One Simple Fix Hotels Can Optimize Their Booking Flows and Increase Conversion Rates

Stop Paying OTA Commission for Guests Who Wanted to Book Direct

If you're wondering how to get more direct hotel bookings, the answer isn't always more ad spend or a flashy new campaign… It could be fixing the booking flow you already have. Hotels can quietly lose direct bookings while guests are attempting to book on their website. The good news is that step is fixable. Here's where direct bookings are leaking, and things you can do to stop it.

In my 10 years in the hospitality industry, hotels always wants more direct bookings. There is no OTA commission, they build a real relationship with the guest, and they keep loyal guests within your ecosystem for further marketing efforts. But a lot of hotels lose those direct bookings directly in their booking flow, without ever realizing it.

While there is a lot of things you can do (and measure) why this is happening, one aspect of your booking flow could be a simple fix.

The fix is often simpler than an entire overhaul of your booking platform

When I approach this problem, I usually ask the following questions:

When guests are going through your booking flow, how many steps are there? Is it clear where they are in the process? Do they know what will happen next, and what they are getting for booking directly on your website?

Typically these are the things that are missing. When a booking flow has too many steps, or the steps aren't clear, people naturally drop off. And they don't just leave. They go book the same room through an OTA they already know and trust, because it feels easier and more familiar.

You still get the booking, but now you're paying commission for a guest who was already on your site, ready to book with you directly. That's an expensive problem hiding in plain sight.

Here’s what I did to solve this problem

In my work with a global hotel brand, I helped test a small change to a hotel booking flow: adding a clear, visual step-by-step indicator so guests always knew exactly where they were in the process and what came next.

It sounds like a minor fix. But it absolutely wasn't. In our A/B testing we found that when people can see the whole path, "how much longer is this going to take?" they are much more likely to book. The uncertainty of an unclear flow pushes people back to a familiar OTA goes away, because you've made your own flow just as clear and just as easy.

The mistake I see hotels make

This part is where I think costs hotels the most: a lot of hotels outsource their booking flow and then never check whether it's actually optimized. They treat it as a technical box that got ticked at launch, not as the single most important conversion surface they own.

But your booking flow is where the decision happens. It's the last thing standing between an interested guest and a direct booking. If you've never audited it, tested it, or watched where people drop off, you're very likely handing bookings to the OTAs at the finish line.

Here’s what hotels can do instead

Own your booking flow like the revenue engine it is. Watch where guests drop off. Test the friction points. Make every step clear, and show people the path. Small, evidence-based changes here can move your direct-booking numbers more than another campaign ever will, because you're converting the people who already chose you.

If you’re a hotel brand that needs help, this is the exact work I do. Get in touch with me to help optimize your booking flows to increase conversion, decrease OTA commissions, and keep your valued guests in your ecosystem.

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