Ask a GM what their OTA commission is. They will say 15%. Ask what their distribution cost is. They will also say 15%. Both answers are wrong. Real distribution cost includes line items that never show up in a contract and never get added to the OTA commission line on the P&L — and those hidden lines often total another 3-7 points.
The visible cost
Booking.com base commission: 15% (for most properties). Expedia base commission: 18% in many markets. Direct booking engine fee: 1.5-3% of bookings processed. These are the numbers everyone tracks because they show up on the monthly statement.
The hidden costs that come with the OTA
The hidden costs that come with direct
The real number
Run the math for the last 12 months: total room revenue, total of every distribution-related line item across the P&L (commission, marketing, technology, payment processing, loyalty rebate). Divide. For a typical urban hotel the real number is 18-25%. For a resort with heavy tur operatörü it can be 28-35%. Once you know your real number, the conversation about whether to push direct is different — and so is the conversation with the OTA KAM at renewal.