Direct Booking ROI Calculator
Turn website visitors, conversion rate and monthly marketing costs into direct bookings, cost per booking and ROAS, then compare the result with your OTA commission.
Investment & Traffic
Include Google Ads, Website hosting, and Booking Engine fees.
From your own analytics; 1.5% is only an example.
From your OTA contract; used for the comparison below.
Est. Bookings
15.0
Revenue Generated
$5250
Cost Per Booking
$33
OTA: $53
ROAS
10.5x
Return on Spend
The Verdict
Your direct channel brings in $4750 of revenue above its costs.
Direct booking ROI: what this tool is estimating
This calculator turns traffic and conversion rate into an estimated number of bookings, then compares that revenue against your monthly direct channel costs (ads, website, booking engine, and similar fixed or semi-fixed spend). The goal is not a perfect accounting model—it’s a fast way to pressure-test whether your direct strategy is trending in the right direction.
Inputs that matter most
- Conversion rate: a move from 1.2% to 1.6% gives you a third more bookings from the same traffic.
- Average booking value: use net room revenue if you want a conservative view.
- Monthly visitors: use sessions from analytics for consistency.
Operational next steps
If ROAS is weak, a sensible order is: (1) site speed and booking UX, (2) clear direct-booking offers and value-adds, (3) consent-based remarketing and email capture, then (4) scaling traffic. Improving conversion lowers cost per booking without adding spend; paid traffic adds spend as well as bookings.
What is direct booking ROI?
Direct booking ROI is a measure of how much booking revenue a hotel generates from its own website and booking engine for every dollar spent on direct marketing and technology. This calculator estimates direct bookings from monthly visitors and conversion rate, then reports revenue, cost per booking and ROAS (return on ad spend). Cost per direct booking is the number to hold against OTA commission when deciding where to invest.
Formula
Bookings = Visitors × Conversion % · Revenue = Bookings × Avg. booking value · Cost per booking = Monthly costs ÷ Bookings · ROAS = Revenue ÷ Monthly costs · OTA cost per booking = Avg. booking value × Commission %
The verdict line subtracts monthly costs from revenue. That figure is revenue left after direct channel costs, not hotel profit, because room operating costs are not included.
Worked example: 1,000 visitors at 1.5% conversion
- Bookings: 1,000 visitors × 1.5% = 15 direct bookings a month.
- Revenue: 15 bookings × $350 average booking value = $5,250.
- Cost per booking: $500 monthly costs ÷ 15 bookings = $33.33.
- ROAS: $5,250 ÷ $500 = 10.5x.
- OTA comparison: a 15% commission on a $350 booking would be $52.50, so each direct booking costs about $19 less than that OTA equivalent.
With these illustrative inputs the direct channel returns $4,750 above its $500 monthly cost. Replace them with your own analytics and commission rate before drawing a conclusion.
Reading cost per booking and ROAS
- Cost per booking is the key comparison. If it is below what the OTA would charge on the same booking value, the direct channel is acquiring guests more cheaply.
- The tool flags ROAS under 5x as a warning. That threshold is this tool's rule of thumb, not a standard; the right level depends on your margins and length of stay.
- Conversion rate has an outsized effect: moving from 1.5% to 2.0% at 1,000 visitors lifts bookings from 15 to 20 and cuts cost per booking from $33.33 to $25.00 with no extra spend.
- Some guests would have booked direct anyway, so the result credits your spend with more bookings than it strictly caused. Read it as an upper bound.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good website conversion rate for a hotel?
There is no official benchmark. Published figures come mostly from vendors and differ in what they count, such as all visitors or only people who searched for dates. The most useful comparison is your own site over time, split by traffic source and device. The 1.5% default here is only an example.
What is the difference between ROI and ROAS?
ROAS is revenue divided by spend, so 10.5x means $10.50 of bookings per $1 spent. ROI usually means profit divided by spend, which requires deducting operating costs that this calculator does not model.
Which costs belong in monthly direct costs?
Include everything you pay to win direct bookings: Google Ads and metasearch spend, booking engine fees, website hosting and maintenance, and any agency retainer. Leaving costs out makes cost per booking look lower than it is.