NTG STUDIO WEBShort answer
A hotel cuts its commissions by converting directly the travellers who find it by name: a simple booking engine on its website, a best rate guarantee, perks reserved for direct bookings (breakfast, upgrade, late check-out), secure payment, a booking button on its Google profile and loyalty for past guests.
Key takeaways
- Many travellers discover a hotel on a platform, then search for it by name
- The site must offer a concrete reason to book direct
- Booking must be as simple as on the platforms
- Past guests are the easiest to bring back direct
Booking platforms bring visibility but take a commission on every night. Yet a large share of travellers use them to discover, then search for the hotel on Google before booking. If they find a slow site with no online booking, they go back to the platform.
A simple booking engine
Dates, number of guests, room choice, extras, payment. Four steps, on mobile, in under two minutes. Availability syncs with the platforms through a channel manager to prevent overbooking. Try the journey on the La Falaise demo.
A reason to book direct
- Best rate guaranteed
- Free breakfast or an upgrade when available
- Late check-out, station or airport transfer
- More flexible cancellation
These perks are shown next to the booking button.
Photos that tell the story
Rooms from several angles, bathroom, view, restaurant, pool, surroundings. A short mood video. Visitors must picture themselves there.
Practical information
Access, distance from the airport and tourist sites, check-in and check-out times, parking, Wi-Fi, generator. These answers prevent calls and reassure.
Payments
Cards and PayPal for foreign guests, Orange Money and MTN MoMo for local customers, deposit or full payment depending on the rate.
The Google profile and name searches
Connect the "Book" button on your Google Business Profile to your engine. When someone searches your hotel’s name, your own booking option must be the most visible.
Loyalty
After the stay: a thank-you message, a review request, then offers reserved for past guests. A returning guest almost always books direct if you give them the option.
Multilingual
French, English, and German or other languages depending on your guests. Each language has its own pages for search.
Measure
Share of direct bookings, revenue per available room, acquisition cost per channel. These figures show what the website earns.
For restaurants, read Restaurant website: online menu, table booking and Google visibility. For travel agencies, read Tourism in Cameroon: a tour operator website that sells internationally. Our offer is on Hospitality & tourism.
Frequently asked questions
Can we offer a lower price than the platforms?
Depending on your contracts, rate parity may apply. In-kind perks (breakfast, upgrade) remain a safe way to make direct booking more attractive.
Does the booking engine sync with the platforms?
Yes, through a channel manager that updates availability everywhere and prevents overbooking.
How soon will we see the effect?
Within the first weeks for guests searching your name, provided the site is fast and the Google profile points to your engine.
Founder of NTG Studio Web in Douala. Master’s in international public law, IBM Data Analytics and Anthropic AI Fluency certified. He designs websites and visibility strategies for African businesses. Learn more →