10 Best Online Travel Agencies of 2021 that you Should ...

Some examples of Online Travel Agencies are: Expedia.com, Booking.com, Airbnb.com. An OTA is not a GDS or a Metasearch engine! If you're not ... Distribution 10BestOnlineTravelAgenciesof2021thatyouShouldConnecttoToday Written byHotelMinderTeam inDistribution • 6minRead • Lastupdated:June8th,2021 InourpreviousarticleaboutOnlineTravelAgents, wetalkedyouthroughtheimportanceofhavingacomprehensive,multi-channeldistributionofyourroomsviaseveralOnlineTravelAgencies(OTAs)inyouronlinesaleslandscape. AccordingtoSiteMinder,oneoftheworldleadinghotelChannelManagementSystem:propertiesconnectedtofiveormorechannelsgetupto50%morebookingsthanthosewhoarejustconnectedtooneortwoonly! Inthispostwehavecompiledalistofthemostpopularonlinetravelagenciesworldwidethatshouldbepartofyouronlinedistributionstrategytoday. Whicharethebestbestonlinetravelagentsforyourhotel?readbelowtofindout. Tableofcontentsforthisarticle: WhatisanOnlineTravelAgencyThingstoConsiderWhenChoosinganOnlineTravelAgentListofthebestOnlineTravelAgenciesWorldwideTakeAdvantageoftheBillboardEffect Disclaimer: Ifyoubuyathird-partyproductorservicefromthiswebsite,HotelMindermayearnacommission.Oureditorialteamisnotinfluencedbyouraffiliatepartnerships. WhatisanOnlineTravelAgency Inthehospitalityindustry,AnOnlineTravelAgency(OTA)isanonlineplatformthatsellsservicesrelatedtotravelandallowsitsuserstodirectlybookhotels,flights,cars,tours,etc.Themainadvantageforconsumersisthattheycancomparerates,reviewsandavailabilityofmanydifferentprovidersinonesingleinterface. SomeexamplesofOnlineTravelAgenciesare:Expedia.com,Booking.com,Airbnb.com.AnOTAisnotaGDSoraMetasearchengine!Ifyou'renotsureaboutthedifferencesbetweenGDS,OTAandMeta,thenIrecommendyoureadthisarticle. Forhotels,OTAPortalstypicallycontractdirectlywiththepropertywho'sresponsibletoupdateratesandavailabilityintheOTAExtranetorback-office,typicallythroughaChannelManager.Inthisarticle,wearefocusingonthebestonlinetravelagentsworkingdirectlywithhoteliers. ThingstoConsiderWhenChoosinganOnlineTravelAgent Beforejumpingintothelist,let’spointouttwoimportantfactorstoconsiderwhenchoosingwhichportalstoconnectto: CommissionvariesasperhotelandOTA. Forexample,Booking.comchargesbetween10-15%,whereasExpediachargesbetween18-25%. Somechannelsalsooffertopaymorecommissioninexchangeforabettersearchranking. Geographyplaysaveryimportantroleincommissionstructure. Commissionvariesdependingontheregion(city,state)wherethehotelislocated. SomeOTAswillchargemoredependingonthelocationofthepropertywithinacity. ExpediaandBooking.comworkonasinglecommissionmodelandchargeaspecificpercentagepertransaction. ThispercentageiscountryspecificforExpedia,whereasBooking.comchargesthesameacrosstheglobe. TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation ListofthebestOnlineTravelAgenciesWorldwide Thecommissionpercentageswelistedbelowholdtrueformorethan90%ofthecasesandmayvaryforcertainbigchainsthathavethebargainingpowerovertheseonlinetravelgiants. NotethattheproductslistedbelowarerankedbyorderofpreferencewithHotelMinderexperts,customers&websiteusers. It'simportanttounderstandthatonesolutioncannotsuitalltypesofproperties: ThebestOnlineTravelAgencyfora500bedroomsluxuryhotelinLasVegashaslittleincommonwiththeonefora25roomsboutiquehotelinthemiddleofruralTasmania. AtHotelMinderweworkwithsmallandmediumindependenthotelsandchainsofhotelsrangingfromaround15to150rooms. Thesolutionslistedbelowaretheonesourclientsuse,astheymatchtheneedsandbudgetofthosetypesofproperties. FormoreOnlineTravelAgencychoice,havealookatour PartnersMarketplace. Ifyouarelookingforprofessionalguidanceonwhatsolutiontochooseforyourhotelbusiness,howtochooseit,installit,etc—thenlooknofurtherasit'sexactlywhatwedo.Ifyouonlyneedalittlebitofhelp,considerbookinga 1-to-1ExpertSession. Feelfreetorequestmoreinformationforthesolutionslistedbelow,severalofthemwithspecialoffersanddiscountsonlyforHotelMinderusers! Yourownwebsite SpecialOffer Itmightcomeasasurprise,anditisindeedalittlecheeky,butwe'reveryserious:Yourwebsiteshouldbeconsideredyourfirstandmostimportantchannel! ThankstotheBillboardEffect, beinglistedonOTAswillbringbookersbacktoyourwebsite. Makesurethatyouhaveagood,responsivewebsiteandanefficient,userfriendlyBookingEnginethatwillenticegueststobookdirectly. Youcanmotivatethemwithspecialoffersandratestailoredonlyiftheybookusingyourwebsitedirect HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Getaworry-freewebsiteandzerocommissionreservationsinno-time!Fullymanagedwebsitestartingat30€only. STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Forallhotels,smallandbig:Agoodwebsite&BookingEngineistheonlywaytoincreaseDirectBookingsandpaylesscommissiontoOTAs. Pricing From€30permonth.Commission:0%! Yourownwebsite isaHotelMinderPremierPartner HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Getaworry-freewebsiteandzerocommissionreservationsinno-time!Fullymanagedwebsitestartingat30€only. STARTNOW MoreaboutYourownwebsite Booking.com SpecialOffer Theworld’slargestaccommodationwebsite,Booking.comhasnowexpandedtheirreachintothesmallaccommodationmarkettoo,nowincludingfamilyoperatedBedandBreakfasts, VacationRentalsandSelf-CateringApartments. Quickfacts: Booking.comhave135officesinover50countriesworldwide. Booking.comisnowavailableinover40differentlanguagesandoffersoverhalfamillionpropertiesacross207countries.That’ssomereach! Thereareover700,000roomnightsreservedonBooking.comeveryday. InEurope,Booking.comdrives50%ofallEuropeanonlinehotelbookings (SourceTnooz). Booking.comcurrentlyhas83millionverifiedreviews. ThegreatbenefitforhoteliersandaccommodationprovidersisthatyouonlypayBooking.com whenabookingismade.Nomonthlyfeesarenecessary. HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Paynocommissiononyourfirstfivebookings! STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Foreveryone:BigandSmallHotels,Bed&Breakfasts,HostelsandVacationRentals. Pricing Commissionbased:from15%andmore,dependingonyourmarket. Booking.com isaHotelMinderPremierPartner HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Paynocommissiononyourfirstfivebookings! STARTNOW MoreaboutBooking.com Expedia.com ExpediaGroup-whichownsCarRentals.com,Expedia.com,HomeAway,Hotels.com,Hotwire.com,Orbitz,Travelocity,trivagoandVrboamongmanyotherbrands-isthebiggestTravelAgencyistheworld. Expedia.comisparticularlypopularwhentargetingtheNorthAmericanandAsianmarkets. Sincetheearly2000s,thegroupperformedmanymergersandacquisitions,culminatingin2015withthepurchaseofTravelocityfromthetechfirmSabreCorporation. Quickfacts: Expediaownsover200travelbookingsites,over150mobileappsandwebsites. Expediaoperatesinnearly70countriesandinover35differentlanguages. Theycurrentlyreach25millionguestsperyear. STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Foreveryone:BigandSmallHotels,Bed&Breakfasts,HostelsandVacationRentals. Pricing Commissionbased:from15%to18%,dependingonthepaymentmodel. Expedia.com isaHotelMinderPartner STARTNOW MoreaboutExpedia.com TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation Agoda.com PartofthePricelineGroup,Agodaisoneofthefastestgrowingplatformsintheworld. ItiscurrentlypopularinAsia,particularlyMalaysia,Taiwan,Indonesia,ThailandandPhilippines. Quickfacts: Agodaoperatesin38differentlanguagesandoffersa24-hour,multilingualcustomersupportservice. AgodaemploysdedicatedMarketManagers,abletocreatespecialpromotionsandmarketinginitiatives,whichinturnallowAgodatooffersomeofthebestdealsonline. Thesecanbespecifictoeachlocation. Agodaarewellknownforthemillionsofauthentichotelreviewstheydisplay. STARTNOW WeRecommendFor ForBigandSmallHotels,especiallyinAsia. Pricing Commissionbased:15% Agoda.com isaHotelMinderPartner STARTNOW MoreaboutAgoda.com Airbnb.com SpecialOffer Airbnbhaschangedthetravelaccommodationindustry,asthehomesharinggiantembarksonenteringtheonlinehoteldistributionspace. Thistravelwebsiteisdiverseinlistingsandcanbeaccessedbyalmostanyonefromairbedsinapartmentstoenchantedcastles,accordingtoAirbnb’swebsite. ThereisanelementofsafetywithAirbnb,asyoucanbesureofyourguest’sidentity. Moreover,reviewsfromprevioushoststellyouwhatyourguestislikeasaguest. quickfacts: Numberoftotalguests:200,000,000+ Numberoflistings:3,000,000+ Numberofcountries:192 Countries/Regionswheremostprominent:Global HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Createyourlistingandgetcashbackafteryourfirstreservation! STARTNOW WeRecommendFor ForsmalleranduniqueHotels,Bed&BreakfastsandVacationRental. Pricing Commissionbased:Commission3%hostfeeand6-12%guestfee. Airbnb.com isaHotelMinderPremierPartner HotelMinderSpecialOffer— Createyourlistingandgetcashbackafteryourfirstreservation! STARTNOW MoreaboutAirbnb.com Hostelworld.com HostelWorldiscurrentlytheworld’sleading,hostel-focusedOTAandadvertisinghostelsthroughitswebsiteandthousandsdistributionpartners,includingLonelyPlanet. HostelworldacquiredHostelbookersin2013toexpanditsonlinepowerfurther. Quickfacts: HostelWorldattractsyoung,independenttravellersacross170differentcountries. Ithasareachofover11millionguests! STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Forhostelsanywhereandofallsizes. Pricing Commissionbased:15% Hostelworld.com isaHotelMinderPartner STARTNOW MoreaboutHostelworld.com Trip.com formerlyCtrip.com,Trip.comisthefastestgrowingOTAandiscomingfromChina,partiallythankstoBookingHoldings(formerlyThePricelineGroup)severalroundsofinvestmentssince2014. Withthelargestpopulationintheworldandarapidlygrowingmiddleclasswillingtotravelabroad,Chinaisquicklybecomingtheworld’slargestsourceofoutboundtourism thereforeyoumightwanttoconsiderlistingyourpropertyonChina’sleadingtravelwebsite-Trip.com. Ctrip/Trip.comisastrongbrandwithinChinaanddominatesthelocalmarketbuthaslittleinfluencewithinotherpartsoftheworldsofar. Quickfacts: Numberofactiveusers:90million+registered Numberoflistings:about1,000,000 Numberofcountries:200 ENQUIRENOW WeRecommendFor Foreveryone:BigandSmallHotels,Bed&Breakfasts,etc.particularlyinAsia Pricing Commissionbased:20% AboutTrip.com ENQUIRENOW MoreaboutTrip.com TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation TalktoanExperttodayandstartplanningyourwaytomorebookings&morerevenue. BookFreeConsultation Laterooms.com LateRoomsallowsaccesstoitswebsiteusersandalsoitssistersiteAsiaRooms.com. Theyalsoputyourhotelintoextensiveadcampaigns,whichinturndrivesadditionaltraffictoyourownwebsite. Quickfacts: Lateroomscurrentlyoffersover200,000hotelsworldwide. Lateroomshasareachof20,000andsistersiteAsiaroomshas60,000. STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Foreveryone:BigandSmallHotels,Bed&Breakfasts,etc. Pricing Commissionbased:15% Laterooms.com isaHotelMinderPartner STARTNOW MoreaboutLaterooms.com Edreams.com E-dreams(E-DreamsODIGEOGroup)focusesoncontractingwithBedandBreakfasts,Hostels,Self-CateringApartmentsand1-3starHotels. Quickfacts: E-dreamscurrentlyproduces90,000roomnightspernight. Therearenosetupfees,maintenancecosts,end-of-monthbillsorbindingcontracts,makingiteasytotryout. STARTNOW WeRecommendFor Foreveryone:BigandSmallHotels,Bed&Breakfasts,etc. Pricing Commissionbased:20% Edreams.com isaHotelMinderPartner STARTNOW MoreaboutEdreams.com TakeAdvantageoftheBillboardEffect Wehopethislistofthebesthotelstravelagentsonlineisgoingtobeusefulforyoutobuildyourperfectdistributionlandscape. Westronglyencourageyouto takeadvantageofthebillboardeffect andenhanceyouronlinedistributionstrategybyfindingthemostappropriateOnlineTravelAgenciestobelistedon. "Themoreyournamepopsuptopotentialguests,themorethey’llstarttothink“Hey,thishotelmustbeTHEplacetostay!” Rememberto alwaysmaintainRateParityandonlyeverfavoryourownwebsitewithspecialratesorofferstomotivatebookerstobookdirect. Finally,ifyou'relookingforExperthelp,don'thesitatetogetintouchwithus, we’llhelpyouworkoutthemostefficientonlinedistributionstrategyforyourproperty! WrittenbyHotelMinderTeam YourHospitalityExperts HotelMinderisahospitalityconsultingagencyprovidingservicesinoperations,strategy,digitalmarketingandtechnologytoindependentHotels. Wehelpbusyhoteliersfind,setupandruntherightapplicationsandservicestomanagebusinessaccordingtotheirneeds,budget,technicalandhumanresourcesrequirements. Withateamofexperiencedandknowledgeableexpertsinthehospitalityindustry,HotelMinderhasbecomeaplatformtoeasilyconnectyouwiththebestmindsandtechnologyavailableonthemarket. 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BrowseMarketplace HotelMinder,it'salltheresourcesyouneedtotransformyourhotel'sdigitalpresenceandmaximizeperformance.   ReadmoreonHotelMinderAcademy Alltheknowledgeyouneedtotransformyourhotel'sdigitalpresenceandmaximizeperformance! SPECIALCOVID-19 ReopeningyourHotel:7StepsRecoveryStrategy ReadMore TopHospitalityKeyPerformanceIndicators MeasuringsuccessviaKPIsiskeytorunningahotelatfullperformance.Inthisarticle,we’veoutlinedthemostimportantonestouse! ReadMore Top10List-TheBestHotelPropertyManagementSolutions(PMS)of2021 ReadMore GDS,OTAandMeta:What’sthedifference? Howcantheyhelpyourhotelgainmoreonlinevisibilityandsellmorerooms?Let’stakealooktogether! ReadMore