OTA Commission Benchmarker
Compare your commission rate with published and estimated ranges, and see your total commission cost
Your Property
Example value; enter your own
Commission Ranges
Published by the company, or our estimate where marked
Booking.com
10–25% · estimate
Airbnb (split fee, host share)
3–4% · published
Airbnb (host-only fee)
14–16% · published
Expedia Group
15–25% · estimate
Agoda
15–20% · estimate
Commission Impact
Room Nights Sold
840
30-day period, all channels
Gross Room Revenue
$151200
Commission Paid
$13608
$32.40 per OTA room night
Revenue After Commission
$137592
Annual Commission Cost (est.)
$165564
Extrapolated from this period
If your rate were 2 points lower (illustration)
What commission do OTAs charge hotels?
Your contract sets your rate, and it is the number that counts. The ranges here are for orientation only. Booking.com charges a set percentage of each reservation and says a statement can show a higher percentage if you take part in marketing programs such as Genius, Preferred Partner or Visibility Booster. Airbnb lists two structures: a split fee, where hosts typically pay about 3%, and a host-only fee, where most hosts pay 15.5%. So the two are not directly comparable, because the split fee charges guests as well.
We could not find public rate cards for Booking.com, Expedia Group or Agoda, so those rows are estimates from third-party hotel distribution guides, not company figures. We left GDS and direct booking off the list because published figures conflict too much to give a fair range. Sources: Booking.com partner help, Guesty's Booking.com fee guide, Airbnb service fees, checked October 2026.
Direct bookings have costs too, including paid search, metasearch, booking engine and card fees. To compare channels, add those up for a period and divide by direct room revenue. A lower commission rate also adds to revenue after commission without any change in room nights, assuming your mix and rates stay the same.
Reviewing your OTA commission
Whether a rate can change depends on your contract and the platform. If you plan to talk to your market manager, it helps to prepare:
- Your channel numbers — room nights, revenue, cancellations and review scores through that OTA.
- Marketing program costs — what each program adds to your effective rate, and what it returns.
- Your direct cost — your actual acquisition cost, calculated from your own marketing and payment fees.
- Your channel mix — how much of your business depends on each OTA, so you can judge the risk of any change.
Take care with rate parity. Don't offer a price-matching promise in exchange for a lower rate without legal advice. In the EEA, the Digital Markets Act bars Booking.com from requiring parity, and the European Commission says businesses there can set their own prices and conditions on and off the platform (Commission factsheet). In Germany, the Federal Court of Justice confirmed in 2021 that Booking.com's narrow best-price clause was unlawful (summary). Rules differ elsewhere.
For more on channel mix, see the OTA Commission Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What commission does Booking.com charge hotels?
We could not find a public Booking.com rate card, so the 10–25% shown here comes from third-party guides. Your rate is in your agreement. Booking.com says the percentage on a statement can be higher if you take part in marketing programs such as Genius, Preferred Partner or Visibility Booster.
What commission does Expedia charge hotels?
We could not find a public Expedia rate card, so the 15–25% shown here is our estimate from third-party hotel distribution guides. Your Expedia contract is the reliable source. Expedia offers both Expedia Collect, where it takes payment from the guest, and Hotel Collect, where the guest pays the hotel, which affects cash flow.
Can hotels negotiate OTA commission?
That depends on your contract and the platform, and there is no public rule for when a rate can change. Bring your own numbers: room nights and revenue through the channel, cancellation rates, and what a direct booking costs you. Do not offer rate parity as a bargaining chip without legal advice: the Digital Markets Act bars Booking.com from requiring it across the EEA, and national laws or court rulings restrict parity clauses in countries including Germany, France, Austria and Italy.
What does a direct booking cost a hotel?
Direct bookings are not free. Add up your paid search, metasearch, booking engine and card fees for a period, then divide by your direct room revenue. We do not publish a benchmark because costs vary widely and we have no reliable source for a typical figure.
How much would a 2-point lower commission save?
Take a 40-room hotel at 70% occupancy and a $180 ADR, with half of its room nights booked through OTAs at 18%. It pays about $165,564 a year in commission, and a rate 2 points lower would save about $18,396. This is an illustration, not a promise; enter your own numbers above.
Should hotels reduce OTA dependence?
That is a judgment for each property. OTAs bring reach that may be hard to replace, while direct bookings can cost less and give you the guest relationship. Compare the net revenue of each channel using your own data before you shift rates or inventory.
General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Rates and rules change, so check them with the relevant authority, your employer or a qualified adviser before relying on them. Company names identify the companies described; hotels.tools is not affiliated with them.