How OTA commission works
An online travel agency (OTA) such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Airbnb or Hotels.com lists your rooms, takes the booking and keeps a percentage of the room revenue as commission. Across the industry that share is typically 15 to 25%, and the exact rate depends on the OTA, your market, your contract and whether you pay extra for promoted placement.
The commission is deducted before the OTA pays you, or invoiced to you after the guest pays at the hotel. Either way it rarely appears as one line you look at every month, which is why most owners underestimate it.
Example. A $200 room night sold at 18% commission: $36 goes to the OTA, $164 reaches your hotel, before payment charges. Sell that room 200 nights a year through OTAs and the commission alone is $7,200.



