OTAs not only bring in bookings but also remain in control
The majority of hotels rely heavily on OTAs, particularly in low-season, to maintain high occupancy rates. This is a good strategy. This strategy is effective, but it has a price. You lose margins and have limited control over your guest data.
More hotels are attempting to move bookings from their websites to their own, as each reservation will bring them more profits and value in the long run. Many hotels find that, despite their efforts, this shift doesn’t occur.
You know what you want to achieve, but your setup is holding you back
Exely works with hotels who have made direct bookings their top priority. We have observed why some hotels succeed while others struggle. The website itself is often not the problem. The problem is often not the website itself, but what’s happening behind it.
Most hoteliers only update availability on their website and not in their Channel manager for OTAs. Some hoteliers reserve a small number of rooms for direct bookings and let OTAs take care of the rest. Other people do not realize that their website has a higher rate than OTAs.
The cost adds up. The hotel pays extra to get the booking, or loses it every time.
Your Channel Manager could be the real problem.
You are wasting its potential if you think of your Channel Manager only as a way to switch between OTA accounts.
When your Booking Engine and Channel Manager work together as one system — not just technically, but strategically — everything changes. Exely Channel Manager or Exely Booking Engine integrated with Exely works exactly the same way. All channels, including the website, automatically sync availability and prices. You can track and fix price disparities, manage all online sales from a single account, and keep the last rooms for your most profitable channel — all without extra effort.
Direct sales can grow consistently, and not just occasionally.
Case in point: Boutique Hotel Seven Days
This 50-room hotel in Prague used to get just 10–15% of bookings from their website. Exely increased that number to 25% after switching.
When demand is high, the GM, Zagorski uses the disparity reports and demand calendar to shift bookings from the phone to the website.
It helps me to close OTAs when bookings are more profitable. It directs demand to where bookings are most profitable.
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Since implementing this strategy, the hotel has seen a significant boost in performance: revenue increased by €242,000 in 2023 compared to the previous year, and by another €403,000 in 2024. For the peak season, ADR rose from €110 to €180–200.
Bookings through OTAs will be more valuable in the future
Some bookings are always made through OTAs. This isn’t a problem. It is important to know what happens next.
Exely launches two new products to help hotels maximize the value of their reservations. The Service Hub allows hotels to offer automatic room upgrades to OTA customers. Exely Payment Hub provides a complete infrastructure for payments, including secure prepayments for OTAs booked via Channel Manager and collection of cancellation fees. Payments for room upgrades made through Service Hub as well as all purchases made on Booking Engine will also be possible.
Both tools run in the background without any manual input. Together, the tools strengthen Exely Channel Manager. They give hotels the capability to increase the average check value and decrease the risk of no shows even when bookings are not made through the website.
Last Thought
It could be that your strategy is not working. It could be setup.
No matter where you get your bookings, a Booking engine and channel manager that are in sync with each other and built to support direct sales goals will help you achieve more.
Our team can assist you if you want to improve your bookings and increase the value of each one. Leave a requestA manager from Exely will contact you and help you find the right combination of solutions to meet your hotel’s needs.
