Growing direct bookings 48% while cutting OTA dependence

Client overview

A boutique hospitality group operating several properties relied on online travel agencies (OTAs) for the majority of its bookings. Commission fees were eroding margin, and the group had little direct relationship with its guests. They wanted to grow direct bookings without sacrificing overall occupancy.

The challenge

Direct booking growth was constrained by heavy OTA dependence and fragmented campaign tracking. The website converted poorly, paid campaigns were not attributed to revenue, and the team could not see which channels actually drove direct reservations.

Our strategy

• Rebuild the booking journey around speed, clarity, and a frictionless enquiry-to-reservation path.
• Implement end-to-end conversion tracking so every booking could be attributed to a channel and campaign.
• Coordinate Google and Meta campaigns to capture high-intent demand and retarget guests away from OTAs.

Execution

• Redesigned and rebuilt key landing pages with a faster, mobile-first booking flow and clear direct-booking incentives.
• Deployed server-side conversion tracking and connected it to the booking engine for accurate revenue attribution.
• Launched coordinated Google Ads (brand + non-brand) and Meta retargeting campaigns aligned to the booking funnel.
• Set up weekly reporting tying ad spend directly to direct-booking enquiries and revenue.

The results

Increased direct booking enquiries by 48% over six months while improving attribution visibility and reducing reliance on high-commission OTA channels.

Key takeaways

• Owned conversion infrastructure is the foundation — paid media only compounds once tracking is accurate.
• Coordinating web and paid media as one system shifted demand from OTAs to higher-margin direct channels.
• Revenue-level attribution let the team confidently reinvest in the channels that actually drove bookings.