{"id":35,"date":"2026-09-18T12:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-09-18T12:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:54:08","slug":"hotels-cut-ota-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/?p=35","title":{"rendered":"Madinah hotels: how to cut booking-site commission with direct bookings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many hotels and furnished apartments in Madinah, online travel agencies are the biggest source of guests \u2014 and the biggest cost. At 15\u201325% commission, a property earning SAR 100,000 a month through these platforms pays roughly SAR 180,000\u2013300,000 a year for the privilege.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to leave the platforms. You need a second channel that you own, so repeat guests, referrals and people who find you on Google can book with you directly.<\/p>\n<h2>Why guests still book through platforms<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>They can&#8217;t find a way to book on your own website<\/li>\n<li>Your website doesn&#8217;t show live prices or availability<\/li>\n<li>They don&#8217;t trust paying you directly<\/li>\n<li>The platform is simply the first result they see<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of these has a fix.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Add a real booking engine to your website<\/h2>\n<p>A contact form isn&#8217;t a booking engine. Guests want to pick dates, see the price and pay securely in one flow \u2014 in Arabic, English and ideally the languages of your main pilgrim markets.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Match or beat the platform price<\/h2>\n<p>Offer something small that only direct guests get: a better rate, free airport transfer, late checkout or breakfast. Mention it clearly on your site and in your WhatsApp replies.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Own your Google presence<\/h2>\n<p>When people search your property&#8217;s name, your website should appear above the platforms. A complete Google Business Profile with a booking link and strong reviews helps you take that first click back.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Turn every guest into a direct guest next time<\/h2>\n<p>Collect WhatsApp numbers at check-in (with permission) and send a thank-you message after checkout with a direct-booking offer for their next Umrah or visit.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Build trust at the payment step<\/h2>\n<p>Show your commercial registration, secure payment logos, clear cancellation terms and real reviews near the &#8220;Book&#8221; button. Confirm every booking instantly on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n<h2>What a realistic result looks like<\/h2>\n<p>Moving even a portion of bookings to your own channel makes a noticeable difference to your margin. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/#calculator\">commission calculator<\/a> shows the numbers for your property in seconds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want a second pair of eyes?<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/?page_id=13\">Request a free audit<\/a> and we&#8217;ll send you a written report on your website, Google Maps listing and social accounts \u2014 with the three fixes that will bring customers fastest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Booking platforms bring guests, but 15\u201325% of every stay adds up fast. Here&#8217;s how hotels and furnished apartments win more direct bookings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hospitality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rtgdigital.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}