In the ever-competitive hospitality industry, staying visible is critical to ensuring a steady stream of bookings. When travel demand drops, or your hotel is competing in a saturated market, visibility on online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com, Expedia, and others becomes even more crucial.
OTAs act as one of the most reliable channels to help your property stand out and attract guests, but tapping into that visibility means understanding how these platforms rank your hotel.
Your OTA ranking isn’t just about signing up and waiting for the bookings to come in. The ranking system is based on a variety of factors that influence whether a traveler sees your property on the first page or buried under several pages of search results. Let’s break down the critical aspects that directly impact your hotel’s ranking on OTAs and how you can take advantage of them.
Conversion Rate: The Foundation of OTA Rankings
Conversion rate plays the most significant role in determining your visibility on OTAs. Simply put, the more people who book your hotel after landing on your listing, the higher you’ll rank. This might seem straightforward, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Many hotels push direct booking strategies, but if those efforts cause a noticeable drop in OTA conversion rates, your ranking may suffer.
To improve conversion rates, focus on enhancing the booking experience. Showcase high-quality photos, maintain clear, compelling descriptions, and emphasize your property’s unique selling points. The small details often make a big difference: features like a smooth booking process, availability of flexible cancellation options, and detailed information about rooms, amenities, and services can nudge potential guests toward booking.
Price and Availability: Consistency Is Key
OTAs reward properties that maintain consistent availability and competitive pricing. While many hoteliers think slashing prices is the key to better visibility, it’s actually about offering the best value, not just the lowest rate. Booking.com, for instance, uses a “Price Quality Score,” which compares the perceived quality of your hotel to its pricing. This means properties with fair prices and high-quality service can outrank cheaper, lower-quality hotels.
Additionally, having real-time availability across all booking platforms ensures that guests never encounter a “sold out” notice, which can hurt your ranking. Maintaining availability on OTAs signals to the platform that your property is reliable and worth promoting.
Guest Reviews: A Strong Indicator of Quality
Positive guest reviews significantly impact OTA rankings, with higher ratings leading to better placement in search results. However, it’s not just about accumulating a high overall score. OTAs give more weight to recent reviews, making it crucial to continually encourage guests to leave feedback after their stay.
Responding to reviews—both positive and negative—is equally important. It shows potential guests, and the OTAs, that you are actively managing your property and care about guest satisfaction. This activity can positively influence how your property is ranked, as it demonstrates a commitment to providing a top-tier experience.
Flexible Cancellation Policies: Appealing to Today’s Travelers
Travelers love flexibility, and so do OTAs. Offering flexible cancellation policies can improve your booking rate, which in turn positively affects your ranking. Many guests hesitate to book if they feel locked into non-refundable rates, so offering more lenient terms—especially during low travel seasons—can lead to more conversions.
Performance Programs: Pay-to-Play Visibility
While it’s not a favorite topic among hoteliers, pay-to-play strategies do exist on most OTAs. These are often performance programs or bidding systems where you can boost your property’s visibility by paying extra for better placement. Expedia’s Accelerator program is one such option that allows you to increase your exposure for a fee.
Although these paid programs can help in the short term, they should be used strategically. Over-relying on paid visibility without improving other ranking factors like reviews, pricing, and conversion rates may lead to diminishing returns. Instead, use these programs to complement a broader, more sustainable strategy.
High-Quality Photos and Content: First Impressions Matter
Your listing’s content—particularly its photos and descriptions—plays a critical role in converting browsers into bookers. OTAs rank properties with professional, well-lit images higher because quality visuals give guests confidence in what they’re booking. Showcasing multiple photos of your rooms, common areas, and amenities is essential for maintaining a competitive edge.
Don’t neglect the written content either. Detailed descriptions of your property, services, and nearby attractions can help guests make informed decisions. Complete and up-to-date information also helps OTAs categorize and rank your property more accurately.
Price Consistency: Align Your Rates Across Channels
OTAs frown upon price discrepancies between different platforms. If travelers notice that your hotel is cheaper on one OTA or through direct booking, it can negatively affect your ranking. Some OTAs, such as Expedia, may be more lenient in this regard, but consistency across platforms remains essential.
Offering exclusive deals through specific OTAs or aligning your rates with your direct booking strategy can prevent ranking penalties. The goal is to find the sweet spot between competitiveness and profitability.
Manage No-Shows and Cancellations Effectively
Another factor OTAs track is your property’s rate of no-shows and cancellations. If your hotel frequently experiences high levels of either, it may affect your ranking. Implementing stricter cancellation policies where appropriate or using overbooking strategies can help reduce these occurrences, leading to better OTA performance.
Respond to Reviews: Stay Engaged with Guests
Guest engagement doesn’t stop at checkout. Responding to reviews—whether positive or negative—signals that you care about your guests’ experience. OTAs tend to reward active management, and responding promptly and thoughtfully to reviews can further boost your ranking.
Differences Between OTAs: Booking.com vs. Expedia
It’s important to note that not all OTAs rank hotels using the same criteria. For example, Booking.com places a heavier emphasis on conversion rates and its Price Quality Score, which directly correlates the quality of your property to its price. Expedia, on the other hand, offers more flexibility with its ranking factors and incorporates a paid ranking boost through its Accelerator program.
Both platforms, however, place a high value on guest satisfaction, price consistency, and availability, making it essential for hoteliers to excel across these core areas.
Conclusion: Elevating Your Hotel’s Visibility
Improving your ranking on OTAs isn’t an overnight task, but a consistent and well-rounded approach can produce lasting results. By focusing on conversion rates, competitive pricing, high-quality content, and guest reviews, your hotel can gradually climb OTA rankings and capture more bookings. Don’t overlook free tactics like responding to reviews or optimizing photos, and when necessary, consider using paid visibility programs strategically.
With patience and a proactive strategy, your hotel can stay visible, attract more guests, and maintain healthy occupancy, even during slower travel periods.
