Question 1

How accurate is the OTA Commission Calculator?

Accepted Answer

The calculator uses the standard commission rates for each OTA platform (Booking.com: 15–20%, Airbnb: 14–16%, MakeMyTrip/Goibibo: 12–18%, Agoda: 15–18%, Expedia: 15–25%) and your own revenue inputs. The results are estimates based on these rates and may vary slightly from your actual invoiced amounts.

Question 2

What is the average OTA commission rate in India?

Accepted Answer

OTA commissions in India typically range from 12% to 25% depending on the platform and your contract tier. MakeMyTrip/Goibibo charges approximately 12–18%, Booking.com 15–20%, Airbnb 14–16%, and Agoda 15–18%. Hotels often lose ₹8–25 lakhs annually to OTA commissions depending on their revenue.

Question 3

How can I reduce my OTA commission costs as an Indian hotel?

Accepted Answer

The most effective strategies include: (1) Building a direct booking website with a guaranteed best rate, (2) Running Google Ads to capture direct search traffic, (3) Setting up a WhatsApp booking system, (4) Encouraging past guests to book directly via email/WhatsApp campaigns, (5) Using your OTA presence for discovery while converting guests to direct for repeat bookings.

Question 4

Is it worth paying OTA commissions at all?

Accepted Answer

OTAs provide valuable discovery — guests who have never heard of your property can find you. The strategic approach is to use OTAs for first-time guest acquisition, then convert those guests to direct bookers for future stays. This hybrid model typically reduces OTA dependency from 80%+ to 40–50% within 12 months.

Question 5

What is the difference between Booking.com and MakeMyTrip commission rates?

Accepted Answer

Booking.com typically charges 15–20% commission depending on your contract level and participation in promotions. MakeMyTrip/Goibibo charges 12–18% for hotels, with lower rates for properties that maintain high review scores and high response rates. Sponsored placement costs are additional to base commissions.

Question 6

How much commission does Airbnb charge Indian hosts?

Accepted Answer

Airbnb charges Indian hosts approximately 14–16% of the booking subtotal as a host service fee. This is taken from the payout before it reaches you. For budget stays under ₹2,500/night, Airbnb offers a 3% split-fee option where the guest pays more of the commission.

Question 7

How do I calculate my total annual OTA commission loss?

Accepted Answer

Annual OTA commission = Total Annual Revenue × Average OTA Share % × Average Commission Rate %. For example, a hotel with ₹60L annual revenue, 70% OTA share, and 18% average commission pays approximately ₹7.56L per year to OTAs. Our free calculator does this automatically with per-platform breakdowns.

Question 8

What is a good OTA dependency percentage for an Indian hotel?

Accepted Answer

Industry benchmarks suggest 40–50% OTA dependency is the target for a healthy hotel business. Most independent Indian hotels start at 70–90% OTA dependency. Reducing to below 50% is achievable within 12–18 months with the right direct booking strategy and is typically worth ₹5–20L in annual savings.

Question 9

Can I negotiate my commission rate with Booking.com or MakeMyTrip?

Accepted Answer

Yes, commissions are negotiable, especially for high-volume properties. Booking.com offers reduced commissions under their preferred partner programme for properties with high review scores and booking volume. MakeMyTrip offers preferred rates during partnership programmes. However, negotiation alone rarely reduces commissions by more than 2–3%, making direct booking growth a far more impactful strategy.

Question 10

Does the OTA Commission Calculator store my data?

Accepted Answer

No. The OTA Commission Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your revenue figures, ADR, and occupancy data are never sent to our servers unless you choose to download a detailed report, which requires entering your email address. You can use the calculator anonymously with no data stored.

Free OTA Commission Calculator

Configure Your Property

Booking Distribution (% split)

Annual Profit Leakage

Get Your Free OTA Commission Loss Report

Understanding the Real Cost of OTA Dependency in India

How the Commission Loss is Calculated

The 3-Step Strategy to Shift Bookings Directly

Frequently Asked Questions — OTA Commission Audits

Our direct booking strategy pays for itself in 3 months

Compare Other Free Tools

📊 RevPAR Benchmark Calculator

🤖 AI Review Response Generator

🎯 Direct Booking ROI Calculator