You do not need to leave the OTAs. You need fewer of your own guests to book through them. Here is how resorts move bookings direct, and what it is worth.
CloudReef Editorial · Published 31 October 2026
Commission feels small on one booking. Over a year it is often one of the biggest bills a resort pays.
| Resort size | Paid to OTAs per year | You keep if 2 in 10 move direct |
|---|---|---|
| 10 rooms | $27,000 to $36,000 | $5,400 to $7,200 |
| 20 rooms | $54,000 to $72,000 | $10,800 to $14,400 |
| 40 rooms | $108,000 to $144,000 | $21,600 to $28,800 |
Assumes about $30,000 of room revenue per room per year, 60% of it booked through OTAs, at 15 to 20% commission. Put in your own numbers with the calculator on our pricing page.
An enquiry form, a Facebook page with “PM for rates” or an email address is not a booking. The OTA app is one tap away.
Guests plan at night. If their question waits until morning, they book where they get an instant yes.
No card, no GCash, no Maya on your website means the guest goes where they can pay.
OTAs often bid on resort names. A guest who searched for you clicks the first result and books through the OTA.
For “resort in [your town]”, the OTAs rank and your site does not. Travelers never see your direct option.
Guests who loved their stay book again through the same OTA, because nobody from the resort stayed in touch.
Leaving the OTAs is rarely the right move for a resort in the Philippines. They bring international travelers who would never find you otherwise, and they fill gaps at the last minute.
The goal is the right mix: OTAs for discovery, your own website for everyone who already knows your name, comes back, or finds you on Google and in AI search.
To run both without double bookings, your availability has to stay in sync everywhere. CloudReef has its own channel manager, or connects to the one you already use (Cloudbeds, Beds24, SiteMinder, STAAH and others). Every booking lands on one screen. See CloudReef with Cloudbeds.
Taken through the CloudReef booking engine. Zero commission on every one.
Page 1 on Google, 15k+ website views, 1,200+ guest messages answered by the AI chatbot, fully booked through high season.
Full system plus marketing campaigns, with growing direct booking channels. #1 on Google for “Moalboal vs El Nido”.
Typically 15 to 20% of the booking, depending on your contract and any visibility programs you join. Check your own extranet for your exact rate.
Most OTAs, including Agoda and Expedia, charge in a similar range. The cheapest booking is always the direct one on your own website.
Check your OTA contract first. Many have rules about showing a lower public price elsewhere. Most resorts give a perk for booking direct instead, like a transfer, breakfast or late checkout.
Usually not. Keep them for travelers who would never find you otherwise. Move the guests who already know you, come back, or find you on Google, to your own website.
A website that takes bookings and payments can bring direct bookings from the day it goes live, especially from guests searching your name. Ranking for wider searches takes months.
No. Every direct booking is yours. You only pay the usual card or e-wallet fee to the payment provider. CloudReef costs a one-time setup from $2,500, then $100 to $300 a month.
Tell us about your property. We work out what you pay in booking-site commission now, and how much you could keep with direct bookings. Free, sent within 24 hours. No Zoom call.
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