For hotels, apartments, villas and guesthouses
OTA commission calculator
Enter what your property earns through online travel agencies each month and the average commission you pay. See what that commission adds up to over a month, a year and three years, and what a share of direct bookings could keep in your business.
Estimated OTA commission
/ month
/ year
What if 20% of these bookings became direct?
Potential commission retained
/ year
On about €19,200 a year of bookings moving from OTAs to a direct channel.
Estimates only. Actual commissions and fees vary by platform, property, programme and agreement.
Potential retained commission assumes the selected share of OTA bookings could instead be generated through a commission-free direct channel. Direct bookings still carry their own costs, such as payment-provider fees and your website or software.
What could you do with €2,880 a year instead?
Commission leaves your business with every OTA booking. Kept, the same money could go towards:
- Property improvementsRooms, beds, bathrooms or outdoor space.
- Professional photographyImages that show the property at its best.
- Guest amenitiesThe details guests mention in reviews.
- MarketingReaching guests who book with you directly.
- StaffMore time for service, cleaning and maintenance.
- Operating profitOr simply more of what the property earns.
Illustrative only: what the amount covers depends on your property and prices.
Founding Host Program
Start shifting more bookings direct.
Join DirectBalkan during Early Access and get your initial property listing prepared for you.
0% DirectBalkan booking commission · Free listing during Early Access · No card, no long-term contract
How the Founding Host Program worksHow the calculation works
- Monthly OTA commission is your monthly OTA booking revenue multiplied by the average commission rate.
- Yearly OTA commission is the monthly figure multiplied by 12; the three-year figure is the yearly figure multiplied by 3.
- Potential commission retained is the yearly OTA commission multiplied by the share of bookings you expect could become direct.
For example, at an assumed 15% OTA commission, €60,000 in OTA bookings a year represents approximately €9,000 in annual commission. If 30% of those bookings became direct, about €2,700 of that commission would no longer be paid.
Why OTA commission is easy to underestimate
Online travel agencies such as Booking.com and Airbnb are an important source of guests for many properties. Their fees are usually taken booking by booking or invoiced afterwards, so the total is rarely seen in one place.
Rates are not the same everywhere. What a property pays depends on the platform, the country, the agreement and optional programmes such as visibility or preferred-partner schemes; payment and service fees can come on top. That is why the calculator asks for your own average rather than assuming one.
A realistic share of direct bookings
Direct bookings rarely replace OTAs. They typically grow from returning guests, your own website, search and recommendations, while OTAs keep bringing new guests. That is why the scenario goes up to 50% and starts at 20%: choose the share that is realistic for your property.
A direct booking keeps the guest relationship with you as well as the commission. DirectBalkan is being built for exactly that: a verified marketplace listing and your own booking website, with 0% DirectBalkan booking commission.
