How to choose and manage the right booking channels for your independent property

From global OTAs to your hotel’s website and everything in between, each channel comes with its own advantages, costs and audiences.

For independent properties that don’t enjoy the strong brand awareness of chain hotels, the stakes are even higher. Choosing the wrong mix can lead to lost revenue, impacted profitability or missed opportunities to connect with the right guests.

That’s why having a clear strategy for selecting and managing your booking channels is so important. It’s not just about being visible, it’s about being visible to the right people, and in a way that supports your long-term goals.

How to identify the best channels for your property

1. Define what traveler types fit your accommodation best

Before selecting any booking channels, it's essential to understand who you're trying to attract. Start by building guest personas based on your ideal guests. Consider age, travel purpose (business vs. leisure), geographic location and booking habits. For instance:

• Younger travelers may prioritize easy price comparison, leading them to use big OTAs like Booking.com or Airbnb.

• Business travelers often rely on travel agents that use GDS’s (Global Distribution Systems) like Amadeus or Sabre and corporate booking platforms like HRS or Navan.

• Local staycation guests may be more responsive to direct booking campaigns through email or social media.

• Luxury travelers may gravitate towards niche travel agencies offering exclusive properties and packages with a higher price tag.

• Families may book all-in-one vacations well in advance for convenience and to get a good deal.

With the right hotel software, you can easily deduct which booking channels are preferred by different guest segments. By clearly defining these profiles, you can tailor your distribution strategy to align more closely with actual guest behavior.

2. Evaluate your booking channel options

Not every channel will be a match with your property. For example, some of them focus on one type of accommodation only, like Vrbo, which offers fully equipped holiday homes.

Evaluate which channels best serve your target audiences, based on their booking habits and preferences. There are two main types:

• Direct distribution channels: Your hotel’s website with a booking engine, social media platforms and even phone reservations. These offer better profit margins and more control, but require some marketing efforts and investment from your side.

• Indirect distribution channels: OTAs (e.g., Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda), GDS platforms (used by travel agents, mostly for corporate travel), wholesalers and metasearch engines (e.g., Google Hotels, Trivago). These extend your reach and visibility but typically charge commission or require discounted pricing.

The most well-known type of third-party booking platform are Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Because they possess the biggest market share by far, these platforms give your hotel or B&B exposure to a diverse audience, which in turn generates bookings.

OTAs are easy to use and have strong marketing power. On the other hand, they typically charge 15-30% in commission per booking, which significantly reduces your profit. You also have limited control over the guest journey and don’t have as much insight into guest data as with direct bookings.

In terms of direct bookings, your hotel’s website with a booking engine is or should be the main channel. By selling rooms directly to guests commission-free, you keep more revenue per booking and build a stronger relationship with your guest through personalized service and communications.

Next to that, you can take control over guest data, allowing you to spot trends and improve your strategy. On the flip side, you need to invest in marketing to make sure potential guests find your website and convince them to book directly.

Carefully consider which indirect channels are worth your time and money. Ask yourself:

• Who uses this platform? Does its clientele overlap with my target audience? You can even do the test by putting yourself in your guest’s shoes. Open an incognito browser window and pretend you’re looking for accommodation in your area. Which channels appear in the Google search results?

• What listings does this platform have? Are my direct competitors present? Are there similar accommodations with a lot of reviews?

Weigh the pros and cons of each channel, comparing reach, cost, user experience, and the level of control you maintain. For an extensive overview of the most popular channels broken down by accommodation type, take a look at our OTA directory.

3. Diversify your channel mix strategically

Over-reliance on a single channel like Booking.com can leave your property vulnerable to pricing pressure, policy changes or sudden visibility drops. A diversified approach spreads the risk and expands your reach to different audiences.

Mix direct channels for profitability, major OTAs for visibility and niche platforms for targeting specific segments (e.g., wellness travelers, pet-friendly properties or regional travelers). This balance lets you target multiple audiences without depending too heavily on any one source.

For hotels with up to 20 rooms, a minimum of five OTAs is recommended for the best results. If you have more rooms, aim to leverage between five and ten partnerships.

4. Evaluate the performance of your distribution channels

Once your channels are up and running, data becomes your best decision-making tool. Use reporting features in your channel manager and Google Analytics to compare key metrics:

• Conversion rates: How many visitors complete their reservation?

• Website visitors: Where is your traffic coming from?

• Commission fees: How much are you paying to acquire each booking?

• Cancellation rates: Are certain channels generating more unreliable reservations?

• Guest acquisition cost: What are you spending per new guest, across channels?

These insights allow you to prioritize high-performing platforms and flag those that may not justify their cost.

5. Analyze guests’ booking behavior to spot trends

Beyond the raw numbers, it’s important to understand the why behind guest decisions. Track which platforms guests are using to book and what may be influencing their choice. For example:

• Are your OTA bookings coming primarily from mobile devices?

• Do direct bookings increase after social media campaigns or newsletter sends?

• Do older guests prefer calling directly, while younger ones prefer app-based bookings?

This behavior data helps you refine your communication, tailor promotions, and adjust channel strategies based on real-world patterns.

6. Keep monitoring and adjusting your distribution mix

Your channel strategy shouldn’t be static. Regularly review performance metrics and adapt your mix accordingly. These are things to look out for:

• Eliminate underperforming channels that cost more than they return.

• Boost exposure on high-performing platforms with promotions.

Shift focus based on demand, like leveraging more local channels during off-peak periods or closing high-commission channels when your occupancy rate reaches a certain level.

Think of your distribution channel mix as a living system. Continual optimization ensures your efforts stay aligned with changing market conditions, guest behaviors and business goals.

Extra tips for a strong distribution strategy

1. Don’t lose sight of direct bookings: Commission-free reservations benefit your bottom line and should therefore stay top priority.

2. Build guest loyalty: Turn OTA guests into direct customers through loyalty programs and special offers that incentivize direct (repeat) bookings. This reduces your customer acquisition costs.

3. Adapt to market trends: Keep a close eye on industry trends, such as the predicted traveler behaviors for next year, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

4. Focus on local and global appeal: Attract local guests by hosting events or launching tailored promotions. Ensure your strategy accommodates international travelers by optimizing content for global audiences.

5. Pricing is key: Without a smart pricing strategy in place, your distribution strategy won’t be as profitable as it can be. Offer the most attractive deals on your own website and make sure your rates are in line with the market on OTAs.

How to manage your booking channels successfully

Managing your booking channels effectively is critical if you want to maximize revenue, streamline operations and enhance guest satisfaction. Below, we’ll share 3 best practices to make your channel management more efficient and successful.

1. Use a Channel Manager

Managing multiple booking platforms manually is time-consuming and prone to errors. That’s why a channel manager is an absolute must-have for independent hotels. It automates the distribution of room availability, prices and restrictions across all your connected platforms with real-time updates.

This offers several key benefits:

• Saves time by automating updates across platforms.

• Reduces manual errors like mismatched prices.

• Avoids overbookings through instant synchronization of availability.

• Increases visibility and bookings by keeping your listings accurate and up to date.

• Provides centralized reporting capabilities to easily compare channel performance.

Look for a tool with the following key features:

• Real-time inventory synchronization to prevent overbooking.

• Integration with your Property Management System (PMS) for seamless data exchange.

• Support for diverse channels, global ones as well as those tailored to niche markets (e.g., OTAs that target Chinese guests, digital nomads or wellness travelers).

You’re best off choosing a Channel Manager tailored to your specific needs as an independent hotelier. Not sure where to start? View our complete buying guide to channel management solutions for independent hotels here.

2. Maintain rate parity between indirect channels

Ensure consistent pricing across all channels to build trust with guests and avoid confusion. Most third-party platforms raise issues if your rates are not consistent across all your third-party platforms. This is how you can maintain rate parity:

• Use your channel manager to automate rate parity while allowing flexibility for promotions or exclusive deals on specific platforms.

• Avoid undercutting your own direct booking rates on OTAs.

3. Keep your listings up-to-date

Ensure your property listings across all channels are visually appealing and up-to-date. Make sure these things are present on your listings:

• Include high-quality images, detailed descriptions of amenities, and information about local attractions.

• Regularly refreshed content to stay relevant and attract more bookings.

This not only improves credibility but also your ranking on OTAs.

Conclusion

Choosing and managing the right mix of booking channels is essential for independent hoteliers who want to grow their revenue, reach the right guests, and maintain control over their business. But with so many platforms and shifting guest behaviors, doing this manually is time-consuming and risky.

That’s where a Channel Manager becomes indispensable.

A good channel manager not only simplifies the complexity of managing multiple platforms, it also helps you make smarter decisions. From real-time pricing and availability updates to insightful performance reports, it gives you the tools to optimize your distribution strategy with confidence.

Rather than juggling bookings across OTAs, direct channels, and niche platforms, a channel manager keeps everything in sync and aligned with your goals. It allows you to spend less time on admin and more time focusing on what matters most: creating exceptional guest experiences and growing your business.

Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The best channel mix is the one that reflects your property’s unique identity, supports your revenue goals, and delivers the kind of guest experience you want to be known for. Keep testing, keep adjusting and stay focused on what works for your hotel.