 PLN saved per month = 24,000 PLN per year. The website pays for itself in the first quarter.