Booking.com / Expedia / Agoda Fee Comparator

Hotel commission rates on major OTAs typically range from 12% to 20% of the booking value. Booking.com and Agoda generally charge 12-18%, Expedia 15-20%, and Airbnb has a lower host fee of approximately 3% (plus a guest service fee). Rates can be negotiated based on volume, property type, and market conditions. Higher-end properties often qualify for lower commission rates.

Airbnb has a lower explicit host commission (approximately 3%) compared to Booking.com (12-18%). However, Airbnb requires guests to pay a service fee (typically 14%+), which can make the total booking cost higher for guests. This may affect booking conversion rates. When comparing net revenue, Airbnb often comes out ahead for hosts, but the actual occupancy you can achieve on each platform depends on your property type, location, and target market.

No, payment processing fees are typically separate from OTA commissions. Most OTAs charge an additional payment processing fee (usually 1.5-3%) on top of the commission. This covers credit card processing, currency conversion, and fraud protection. Our calculator includes both commission and payment processing fees so you can see the true total cost of each booking.

A channel manager is essential if you list on multiple OTAs. Without one, you risk double bookings, rate disparities, and hours of manual updates. Channel managers cost $30-$150 per month but can pay for themselves by preventing just one or two double-booking incidents. They also enable dynamic pricing and real-time availability syncing. For single-property owners on 2-3 platforms, a basic channel manager is usually worth the investment.

VRBO offers two pricing models: pay-per-booking (approximately 8% commission) or an annual subscription of $499. With the subscription model, you pay the annual fee upfront and then only a lower per-booking fee for payment processing. The subscription is more cost-effective for properties with high booking volume (typically 15+ bookings per year). Our calculator shows both models so you can compare.

Yes, commission rates are often negotiable, especially for hotels and professional property managers. Factors that strengthen your negotiation position include: high booking volume, unique or in-demand property, multiple properties, willingness to offer exclusive inventory, and competitive offers from other OTAs. Expedia and Booking.com have dedicated account managers for high-volume properties who can adjust commission rates within certain ranges.

RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) is a key performance metric in the hospitality industry. It is calculated by dividing total room revenue by the number of available rooms (or nights). RevPAR combines occupancy and average daily rate into a single metric, making it useful for comparing performance across different platforms. A higher RevPAR indicates better revenue generation from your available inventory.

Not necessarily. While listing on more platforms increases your visibility, each platform charges fees that reduce your net revenue. Additionally, managing multiple platforms without a channel manager can lead to operational complexity and booking errors. The optimal strategy is to focus on the 2-3 platforms that generate the best net revenue for your specific property type and market, and consider adding a channel manager to efficiently manage them.

OTA commission rates can change annually or when contracts are renewed. Major platforms typically review their fee structures once a year, though some have introduced tiered rates that adjust with market conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several OTAs temporarily reduced commissions to support the hospitality industry. It's good practice to review your commission rates annually and renegotiate as needed. Our calculator rates are based on standard published rates and should be verified with your account manager.