OTA Commission Calculator
See your net payout from a Booking.com, Expedia or other OTA booking after commission and taxes, next to the same stay booked direct.
Booking Details
E.g. 7 for 7% VAT. Tax added on top: enter 0.
Direct Booking Comparison
Optional: Compare with direct costs
Net Income Breakdown
You keep 72.9%
💡 A direct booking would earn you +$18.25 more net revenue.
How to interpret your OTA net payout
Enter your typical room rate, add common extras (breakfast, parking, upsells), then set the commission you pay on that channel. If you use multiple OTA tiers, run a scenario for each (standard vs preferred) to see the profit difference.
Common mistakes
- Mixing gross and net rates: the calculator assumes the room rate includes the tax you enter. If tax is added on top of your rate, enter 0.
- Comparing one booking to one click: marketing costs should be averaged over a month (or campaign) to avoid cherry-picking.
What to do with the result
If the direct net is higher, focus on conversion and repeat bookings: a faster site, clear offers, and a clean booking path. If the OTA still nets more, you can target specific dates (high demand / compression) for direct-only perks while keeping OTAs for base occupancy.
What is an OTA commission calculator?
An OTA commission calculator is a tool that shows how much of a Booking.com, Expedia or other online travel agency booking a hotel actually keeps once commission and taxes are taken out. It reports the net payout and the share of the gross booking value you retain, next to the net from the same stay booked direct. The headline room rate overstates real income, because commission is often the largest distribution cost on a reservation.
Formula
OTA net = Gross − (Gross × Commission %) − Tax | Direct net = Gross − Marketing cost − (Gross × Gateway %) − Tax | Tax = Gross × Tax % ÷ (100% + Tax %)
Gross is the room rate plus extras, including any tax. The calculator applies commission and the payment gateway fee to that full amount, takes out the tax contained in it, and treats the direct marketing cost as a fixed amount per booking.
Worked example: $150 room at 18% commission
- Gross revenue: $150 room rate + $0 extras = $150.00.
- OTA commission: 18% of $150 = $27.00.
- Taxes: a 10% tax inside $150 is $150 × 10 ÷ 110 = $13.64, so the OTA net payout is $150 − $27 − $13.64 = $109.36, or 72.9% of gross.
- Direct booking costs: $5.00 marketing + 2.5% gateway fee ($3.75) + $13.64 tax.
- Direct net: $150 − $5 − $3.75 − $13.64 = $127.61.
At these default inputs, which are illustrative, the same stay is worth $18.25 more when booked direct, a gap that grows with every additional night and every extra sold.
Reading your net payout
- The "You keep" percentage is net payout divided by gross. Because tax is also deducted, it is lower than 100% minus commission; tax is passed on to the authorities rather than kept as revenue.
- The tax input assumes your rate already includes that tax, so 7% VAT is entered as 7 and works out at 6.54% of the price you charge (7 ÷ 107). If tax is added on top of your rate, enter 0.
- The OTA side assumes no card fee. If you collect payment yourself on OTA bookings, the same fee applies there, so the direct advantage is smaller than shown.
- If your contract charges commission on only part of the booking value, lower the gross or the commission input so the calculator matches your invoice.
- The direct comparison is only as good as the marketing cost you enter. Use total direct marketing spend divided by direct bookings for the same period.
- When no savings message appears, the direct booking nets less than the OTA booking at your inputs, usually because the per-booking marketing cost is too high.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does Booking.com charge hotels?
There is no single published rate, and your contract sets yours. Secondary guides put it at about 10% to 25%, often around 15%. Marketing programmes such as Preferred Partner add to the rate, so check your own agreement and invoices.
What is a typical Expedia commission for hotels?
Expedia does not publish a rate card. A proposed US class action filed in October 2026 alleges about 15% on bookings and 25–30% for hotels seeking greater visibility; those figures are allegations, which Expedia calls meritless. Your own agreement is the only reliable number.
Is OTA commission charged on taxes?
It depends on the tax and the contract. For Booking.com, secondary guides report that local taxes such as city tax are not commissioned, while VAT or GST may be, along with extra charges in the booking. Compare the calculator against an actual commission invoice.
Is a direct booking always more profitable than an OTA booking?
Not automatically. Direct bookings avoid commission but carry marketing, booking engine and payment costs; if your cost to acquire a direct booking exceeds the commission, the OTA booking can net more.
Can I offer a lower rate on my own website than on Booking.com?
In the EEA, yes. The Digital Markets Act bars Booking.com from requiring parity and it has removed parity clauses from its terms, so properties can set their own prices and conditions on and off the platform, including on their direct channel. In Germany the Federal Court of Justice had already upheld the ban on Booking.com's narrow best-price clause in May 2021. Other OTAs and contracts outside the EEA can differ, so read yours. This is general information, not legal advice.
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