Top 10 Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) for your hotel

In today’s competitive digital landscape, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) play a crucial role in making that happen, giving your hotel the extra visibility needed to attract guests from around the world.

For independent hoteliers with limited marketing budgets, OTAs can be an efficient solution to drive bookings without extensive in-house marketing efforts.

Direct bookings are preferred but OTAs can amplify your visibility far beyond what individual marketing efforts can achieve. In fact, with estimates of around 80% of travelers using OTAs at some point in their research or booking process, making them essential for visibility in a crowded market.

They also act as powerful comparison tools, allowing guests to discover your property among a sea of options, ultimately driving more bookings your way. As an added bonus, the “billboard effect,” means travelers may visit your hotel’s website after finding it on an OTA, giving you a chance to convert them into direct, commission-free bookings.

Yet, like most things in the travel industry, the world of OTAs changes rapidly with new websites, booking platforms and metasearch engines popping up all the time - making it difficult to determine which ones are truly worth your time and effort.

In this blog, we’ll guide you through some of the top OTAs that offer the most value, helping you stay competitive while maximizing revenue.

What do you need to consider when choosing your OTAs?

Before diving into what the best OTAs are for independent hoteliers, it’s important to understand what factors you should consider when selecting the right partner. OTAs offer great potential to increase bookings, but choosing the best options for your property requires careful consideration.

Alongside size and reach, here are a few key factors to keep in mind:

• Target Audience
  Who are you trying to attract (nationality, booking preferences, etc.)?

• Hotel Type
  Does the OTA cater to your property’s style (budget, luxury, boutique)?

• Commission Rates
  What commission fees does the OTA charge, and how do they impact your bottom line?

• Terms & Conditions
  Are the OTA’s policies favorable for your business?

• Promotional Tools
  Does the OTA offer valuable features like discounts, ads, or loyalty programs?

• Competitor Presence
  Which OTAs are your direct competitors using, and how are they performing?

Carefully weighing these factors will help you find the OTAs that best complement your property, maximizing occupancy and long-term success.

With OTAs boosting your visibility and the billboard effect potentially helping to increase direct bookings, you can craft a well-rounded distribution strategy that delivers results while maintaining profitability.

What are the most important OTAs to connect with?

1. Booking.com

   As the world’s leading OTA, Booking.com provides independent hoteliers with access to millions of travelers globally.

   Catering to all types of accommodations, Booking.com’s strong brand and powerful marketing make it a go-to platform for accommodation providers aiming to boost visibility and drive bookings

2. Expedia.com

   Expedia is another global powerhouse. Like Booking.com it has a global reach and brand recognition, with extensive coverage across North America, Europe, and Asia and offers a broad range of travel services, including hotel bookings, flights, car rentals, and vacation packages.

   For independent hoteliers, Expedia’s network - which includes Hotels.com and Vrbo - ensures high visibility across multiple platforms. Its diverse traveler base, from leisure to business, makes it ideal for maximizing bookings across different segments.

3. Agoda

   A popular OTA with travelers from Asia-Pacific, Agoda’s mobile-first platform is also growing in Europe and the Americas. It’s perfect for independent hoteliers targeting both business and budget-conscious travelers from Asia-Pacific.

   Agoda’s growing presence makes it essential for properties aiming to reach an international audience.

4. Airbnb

   Airbnb has revolutionized the travel market by focusing on unique and local stays. Independent hotels and B&Bs offering boutique, distinctive, or experiential accommodations can tap into a global audience that seeks out personalized, non-traditional lodging.

   It’s particularly useful for boutique hotels and properties targeting guest profiles seeking short-term rentals in their market.

5. MakeMyTrip

   MakeMyTrip dominates the South Asian market, particularly in India, making it essential for hoteliers targeting this booming travel market. With a strong domestic and international user base, it’s the gateway to attracting both leisure and business travelers from this region.

6. Rakuten

   Rakuten Travel is Japan's top OTA, with a strong domestic following. Independent hoteliers aiming to attract Japanese travelers can benefit from Rakuten’s trusted brand, especially for properties located in or focused on the Japanese market.

7. Trip.com (Ctrip)

   Trip.com is one of the largest OTAs in China and is expanding globally. It provides access to a massive audience, particularly in Asia, and is essential for independent hoteliers looking to attract Chinese travelers, one of the world’s largest outbound tourism markets.

   Its platform also includes Skyscanner, offering a range of travel services from hotels to flights and transportation.

8. Despegar

   Despegar is the leading OTA in Latin America, offering independent hoteliers access to Spanish-speaking travelers across the region.

   Its Brazilian counterpart, Decolar, caters specifically to Portuguese-speaking travelers, making it a powerful tool for hoteliers aiming to increase visibility and attract more guests from Latin America.

9. Hotels.com

   Part of the Expedia Group, Hotels.com offers one of the largest selections of accommodations worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of listings.

   It has a particularly strong presence in Europe and provides a valuable loyalty program for frequent travelers, making it an ideal platform for independent hoteliers looking to attract repeat guests and increase bookings across multiple regions.

10. Lastminute.com

    Lastminute.com specializes in offering spontaneous, last-minute deals on hotels, flights, and vacation packages. It’s an excellent platform for independent hotels looking to fill rooms quickly, especially during low-demand periods or for short-notice bookings.

    Independent hoteliers can benefit from Lastminute.com’s wide reach in Europe and its ability to attract leisure travelers who are seeking discounted, last-minute getaways and city trips.

Notable niche and regional OTAs to consider

For independent hoteliers who want to further target specific traveler segments or regions, here are some niche and regional OTAs to consider:

• Hostelworld: A go-to for budget-conscious and solo travelers. Particularly popular with backpackers.
  Key Region: Global

• Mr & Mrs Smith: Specializes in luxury and boutique accommodations, ideal for high-end hotels.
  Key Region: Global

• Ikyiu: A luxury-focused OTA in Japan, great for upscale hotels targeting affluent travelers.
  Key Region: Japan

• Traveloka: A leading OTA in Southeast Asia, offering flights, accommodations, and lifestyle services.
  Key Region: Southeast Asia

• Tiket.com: Focuses on affordable travel, particularly last-minute bookings in Indonesia.
  Key Region: Indonesia

• eDreams Odigeo: A popular OTA in Europe, especially Spain and Italy, known for offering convenient, all-in-one travel booking.
  Key Region: Europe

• ZenHotels: Known for competitive pricing, popular in Russia and Eastern Europe.
  Key Region: Russia and Eastern Europe.

• Hotel Tonight: Concentrates on last-minute hotel deals, catering to spontaneous travelers looking for discounted, same-day bookings.
  Key Region: North America and Europe

• Weekendesk: Focuses on short-term getaways and weekend trips, popular for spontaneous European travelers seeking nearby destinations.
  Key Region: Europe

Final thoughts: Balance your OTA strategy for maximum bookings

Relying on a single OTA like Booking.com could leave you missing out on 46% of your booking potential.

A mix of Booking.com and your direct booking engine still eaves a 27% gap. And, while expanding to multiple OTAs, like Booking.com, Expedia, and direct bookings, narrows the shortfall to 16%, there’s still room for improvement.

The more rooms you need to fill, the more OTAs you should carefully bring into your distribution strategy. Properties with 1 to 50 rooms typically list on 7 OTAs, while those with 50+ rooms use 10 OTAs. A diverse distribution strategy ensures broader visibility and minimizes risk.

OTAs can drive significant traffic but it’s important to strike a balance. You don’t want to become reliant on them as your only source of room revenue. Direct bookings via your own website allow for greater control, better profitability, and the opportunity to build stronger guest relationships, which can facilitate repeat business.

Tools like Lighthouse’s Channel Manager enable you to centralize and automate your distribution across multiple channels, effortlessly updating pricing, promotions, and syncing of availability in real time - so that you don’t miss out on any opportunities. With connections to over 200 channels, it also helps you maximize visibility to reach the audience most likely to book your property.

Paired with Pricing Manager, which delivers AI-driven price recommendations based on real-time market demand and competitor rates, the combination optimizes both your room pricing and distribution automatically so that you are always competitive.

Together, Channel Manager and Pricing Manager form part of Lighthouse’s all-in-one commercial platform - the first in the industry to offer such an integrated solution for independent hoteliers. It’s cost-effective, easy to use and designed to save you time while also boosting your revenue.

With an AI-powered, multi-channel approach, you’ll increase bookings, optimize your revenue, and drive sustainable growth.

By automating your distribution and pricing strategies with Lighthouse, you free up valuable time to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional guest experiences.