Exploring the Digital Landscape: A Guide to Hotel Booking Sites

Let’s explore the world of online travel agencies and metasearch channels. In this guide, you will find the hotel booking sites that suit your budget, offer you a range of options and help you find the best balance between quality and price. Additionally, we’ll break down the cost of listing your property and how to advertise on multiple booking websites at once.

If you have an Airbnb, apartment suite, or hotel, it is essential to market your property on an Online Travel Agency (OTA), wholesaler, or metasearch platform. Remember that only some booking sites are suitable for certain property types. Fortunately, there are numerous booking sites to select from, and we will list the most popular in this blog.

Let’s first look at the different types of travel booking sites in the UK.

Quick Links

The Four Types of Hotel Booking Sites

Metasearch

A metasearch channel allows travellers to compare hotel room rates from various booking sites, such as online travel agencies (OTAs). Google Hotel Ads is the leading metasearch channel that guides travellers to the hotel’s website.

Global Distribution System

A Global Distribution System (GDS) is an online network connecting travel industry suppliers (airlines, hotels, cruise lines, car rentals) with travel agents and tour operators by providing inventory, pricing, and availability information.

Online Travel Agency

OTAs, or Online Travel Agencies, are third-party websites consumers use to research and book travel-related products and services. On a B2B level, OTAs are considered the best hotel booking sites in the UK for online distribution and generating brand awareness.

Wholesaler

Wholesalers, known as bed banks, act as intermediaries between hotels and OTAs/travel agents. They purchase hotel room nights in large quantities, bundle them together, negotiate rates, and resell them to OTAs and travel agents.

What Is the Best Hotel Booking Site for Your Property?

Regarding distribution, it is crucial to comprehensively understand all your booking channels and their strengths and weaknesses. For example, one channel could result in a more significant number of bookings but with more cancellations. In contrast, another channel may be more suited to young travellers on a tight budget, resulting in lower RevPAR.

Check out our analysis of the best hotel booking websites. RoomRaccoon seamlessly integrates with nine of these booking channels.

1. Booking.com

Quick facts

Best for: Ideal for all types of accommodation providers, from upscale hotels to luxurious tents

Countries: Available in over 40 languages and offers over half a million properties across 227 countries.

Commission: Average is 15%

Good to know: Most popular site for booking hotels, with over 50% of all European online hotel bookings.

Booking.com is the top distribution channel for European hotels. In June 2023, 614 million people visited the site, making it the world’s most popular travel and tourism website.

As a commission-based platform, hosts pay a percentage of each reservation made through the app or webpage, typically ranging from 10% to 20% based on location. With RoomRaccoon’s Channel Manager, you can effortlessly sync rates and availability with your reservations calendar and linked booking channels, including Booking.com.

2. Vrbo

Quick facts

Best for: beach houses, cabins, lake rentals and condos,

Countries: 70+ countries

Commission: 5% commission free

Good to know: The name is an acronym — Vacation Rental by Owner and offers stand-alone vacation homeowners over 750 million visits to Expedia Group sites each month.

For nearly three decades, Vrbo has revolutionised group travel by connecting homeowners with families and friends seeking unique places to stay. Vrbo encourages people to escape daily distractions and spend quality time together in distinctive vacation rentals worldwide.

With Vrbo integration with RoomRaccoon, booking cabins, condos, beach houses, and everything in between is simple and enjoyable. As a part of Expedia Group, Vrbo offers homeowners and property managers exposure to over 750 million monthly visits to Expedia Group sites.

3. Hotelbeds

Quick facts

Best for: All accommodation types

Countries: 300,000 properties covering 195 countries worldwide

Commission: Average 21%

Good to know: Hotelbeds is a popular wholesaler.

When you connect to Hotelbeds, your property gains exposure to over 71,000 travel agents, more than 40 airlines, and various OTAs. You can sell rooms and ancillary products and services with this distribution channel.

Hotels often use wholesalers to reach high-value clients. Wholesalers offer many opportunities and can leverage their collective knowledge to put your property in front of potential guests who may not have known about them.

4. SafariNow

Quick facts

Best for: Lodges, hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, cottages, and more

Countries: 176,000 properties in Southern and East Africa

Commission: Average 15%

Good to Know SafariNow won multiple awards as South Africa’s favourite eCommerce website.

Africa is a fast-growing tourism region, with operators selling inventory on SafariNow, Africa’s largest hotel booking site. According to the 2022 World Economic Forum Competitiveness Index, the top five African countries for travel are Mauritius, South Africa, Benin, Tanzania, and Cape Verde.

SafariNow allows hosts and hotel managers to accept bookings instantly or request a quote. Shorter stays with one activity, such as the 2-Night Kruger Park Safari Package, are the most frequently booked.

5. Google Hotel Ads

Quick facts

Best for: Big and small hotels, vacation rentals, resorts, and others.

Countries: Google owns 90% of the search market worldwide

Commission: Average 12% on cost per click

Good to know: Google Hotel Ads have higher conversion rates and lower costs per conversion than most other traffic sources.

Independent properties can benefit from Google Hotel Ads to increase direct bookings and compete with more prominent players. The pricing is flexible and is based on cost-per-click or cost-per-conversion. Here’s a comprehensive guide on Google Ads for Hotels and why it’s the best booking site for your hotel’s needs.

Direct bookings allow you to collect guest contact information, enabling you to start building relationships with guests immediately by emailing a confirmation and pre-check-in message with add-ons to elevate their stay.

6. Trip.com

Quick facts

Best for: Large and small hotels, apartments, bungalows and villas.

Countries: Operates in 200 countries, mainly the Asia-pacific region.

Commission: 10-15%

Good to know: China is quickly becoming the world’s largest source of outbound tourism

If you want to target the Asian market, especially China and Singapore, Trip.com is the best option for booking hotels. With over 1.4 million hotel listings, Trip.com owns nearly half of China’s online accommodation booking market.

Asia has the highest mobile hotel booking rate, with 49%, followed by Europe at 33% and North America at 28%. Trip.com reports that 75% of bookings are mobile, with Bangkok leading at over 70% and Singapore at around 40%.

7. Airbnb

Quick facts

Best for: Popular for home share listings, apartments, guesthouses and vacation rentals

Countries: Airbnb operates in 220 countries with over 6 million listings

Commission: 3-5%

Good to know: Airbnb offers over 2,000 unique accommodations, including castles, beach huts, igloos, and tree houses.

Airbnb launched in 2008 as a platform for global accommodation distribution. Since then, it has expanded to the distribution of hotel rooms profitably through various channels. Our blog offers valuable insights on how property owners can develop effective hotel distribution strategies to boost their profitability.

Unlike other travel booking sites, Airbnb gives hosts more control over the booking process. Hosts can choose between “instant bookings” or “requested bookings”. The latter option allows hosts to review guest profiles, read reviews from previous hosts, and use the information provided to accept or reject requests.

The host has the option to select from six distinct cancellation policies. Furthermore, the company offers Host Protection Insurance and Host Guarantee for damages up to $1 million.

8. Hostelworld

Hostels tend to attract a younger and more mobile demographic, with around 70% of bookings made online, surpassing hotels and other accommodations.

Hostelworld is a hotel booking site that focuses on hostels and inspires travellers to explore and meet new people. With over 13 million verified reviews, it caters to young travellers aged 18-39.

Hostel travellers are a relatively niche group whose preferences differ from those of the ‘typical’ traveller seeking accommodation and a fair price. 92% of hostel travellers now identify as “green travellers.” 65% are more likely to stay in eco-friendly accommodations than five years ago. Young travellers find cultural experiences and once-in-a-lifetime experiences more memorable than nightlife. One in five hostel travellers will choose a hostel offering free social experiences over one that does not.

Read more about 11 effective hostel marketing tips to attract more guests.

9. Agoda.com

Best for: hotels, bed & breakfasts, lodges, apartments, bungalows, and villas

Countries: Asia-Pacific region, particularly Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines

Commission: 15%-20%

Good to know: Agoda is a made-up word with no real meaning. When the founders started the company, they aimed to create a unique and catchy name that began with the letter “a” to improve its searchability on the internet.

Singapore-based Agoda, founded in 2005, is a rapidly growing hotel booking platform with over 2 million properties worldwide. Agoda focuses on the Asian market, leveraging its relationships with Asian hotels and its parent company, Booking Holdings Inc., to gain a competitive edge over its rivals.

A post-pandemic Agoda study found that Thais are optimistic about domestic travel. At the same time, Indonesian travellers seek ways to improve their travel experiences and request additional perks during their hotel stays. To meet these new demands and be the best website to book hotels in their market, Agoda has introduced a new feature called Agoda Special Offers (ASO). This allows hotels to offer value-added benefits such as breakfast, massages, recreation activities, snacks, and other amenities.

10. Expedia

Quick facts

Best for: Ideal for all accommodation providers, including hotels, B&Bs, hostels, and vacation rentals.

Countries: Expedia operates almost 70 countries and offers services in over 35 languages.

Commission: Average 10% to 30%, depending on the property type.

Fun fact: Expedia is a blend of the words “exploration” and “speed”.

Expedia Group operates Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Egencia, Trivago, and CarRentals.com. They offer Expedia Partner Central to list properties on their OTA marketplace. The RoomRaccoon integration with Expedia simplifies booking, increases occupancy and revenue, and expands hotel reach globally.

The travel company has partnerships with over 500 airlines worldwide and is the preferred choice for travellers seeking package deals that include flights, accommodation, and car rentals. A travel report for the second quarter of 2023 reveals that New York City, Las Vegas, and London are still the most popular destinations searched for on the booking site.

Checking Out: Seamless Travel With the Best Websites to Book Hotels

Understanding the best online travel agencies for booking hotels means knowing their terminology. Let’s break down some jargon.

• Rate parity means hotels and OTAs must offer the same room rates on all channels, preventing price discrepancies.
• OTA billboard effect: browsing OTA but booking directly with the hotel for better deals and info.
• A channel manager synchronises room availability in real-time across different OTAs and your website to prevent overbookings.

Every business should have a diverse revenue stream, including direct and indirect sales. With RoomRaccoon’s channel manager, you track your bookings from online travel agencies and generate reports to identify the most effective sources and optimize your distribution strategy accordingly.

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