Is OTA commission really a hidden marketing budget?
Yes — think about what an OTA does for its cut. It puts your hotel in front of travellers, makes booking easy, and follows up. That's marketing, and you already pay handsomely for it. The catch: you're renting the audience. The guest belongs to the platform, which will show them your competitor next time just as easily. You paid to acquire a customer you don't get to keep.
Redirect even part of that spend into marketing that builds your audience and your direct bookings, and it stops being a cost. It becomes the same money doing better work — and building assets you keep.
Illustrative scenario. A 20-room hotel in Unawatuna does ~200 room-nights a month, 70% via OTAs at LKR 22,000 a night. At 17% commission, the platforms take about LKR 523,000 a month — over six million rupees a year. Invest LKR 85,000/month in direct-booking marketing, shift just a third of those bookings to direct, and the hotel saves roughly LKR 175,000 in monthly commission. Marketing costs LKR 85,000; commission saved is LKR 175,000. The hotel is ahead by LKR 90,000 every month — and now owns those guest relationships. The marketing didn't cost money. It made money.
Want your real number? Run it on our OTA commission calculator — it takes 30 seconds and usually surprises owners.
Why don't more hotels shift to direct bookings?
Because they've never had a system to capture and convert direct enquiries. A guest visits the website, has a question, finds no easy way to ask, and books on the OTA because it's simply easier. The OTA wins on convenience, not price.
That's the exact gap we close. Our Local SEO & Google Business Profile work makes you findable when guests are choosing; every campaign sends them to a dedicated landing page built to convert; every enquiry lands in your lead tracking portal; and your team follows up instantly with WhatsApp. The direct path becomes as easy as the OTA path — so the commission-free booking is the one that wins.
Do I have to stop using OTAs?
No. OTAs bring visibility and international reach you'd struggle to build alone. The goal isn't to delete them — it's to stop depending on them for every booking. Shift even a third of your bookings to direct, and the commission you save usually more than covers your entire marketing investment. When OTAs are optional rather than essential, you also protect your margins and negotiate from strength.
Why HotelBoost: we keep your ad spend separate and fully visible, you own every account, and there's no lock-in — so redirecting your commission is a low-risk shift, not a leap of faith.
What should you do next?
If you're losing ~LKR 60,000 a month to commission, don't spend more — redirect what you already lose. Our Starter package (LKR 45,000/month) begins exactly this shift with local SEO, Google visibility, and a direct booking path — often for less than a single month of commission. As direct bookings grow, Growth (LKR 85,000/month) scales it.
First step: run your number on our OTA calculator, then take a free growth audit and we'll show you how much you could realistically win back. → Book your free audit
Frequently asked questions
Questions hotel owners ask
How much commission do OTAs charge hotels in Sri Lanka?
Typically 15–20% per booking. For a small hotel, that often adds up to LKR 60,000 or more a month — over LKR 700,000 a year.
Will OTAs penalise me for encouraging direct bookings?
No — keeping your listings while giving guests an easy way to book direct is normal and within the rules. You grow the direct channel alongside your OTA presence.
How quickly do direct bookings grow?
Direct enquiries from ads and a proper landing page can start within weeks; the search visibility and reputation that make direct bookings steady build over a few months.