OTA Commission Calculator
OTA commission calculator that shows your net payout from Booking.com, Expedia and other OTA bookings after commission and taxes, compared with a direct booking. Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser.
Booking Details
Direct Booking Comparison
Optional: Compare with direct costs
Net Income Breakdown
You keep 72.0%
💡 A direct booking would earn you +$18.25 more profit.
How to interpret your OTA net payout
Enter your typical room rate, add common extras (breakfast, parking, upsells), then set the commission you pay on that channel. If you use multiple OTA tiers, run a scenario for each (standard vs preferred) to see the profit difference.
Common mistakes
- Mixing gross and net taxes: decide whether your tax input is included in the rate or added on top, then keep it consistent.
- Ignoring payment costs on direct: direct bookings usually have gateway fees and marketing CAC—include them for a fair comparison.
- Comparing one booking to one click: marketing costs should be averaged over a month (or campaign) to avoid cherry-picking.
What to do with the result
If direct net profit is higher, focus on improving conversion rate and repeatability: faster site, clear offers, and a clean booking path. If OTA is still “cheaper,” you can target specific dates (high demand / compression) for direct-only perks while keeping OTAs for base occupancy.
What is an OTA commission calculator?
An OTA commission calculator is a tool that shows how much of a Booking.com, Expedia or other online travel agency booking a hotel actually keeps once commission and taxes are taken out. It measures the net payout and the share of the gross booking value you retain, and compares it with the net from the same stay booked direct. Hoteliers use it because the headline room rate overstates real income: commission is often the single largest distribution cost per reservation.
Formula
OTA net = Gross − (Gross × Commission %) − (Gross × Tax %) | Direct net = Gross − Marketing cost − (Gross × Gateway %) − (Gross × Tax %)
Gross is the room rate plus extras. The calculator applies commission, tax and the payment gateway fee to that full gross amount, and treats the direct marketing cost as a fixed amount per booking.
Worked example: $150 room at 18% commission
- Gross revenue: $150 room rate + $0 extras = $150.00.
- OTA commission: 18% of $150 = $27.00.
- Taxes: 10% of $150 = $15.00, so the OTA net payout is $150 − $27 − $15 = $108.00, or 72.0% of gross.
- Direct booking costs: $5.00 marketing + 2.5% gateway fee ($3.75) + $15.00 tax.
- Direct net: $150 − $5 − $3.75 − $15 = $126.25.
At these default inputs the same stay is worth $18.25 more when booked direct, a gap that grows with every additional night and every extra sold.
How to read your result
- The "You keep" percentage is net payout divided by gross. Because tax is also deducted, it is lower than 100% minus commission; tax is passed on to the authorities rather than kept as revenue.
- If your contract charges commission on the rate before tax, or excludes extras, lower the gross or the commission input so the calculator matches your invoice.
- The direct comparison is only as good as the marketing cost you enter. Use total direct marketing spend divided by direct bookings for the same period.
- When no savings message appears, the direct booking costs more than the OTA booking at your inputs, usually because the per-booking marketing cost is too high.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does Booking.com charge hotels?
Commonly cited base rates for Booking.com sit around 15–18%, varying by country and contract. Visibility programmes such as Preferred Partner add several percentage points on top of the base rate.
What is a typical Expedia commission for hotels?
Expedia commissions are often described as falling in a 15–25% range depending on market, property type and the visibility options a hotel opts into. Check your own extranet agreement for the exact figure.
Is OTA commission charged on taxes?
It depends on the contract and the market. Many agreements calculate commission on the room rate excluding taxes, while some include certain fees, so compare the calculator against an actual commission invoice.
Is a direct booking always more profitable than an OTA booking?
Not automatically. Direct bookings avoid commission but carry marketing, booking engine and payment costs; if your cost to acquire a direct booking exceeds the commission, the OTA booking can net more.