Cutting OTA Dependency by Growing Direct Bookings 45%
A boutique hotel was paying steep OTA commissions with little direct booking traffic. A rebuilt website, destination-focused SEO content, and seasonal Google Ads campaigns grew direct bookings by 45%.
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The Situation
A boutique hotel was paying steep OTA commissions with little direct booking traffic. A rebuilt website, destination-focused SEO content, and seasonal Google Ads campaigns grew direct bookings by 45%.
The Problem
Over 80% of bookings came through OTAs, eating into margins. The hotel's own website was outdated, slow, and not ranking for any meaningful search terms, leaving almost no direct booking channel.
Our Strategy
We rebuilt the hotel website with a fast, mobile-first design and integrated booking engine, produced professional property and drone video content, and built SEO content around the destination experience alongside seasonal Google Ads campaigns.
Implementation
- Full website rebuild with integrated direct booking engine
- Professional property photography and drone video production
- Destination and experience-focused SEO content strategy
- Seasonal Google Ads campaigns aligned to booking windows
- Google Business Profile and review management program
How This Engagement Unfolded
Discovery & Audit
Over 80% of bookings came through OTAs, eating into margins. The hotel's own website was outdated, slow, and not ranking for any meaningful search terms, leaving almost no direct booking channel.
Strategy
We rebuilt the hotel website with a fast, mobile-first design and integrated booking engine, produced professional property and drone video content, and built SEO content around the destination experience alongside seasonal Google Ads campaigns.
Implementation
Full website rebuild with integrated direct booking engine
Results & Scale
Reduced OTA dependency saved an estimated 12-15% in commission costs on the bookings that shifted to direct channels, meaningfully improving per-booking margin within two peak seasons.
Measurable Impact
Return on Investment
Reduced OTA dependency saved an estimated 12-15% in commission costs on the bookings that shifted to direct channels, meaningfully improving per-booking margin within two peak seasons.
What Made the Difference
- SEO and Creative Studio and Google Ads performed best when planned together, not as isolated campaigns
- Clear, agreed-upon success metrics from day one made monthly reporting straightforward
- Consistent execution over the full engagement mattered more than any single tactic
- Reduced OTA dependency saved an estimated 12-15% in commission costs on the bookings that shifted to direct channels, meaningfully improving per-booking margin within two peak seasons.
A Look at the Work
What We Used to Get These Results
Explore the Services Behind This Result
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Our SEO team combines technical precision, content strategy, and AI-search readiness to gr…
Learn moreCreative Studio
Our in-house creative studio produces photography, video, drone footage, and motion graphi…
Learn moreGoogle Ads Management
From Search and Shopping to Performance Max and YouTube, our certified specialists build, …
Learn more"Direct bookings used to be an afterthought. Now our own website is one of our strongest revenue channels, and we're far less exposed to OTA commission changes."
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