Still Losing Bookings to OTAs? Here’s What’s Really Going On (and How to Fix It - Part 1)
Why Guests Keep Choosing OTAs (and What We Can Learn From It)
I still meet GMs who shake their heads and say, “We’ve done everything right. Rate parity, best rate guarantee, loyalty offers. And yet 60% of our bookings still come from OTAs.”
I get it. OTAs can feel like the friend who always turns up uninvited, eats your dinner and still gets thanked for showing up. But if we strip out the emotion and look at the data, the truth is simple.
Guests aren’t booking OTAs because they’re loyal to Booking .com or Expedia. They’re doing it because, for them, it’s the path of least resistance. It’s faster, easier and it feels safer.
So, let’s break down what’s really happening behind the scenes and what hotels can actually do to shift the balance.
1. Guests want to compare, not hunt
When guests are planning a stay, most aren’t emotionally committed to a specific property yet. They want to scan their options, filter by what matters to them (price, pool, pet-friendly, free breakfast) and get to a short list quickly. OTAs make that ridiculously easy.
Their interface is built for impulse and reassurance. A few clicks, and you’ve seen 30 hotels ranked by price, review score and location.
What hotels can take from that
Your website should make comparison just as effortless.
If your booking engine feels like a maze, guests will bounce back to Booking.com in seconds. I’ve seen too many hotel sites where the user has to click through multiple tabs to compare room types or see inclusions.
Here’s what works better:
Add a simple “Compare Rooms” option.
Use photos and short bullet highlights, not paragraphs.
Show inclusions next to price (“Breakfast included”, “Flexible cancellation”, “Includes parking”).
You don’t need to copy OTA design. You just need to copy their clarity.
2. OTAs sell certainty better than hotels do
Booking.com isn’t selling rooms. It’s selling reassurance. That bright blue “Free Cancellation” label next to every rate isn’t decoration. It’s psychology. It tells guests: “You can change your mind and we’ll make it painless.”
Even when travellers plan to keep the booking, they crave that safety net.
What hotels can take from that
Most hotel sites bury cancellation terms three clicks deep in fine print. That’s a trust-killer.
Instead, make flexibility part of your selling story:
Show the cancellation cut-off right next to the price.
Use natural language: “Free cancellation up to 2 days before arrival.”
Offer non-refundable options only if there’s a clear, visible reward (like a 15% discount or dining credit).
And remember, flexibility isn’t weakness. It’s confidence. It signals that you believe in your product.
3. OTAs look faster because they are
Here’s something you can test yourself. Try booking a stay on your own website, then do the same on an OTA. Which one loads faster? Which one lets you complete payment in under two minutes?
I’ve tested hundreds of hotel websites and seen the same issues repeat:
Slow-loading booking engines.
Multiple redirects between brand and engine.
Hidden fees added at the last step.
Guests abandon at the first sign of friction.
What hotels can take from that
Sit next to a friend and watch them try to book your hotel. Don’t say a word. Just note every frown and hesitation. That’s where the leaks are.
Start by fixing the biggest pain points:
Speed up load times (under 3 seconds).
Keep the URL consistent across pages.
Use autofill for name, address and card details.
Show total price upfront.
OTAs feel frictionless because they’ve spent years stripping out micro-barriers. You can do the same, just on your scale.
4. Reviews rule the first impression
Let’s be real. Guests trust other guests more than they trust your marketing. OTAs use that brilliantly. Every search result shows review scores, snippets, and the comforting phrase “Verified stay.”
It doesn’t matter how beautiful your website is. If a guest reads mixed reviews elsewhere and can’t find any on your site, trust collapses.
What hotels can take from that
Don’t hide behind “Read our TripAdvisor page.”
Instead:
Integrate verified reviews on your website.
Update them regularly so they don’t look stale.
Add a line like “Latest review added today”; it signals freshness.
And for bonus points, address recurring feedback in your content.
Example: If guests keep mentioning parking or Wi-Fi, include those answers right on your booking page.
Transparency builds trust faster than any slogan.
5. Loyalty works, but not the way you think
Let’s talk about Genius. Booking.com’s loyalty programme feels instant, visible and rewarding. You sign in and bam, you see a blue badge that says “You’re saving 10%.” It’s gamified, simple, and addictive.
Most hotel loyalty offers? They’re hidden behind login screens or require multiple stays before any visible perk appears.
What hotels can take from that
Create instant membership value.
Instead of a complicated points system, try this:
Offer 10% off for members who book direct, visible right on the homepage.
Add real-world perks: “Late checkout worth £30” or “Free parking worth £20.”
Frame the benefits as tangible savings, not vague “rewards.”
Guests aren’t against loyalty. They just need to see value right now, not after their fifth stay.
6. OTAs are brilliant at first impressions
Your OTA profile is often the guest’s first touchpoint. They don’t land on your website until they’ve already decided to click through.
That means your OTA listing is part of your marketing funnel, whether you like it or not. Yet many hotels treat it as a set-and-forget admin task.
Outdated photos, inconsistent room names, missing amenities — these cost you bookings long before guests ever reach your site.
What hotels can take from that
Treat your OTA profiles like your shop window:
Keep photos consistent and high quality (show lifestyle, not just empty rooms).
Make sure your amenities match reality.
Use clear room names (“One Bedroom Apartment”, not “Deluxe Type B”).
Write copy that reflects your brand tone, not OTA clichés.
Think of OTAs as your awareness stage, not your enemy. Optimise them, then pull guests into your world with a reason to book direct next time.
7. The hidden reason: habit
For many travellers, OTAs aren’t even a conscious choice anymore. Their cards are saved, the interface is familiar, the trust is built. It’s muscle memory.
Your goal isn’t to fight the habit. It’s to create a new one.
That starts with what happens after the OTA booking.
Make the stay so seamless, personal and warm that next time they want to book direct.
Welcome them by name and acknowledge their OTA booking politely.
Invite them to join your member list for 10% off next time.
Hand them a physical card or QR code that leads to your exclusive direct rates.
Send a thank-you email post-stay with a gentle “Next time, book direct and save” message.
The aim isn’t to convert everyone immediately. It’s to start shifting behaviour stay by stay.
So, what does all this mean?
OTAs are not “winning” because hotels are bad at marketing. They are winning because they have simplified the decision-making process better than anyone else.
They speak to human psychology. Ease, trust, speed, and value. Meanwhile, many hotel websites still speak to internal checklists.
If you want to understand this relationship more deeply, read my earlier article The Marmite Effect: Why OTAs Divide the Hotel World, where I unpack why hoteliers both rely on and resent these platforms. This new piece builds on that conversation.
In Part 2, I walk through how to turn those insights into action. From fixing booking engine friction to mastering local SEO, AEO, and metasearch, so your property gets discovered for the right reasons, not just because it is listed next to everyone else.
And if you would rather have an expert take a deep look at how visible your property really is online,
You can book my Hotel Visibility Audit
or download Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Your Hotel to start improving your direct bookings today.
