According to the study, leading online travel agents (OTAs) have control over hotel visibility on Google Search. Meanwhile, secondary OTAs offer lower rates in order to gain bookings. The May edition of World Parity Monitor.
The latest monthly report dives into online hotel pricing. 123Compare.me analyzes OTA market visibility — both in paid placements and organic results — and how this correlates with pricing behavior across global markets.
The May WPM illustrates how Booking Holdings and Expedia Group account for nearly all visibility, with Booking leading in both paid and organic spaces. In contrast, smaller OTAs compete mainly on price, showing higher Lose rates (where their hotel pricing is lower), especially in markets where they hold regional influence – for example MakeMyTrip in India and Despegar.com Argentina
While visibility is clearly concentrated among the major OTAs and their subsidiaries, there are differences in internal dynamics between each group. Booking.com is still the leader in both organic and paid spaces. However, its paid placements have slightly decreased. Expedia has, on the contrary, increased its investment in sponsored exposure, narrowing their gap.
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“We’re not just seeing a concentration of visibility — we’re also seeing strategic adjustments within the leading groups,” says Jordi Serra, CEO at 123Compare.me. Booking and Expedia have been consolidating their online presence. This has led to a shift in pricing pressure from them towards other players. It’s important for hotels to remain alert, as visibility and pricing are not always the same.
Claudia Rodríguez, Sekuenz’s Business Unit Director, reflecting on the strategic importance of the WPM. “The WPM doesn’t just provide data — it helps us understand what’s happening in the market and make more precise strategic decisions. This shows that the battles to convert are being fought in places where direct hotel prices are often undercut by paid placements. This should inform hotels’ digital marketing budgets.
She also stresses the importance of tracking changes in OTA strategies: Booking has reduced its investment in paid-placements, while Expedia increased it. These moves should cause revenue and distribution departments to re-evaluate how visibility costs and sales are impacted.
Data shows clear differences in OTA behavior in different regions around the world, demonstrating localised visibility and price strategies to capture consumers.
In Europe, Booking continues to lead in paid placements with relatively stable pricing, except in Switzerland (see notes below) Price competition has intensified in Asia as a result of regulatory actions. Asia is experiencing an increase in price competition. Booking is more competitive than Expedia in India. Regional players such as MakeMyTrip also enjoy strong organic visibility.
Expedia is a leader in North America in terms of visibility and price in the U.S. where the market has matured and the strategic balance is better. Parity levels have become more stable and sudden shifts less frequent. Booking dominates visibility across most countries in Latin America and while Expedia is less present, it shifts its focus to more aggressive pricing — especially in markets like Argentina.
Booking has a strong online presence in South Africa. They also frequently undercut their competitors. Australia is a more even landscape, where major OTAs are equally visible and have moderate pricing strategies.
The World Parity Monitor is a trusted industry tool used by hoteliers to monitor OTA pricing behavior and visibility performance across online distribution channels — helping brands and independent hotels optimize direct booking strategies and minimize revenue loss due to undercutting.
