How the big booking sites make money
Online travel agencies (OTAs) charge hotels a commission on every booking - commonly 15-25%. They spend heavily on advertising to win your click, and that cost is ultimately baked into room prices across the market.
They’re genuinely useful for browsing and comparing breadth of choice. But that convenience has a price, and it’s the hotel - and often you - who pays it.
When booking direct wins
Direct booking tends to win on price transparency, member and loyalty rates, more flexible cancellation, and a direct line to the property if plans change. Because there’s no commission layer, the direct rate is often at or below the OTA price - and loyalty pricing can go lower still.
When an OTA might still make sense
To be fair: OTAs shine for discovering options across many hotels at once, occasional aggressive promotions, and their own points ecosystems. If you value one loyalty programme across thousands of hotels, that has real worth. The smart move is to compare - then book wherever the true, all-in price is best.
How OzBookings approaches it
OzBookings passes you the direct rate and shows it beside the hotel’s typical selling price, so the saving (if any) is visible rather than invented. No hidden booking fees, taxes included, free cancellation flagged, and member-only rates when you sign in. We’d rather show you an honest number than a fake discount.