The OTA Commission Problem
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb have trained travellers to book through their platforms. But every booking they mediate costs your hotel between 15% and 25% in commission fees.
On a €200-per-night room, that's €30–€50 per booking going straight to the OTA rather than your hotel's revenue.
For a small hotel doing 100 bookings a month, that's €3,000–€5,000 in lost revenue every single month — just in commission fees.
A direct booking engine doesn't eliminate OTA traffic entirely — OTAs still serve a discovery function. But even shifting 20–30% of bookings to direct can save tens of thousands of euros per year.
What a Direct Booking Engine Does
A direct booking engine is a booking widget or booking page embedded on your hotel's own website. When a guest visits your website, they can:
- Select a room type (Standard, Deluxe, Suite, etc.)
- Pick their check-in and check-out dates
- See availability in real time
- Enter guest details and payment information
- Receive an instant confirmation by email and SMS
No OTA involvement. 0% commission. All revenue directly to the hotel.
How BookPoint Works as a Hotel Booking Engine
Room Types as Services
In BookPoint, each room type is configured as a "resource" or as a "service" with a defined capacity. A boutique hotel with 3 standard rooms, 2 superior rooms, and 1 suite would configure 3 services with the respective availability settings. When all standard rooms are booked for requested dates, the standard room option is unavailable — preventing overbooking.
Multi-Night Bookings
Unlike hourly service bookings, hotel reservations span multiple days. In BookPoint, each night of a multi-night stay is counted against availability, and the departure date is automatically cleared for re-booking. A guest booking 3 nights ties up that room slot for 3 consecutive days.
Direct Revenue — No Commission
When a guest books directly through your BookPoint booking engine, there is no OTA platform involved. BookPoint charges a flat monthly subscription (starting at €0 for the Free plan). There is no per-booking commission, no revenue share, and no minimum volume requirement.
Instant Confirmations and Reminders
BookPoint sends the guest an instant booking confirmation via email with all reservation details. 24 hours before check-in, an automatic reminder is sent with the booking reference, check-in time, and cancellation policy. This reduces last-minute cancellations and no-shows.
Embeddable Widget on Your Hotel Website
BookPoint provides a small embed code that you paste into your hotel's existing website. The booking widget appears on your site with your brand colours. Guests never leave your website — the entire booking process happens within the same browser tab.
For hotels without a dedicated website, the public BookPoint booking page serves as a complete web presence: bookpoint.net/book/your-hotel. This page is SEO-optimised and can appear in Google search results.
The Revenue Impact: Direct vs. OTA
| Booking Source | Commission | Revenue on €150/night | Monthly (100 bookings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | ~18% | €123 | €12,300 |
| Expedia | ~20% | €120 | €12,000 |
| BookPoint Direct | €0 + €24/mo flat | €150 | €15,000 |
Even shifting 30% of bookings to direct saves €800–€900/month on a modest 100-booking volume.
Getting Guests to Book Direct
The challenge with OTA dependence isn't technical — it's behavioural. Guests find you on Booking.com, then book direct if there's an incentive. Common hotel strategies:
- Rate parity + extras — match the OTA price but include free breakfast, late checkout, or room upgrade for direct bookings
- Best price guarantee — add a visible "Best Rate Guaranteed" badge to your booking widget
- Email re-engagement — after an OTA stay, send a post-stay email offering a discount for direct next booking (requires capturing the guest email during check-in)
- Google Hotel Ads — link your direct BookPoint booking page to Google Hotel Ads to appear directly in Google Search price comparisons
BookPoint Plans for Hotels
| Plan | Price | Best For | Bookings/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | B&B or small guesthouse (1–2 rooms) | Unlimited |
| Starter | €24/month | Boutique hotel (3–10 rooms) | Unlimited |
| Pro | €59/month | Hotel (11–50 rooms) | Unlimited |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BookPoint replace my channel manager?
BookPoint is a direct booking engine — it manages availability and bookings that come directly through your website. It does not automatically sync availability across OTA platforms (that's a channel manager's role). Most hotels use BookPoint for direct bookings while maintaining their OTA listings separately for visibility.
Can I accept prepayment or deposit for hotel bookings?
Yes, on the Starter plan and above. BookPoint integrates with Stripe to collect advance payments at booking time.
Can I configure seasonal pricing in BookPoint?
BookPoint supports different pricing per service/room type. For seasonal dynamic pricing, the Pro plan includes pricing rules that can vary by date range.
What languages does the booking page support?
The BookPoint booking page is available in 7 languages: English, Romanian, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hungarian. Guests see the page in their browser language automatically.
Add a direct booking engine to your hotel website today with BookPoint. Accept reservations directly, keep 100% of revenue, and send automated confirmations and reminders. Setup takes under 30 minutes.
Set up your hotel booking engine free →
