14 March 2026 · 8 min read

A twelve-month guide to reducing OTA dependence

Cutting commission is a year-long project, not a campaign. Here is how we phase it so occupancy never dips while the mix changes.

Quarter one — stop the leak

  • Brand defence campaign live
  • Booking engine path shortened and tested
  • Direct-only benefit defined and published

Quarter two — build your own demand

  • Search and content work on town and room-type pages
  • Review generation running at every checkout
  • Guest email list cleaned and segmented

Quarter three — convert repeat guests

Post-stay and win-back sequences turn your existing guests into direct ones. This is the cheapest direct share you will ever gain.

Quarter four — rebalance

Review each channel's net contribution and reduce allocation on the platforms that only ever repeat demand you already created.

Find out what your property is leaving on the table

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