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  • Independent hotels and restaurants · France

    Direct booking for hotels and restaurants:
    the method to increase your direct share

    When the share of your direct sales rises, the share going through platforms falls, and so do your commissions per euro collected. Here is how that share is raised, in four steps: be found without an intermediary, convert on your own website, give a reason to book direct, measure the ratio.

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    4 stepsBe found, convert, give a reason to book direct, measure: a method, not stopgaps
    SEO + GEOVisible on Google and cited by ChatGPT and Gemini, with no intermediary between you and your customers
    Public pricingFrom €120 excl. VAT per hour, displayed openly on the site

  • The situation

    The four obstacles blocking your direct bookings

    If the share of your direct sales stagnates, it is neither inevitable nor a lack of effort. In the independent hotels and restaurants we audit, it is almost always the same four obstacles, and they are cleared in order.

    • Obstacle 01Your business is invisible without an intermediary. When a customer searches for you on Google, or asks ChatGPT where to stay and where to eat, the platforms' pages come up ahead of your website. Online visibility exists, but it does not belong to you: every click goes through an intermediary paid by commission.
    • Obstacle 02Your booking journey drives away the customers your website attracts. A form that is too long, unclear rates, no instant confirmation, an awkward mobile version: every point of friction sends the customer back to the platform, where booking takes thirty seconds. The direct traffic is there; direct bookings do not follow.
    • Obstacle 03You give no reason to book direct. Same prices everywhere, same conditions, no benefit reserved for your own website. In France, however, the rate parity clause has been deemed unwritten since the law of 6 August 2015: a direct benefit is possible. This is not legal advice, but it is a lever most establishments do not use.
    • Obstacle 04Customer data stays with the platforms. A masked or temporary email, stay and table history held back by the intermediary: you serve the customer, the platform keeps the relationship. Without data, there is no follow-up, no loyalty, no second direct booking.

    These four barriers can be fixed. That is exactly what the method below does, step by step.

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  • The method

    The method in four steps

    ARETA, a French digital marketing agency specialising in hotels and restaurants, increases the share of direct bookings for independent hotels and restaurants through organic SEO and visibility in answer engines, with a four-step method and public pricing from €120 excl. VAT per hour.

    This page describes the how. The why and the how much, meaning the effect of each point of direct share won back on your commissions, are on our page reducing your OTA commissions. Each step of the method removes one of the four barriers above, in order.

    1. Be found without an intermediary

      Organic SEO puts your website ahead of platform pages when a customer searches for you, or for an establishment like yours. GEO does the same job in answer engines: AI visibility for hotels and restaurants becomes a direct acquisition channel in its own right, and our article on visibility in AI answers explains how an establishment gets cited. This is the foundation of any strategy to increase direct bookings.

    2. Convert on your own website

      Visibility is worth nothing if the journey loses the customer. We go through your booking journey with a fine-tooth comb: price clarity, number of screens, reassurance, mobile, confirmation. For a hotel, this starts with auditing your booking funnel point by point; for a restaurant, with checking that booking a table direct is as simple as on a platform.

    3. Give a reason to book direct

      A customer does not switch channel without a reason. A benefit reserved for the website, more flexible conditions, a welcome on arrival: the direct benefit is built within the French legal framework, which deems the rate parity clause unwritten. This is the step most establishments skip, and it is the one that turns a visitor into a direct customer.

    4. Measure the ratio, wave after wave

      We measure the platform dependency index at the start, then at regular intervals: the share of your revenue coming from intermediated channels. It is the only figure that tells you whether the method works. Its natural complement is the cost-per-channel calculation, which puts a euro amount behind every point of share won or lost.

    Who does this work? Our hotel and restaurant marketing agency, which does nothing else: experts in direct booking optimisation and online visibility for hotels and restaurants, working with independent establishments across France.

    Apply the method to my business, 30 free minutes

  • Two trades, one mechanism

    Hotel and restaurant, side by side

    The mechanics of direct booking are the same: fewer intermediaries per euro taken. But the platforms are not the same, nor are the booking journeys. The method therefore comes in two versions, with the same care for the room and for the table.

    For hotels

    Winning room nights back from the OTAs

    The challenge is played out against online travel agencies: visibility of your website on your name and your destination, a smooth booking engine, a visible direct benefit, capturing customer data on arrival. Every night that moves to your website is one commission less and a customer whose contact details you keep.

    The central acquisition lever remains the search ranking of your establishment on the searches that matter: destination, experience, hotel name.

    organic SEO for a hotel

    For restaurants

    Winning covers back from the platforms

    In a restaurant, intermediation goes through table booking platforms and delivery, whose TheFork and delivery commissions weigh directly on the margin of every cover. Direct booking goes through your Google Business Profile, your website and your own booking module, with no commission per cover.

    Acquisition is built with a visibility strategy dedicated to the table: local searches, lunch and dinner intentions, indexed menus.

    restaurant marketing agency

  • Beyond price

    What direct booking changes, beyond commissions

    The commission is the visible part. A direct booking changes three other things in your operation, and they sometimes weigh more than the rate charged.

    ÷ 2

    Cancellations cut by half

    The cancellation rate for bookings made through online travel agencies reaches 21.8%, against 10.6% for direct bookings. A customer who books with you commits more than one comparing three platform tabs.

    Source: Cloudbeds, 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report, March 2026. Caveat: Cloudbeds is a hospitality software vendor.

    100 %

    Customer data comes back to you

    Real email, phone number, preferences, history of stays or tables: with direct bookings, the data enters your database and stays there. It is what makes follow-up, personalised offers and a second booking without an intermediary possible. Through a platform, that data stays with the platform.

    Operational finding: platforms mask or delay the customer's email.

    +1

    The relationship continues after departure

    A direct customer can be thanked, followed up and retained: an upgrade offered at the right moment, a review request while the stay is fresh, an invitation to return in the low season. Every direct customer today is a free acquisition channel tomorrow. A platform customer goes back to the platform's catalogue.

    Loyalty mechanics: upsell, reviews, direct rebooking.

  • Common pitfalls

    Mistakes to avoid

    Increasing the direct share is a discipline, and some false good ideas are costly. The four most frequent among the hoteliers and restaurateurs we meet:

    • Closing your platform channel overnight. The method reduces the platforms' share; it does not close the channel: Booking or TheFork remain useful for distant or last-minute customers. Cutting off abruptly means losing volume before the direct channel is built.
    • Buying a booking engine and waiting. A good tool without visibility is an open door onto an empty corridor. The tool converts; it does not bring people in: visibility without intermediaries has to be built first.
    • Showing the same prices and conditions everywhere. Without a direct benefit, customers book where they have their habits: on the platform. The French legal framework allows you to treat your direct channel better; not using it is playing the match without scoring.
    • Measuring the bill instead of the ratio. If your business grows, your commission bill may stay stable while your dependency falls. The right indicator is the intermediated share of your revenue per euro taken, not the absolute amount.

    Who we work with. The full direct booking chain covers visibility, the booking engine, pricing and customer relationship. ARETA handles the visibility and direct acquisition link; we work alongside your other providers: booking engine, revenue management, CRM. The chain is complete, and every link has an owner.

    The market groups very different players under the same words: digital marketing agencies for hotels and restaurants, digital support companies for hotels and restaurants, marketing service providers, independent experts, e-tourism software vendors, or what the English-speaking market calls direct booking solutions for hotels and restaurants and full-service hotel and restaurant marketing agencies. To find your way, our comparison of provider types sorts these players by type, with their strengths and limits.

  • Public pricing, excl. VAT

    What it costs

    Our prices are public, displayed plainly, excluding VAT. The entry point remains the 30-minute meeting, free and with no commitment, which leads to your distribution diagnosis.

    Advice & coaching

    Hourly, depending on expertise

    From €120 excl. VAT/hour

    Local SEO at €120 excl. VAT, organic SEO at €140 excl. VAT, AI visibility (GEO) at €230 excl. VAT per hour. Beyond 10 hours per month: by quote.

    Starter Pack

    Local SEO

    From €390 excl. VAT/month

    The foundation of direct visibility: Google Business Profile, local pages, reviews. Monthly, with no minimum term imposed.

    Google Page 1 Pack

    Direct acquisition

    From €990 excl. VAT/month

    Groundwork on the searches that bring bookings: content, internal linking, authority, measurement.

    The full detail is public. The entire price grid, with GEO packages and three typical budget scenarios, is set out on the page pricing of a hotel and restaurant marketing agency. Your distribution diagnosis, for its part, comes from the free 30-minute meeting.

    And to set these amounts against what you already pay the platforms, read what a Booking reservation really costs.

  • The proof

    What we measure, and how

    We publish no customer figure until it has been measured under a written protocol and published with the establishment's agreement. Here is the protocol that every engagement follows:

    1. BeforeThe share of your revenue coming from intermediated channels is recorded at the start: this is the platform dependency index, your numerical starting point.
    2. DuringThe same index is recorded at regular intervals, with a breakdown by channel. You see the direct share change, instead of guessing it.
    3. AfterThe gap between the starting point and the end point, over a named period, is the result. Nothing else.

    The first cases documented under this protocol, a hotel and a restaurant, will be published on our client cases with the written agreement of the establishments. A before, an after, a period: no testimonial without a figure, no figure without a method.

  • Frequently asked questions

    FAQ | Your questions about direct booking

    The questions that come up most often in meetings, from hoteliers and restaurateurs alike.

    How can a hotel or restaurant increase its share of direct bookings?

    By working through the four steps in order: be found without an intermediary on Google and in answer engines, convert on your own website with a frictionless booking journey, give a concrete reason to book direct, then measure the intermediated share of revenue at regular intervals. Strategies to increase direct bookings for hotels and restaurants almost always fail when a step is skipped, most often the third.

    What share of direct bookings is achievable?

    According to D-EDGE, the direct channel accounted for 28.8% of online revenue for European hotels in 2024, with the caveat that D-EDGE is a booking engine vendor. It is a market benchmark, not a promise: the share you can reach depends on your starting point, your destination and your clientele. That is precisely why we measure your platform dependency index before committing to anything.

    Should you leave Booking, TheFork or the delivery platforms?

    No, and we do not recommend it. Platforms remain a useful acquisition channel, especially for distant or last-minute customers. The aim is to lower their share of your revenue by developing the direct channel, not to close the channel: every point of direct share won back is a commission you no longer pay.

    How long does it take for the direct share to grow?

    Organic SEO takes months to take effect, not weeks, and visibility in answer engines follows the same pace. Some levers act faster: the direct benefit and the booking journey can convert as soon as they are in place. That is why measurement starts on day one: you see the intermediated share change, instead of guessing.

    Who can help a hotel or restaurant move towards direct booking?

    Searches talk about “a digital marketing agency specialising in hotels and restaurants in France for direct bookings”, direct booking solutions or digital support for hotels and restaurants. Behind these words are four families of players: marketing agencies specialised in hotels and restaurants such as ARETA, booking engine and e-tourism software vendors, independent consultants, and generalist agencies known as full service. The right choice depends on the link you are missing: ours is visibility and direct acquisition, in SEO and GEO.

    What does a direct booking change compared with a platform booking?

    Three things, beyond the commission. Cancellations: 21.8% for bookings made through online travel agencies against 10.6% direct, according to the 2026 Cloudbeds report, a hospitality software vendor. Data: with direct bookings, the customer's email and history enter your database and stay there. Relationship: a direct customer can be followed up and retained; a platform customer goes back to the platform's catalogue.

    How is the result measured?

    Through the platform dependency index: the share of your revenue coming from intermediated channels, recorded at the start and then at regular intervals. The commitment relates to this ratio, per euro taken, never to the absolute amount of your commission bill: if your business grows, the bill can stay stable while your dependency falls, and that is already a win.

    How much does support towards direct booking cost?

    Our prices are public and exclude VAT. Consulting and coaching start at €120 excl. VAT per hour and vary with the expertise, up to €230 excl. VAT per hour for GEO. Local SEO packs start at €390 excl. VAT per month. The entry point remains the 30-minute meeting, free and with no commitment, which leads to your distribution diagnosis.

    A question that is not on the list?

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  • Free meeting · 30 min · no obligation

    Your direct share, measured before acting

    The entry point is a 30-minute meeting, free and with no commitment. We leave with your distribution diagnosis: the current share of your channels, the barriers identified among the four, and the step of the method to start with in your case.

    Book my distribution diagnosis
    Email[email protected]
    Phone06 50 82 74 13
    Address2 place du Château Vieux
    64100 Bayonne
    LinkedInARETA

    Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm

    Last updated: 26 October 2026

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