What is OTA commission?
OTA commission is the percentage an online travel agency keeps from each booking it sends you. The rate depends on your contract, room type, market and any promotions you've opted into — so it is never one fixed number.
How OTA commission works
A guest pays the price shown on the OTA, and the OTA deducts its agreed commission — sometimes from the payout, sometimes by invoicing the property afterwards, depending on the OTA and the market. Some OTAs charge the structure differently: Airbnb, for example, charges a host service fee and a separate guest service fee paid by the traveller.
The rate written in your contract or shown in your extranet is often not what you actually net, because promotions, loyalty discounts, mobile-only rates, cancellations and taxes all affect the final payout.
Illustrative commission ranges
Published commission rates vary by market, room category, contract length and any promotions you've opted into. The ranges below are illustrative only — they come from our own measurement of real bookings on our customers' properties, not from any OTA's public rate card, and they are not a quote for your property.
| Channel | Illustrative range (our data) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | ~15–30%, median ~18% | Varies with Genius/Preferred programs and market |
| Airbnb | ~16.6% host fee | Plus a separate guest service fee Airbnb charges the traveller |
| Expedia | ~15% | Varies by Expedia Partner Central program |
| Hostelworld | ~30% | Typically higher than hotel-focused OTAs |
Always treat your own contract and OTA extranet as the source of truth for your rate.
Why the rate you see isn't always the rate you keep
Promotions stacking on top of your rate — a loyalty discount or a mobile-only price — can mean the guest pays less than your listed rate even though your price never changed. The practical effect is that your real commission, measured against what you intended to charge, moves around more than the headline percentage suggests. Some OTAs also charge payment-processing fees separately from commission.
Commission vs markup vs subscription
It's worth knowing that channel manager and PMS vendors charge differently from each other, too. Some charge a flat subscription based on room count, regardless of how much you sell — that's how Prime Host prices it. Others charge a percentage of your bookings on top of what the OTA already takes. Knowing which model you're being asked to pay matters as much as knowing the OTA's own rate.
How Prime Host handles this
Real commission, measured not guessed
Commission per channel is calculated from your own reservations — not a number you type in once and forget — so the dashboard reflects what you actually pay, not a generic rate card.
No percentage of your bookings
Prime Host charges a flat price based on room count. We never take a cut of what you sell, so the commission you pay the OTA stays exactly as agreed in your own contract.
See what the guest really paid
OTA promotions like Genius or mobile rates can quietly sit on top of your price. Prime Shield compares what you sent, what you intended, and what the guest actually paid, and shows the gap in money.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical OTA commission rate?
From our own measured data: Booking.com runs roughly 15–30% with a median around 18%, Airbnb's host fee is around 16.6% plus a separate guest fee, Expedia is around 15%, and Hostelworld is around 30%. These are illustrative, not a quote for your property.
Does Airbnb charge the host or the guest?
Both — a host service fee, and a separate guest service fee charged to the traveller.
Can I negotiate my OTA commission?
Often, to some degree, depending on your sales volume, market and participation in loyalty programs — talk to your OTA account manager. No specific number can be promised here.
Why did I get paid less than expected?
Promotions, taxes, payment fees, and cancellation or no-show adjustments can all reduce your net payout below the headline commission rate.
Do channel managers take a commission too?
Some software charges a percentage of your bookings on top of OTA commission. Others, like Prime Host, charge a flat price by room count regardless of how much you sell.
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