Project overview
The hotel has 24 rooms and a loyal following, but most bookings came through online travel agents, with commission eating into margins.
They wanted to win more bookings direct, especially from past guests.
Great reviews, expensive bookings
Three issues kept guests on OTAs:
No guest emails
Past guests were never contacted after their stay.
No reason to book direct
The website offered nothing the OTAs didn't.
Quiet social media
Posts were occasional and didn't link to booking.
What success looked like
- Grow direct bookingsby at least 30%.
- Reduce OTA commissionwithout lowering occupancy.
- Bring past guests backwith email.
Our approach, step by step
- 1
Direct booking offer Weeks 1–2
Created clear book-direct benefits, such as flexible cancellation and a welcome drink, on the website.
- 2
Guest email flows Weeks 2–5
Set up pre-stay, post-stay and seasonal emails for guests who opted in.
- 3
Social and ads Months 2–6
Shared seasonal content and targeted ads to people who had visited the website.
- 4
Measure Ongoing
Tracked booking source and commission saved each month.
Before and after: key metrics
Booking mix in the same months a year apart.
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct bookings share | 28% | 41% | ▲ 13 pts |
| Direct bookings per month | 96 | 140 | ▲ 46% |
| OTA commission paid | 100 | 69 | ▼ 31% |
| Repeat guest bookings | 22 | 38 | ▲ 73% |
The results
Direct bookings grew steadily as past guests returned and new visitors booked direct.
“More guests now book with us directly, and the savings on commission have been significant.”