Food and Hospitality
Every direct booking is a booking without commission. A good website is the most straightforward way to get more of them.
15 to 25%
OTA commission on every booking through Booking.com or Expedia
73%
of guests research a property online before booking
4 in 5
travellers base part of their accommodation decision on website quality
Independent hotels and B&Bs face a particular version of the same problem. The OTAs give them visibility they would struggle to achieve alone, but the commission on every booking is a real cost. And the OTA platforms control the guest relationship, not you.
A direct booking website does not solve everything but it gives guests a reason to book with you directly, especially if you offer a rate match or a small direct-booking incentive. Over time, shifting even 20% of bookings from OTA to direct changes the economics considerably.
We work with hotels and B&Bs across Surrey who want a website that shows their rooms properly, tells the story of their location and makes it straightforward to book without going through a third party.
Common problems
The OTAs deliver bookings but they charge between 15% and 25% for the privilege. For a small hotel or B&B operating on tight margins, that is significant money leaving the business on every room sold. A direct booking website does not replace OTA exposure, but it creates a channel where you keep the full amount.
Guests make decisions based on what your rooms look like online. If the photography is dark, the descriptions are vague or the site makes it hard to compare room types, people default to OTA listings where the presentation is standardised. Your own website should show your rooms better than any platform listing can.
People searching for accommodation near a specific attraction or event are often ready to book. If your site mentions the local area, nearby things to do and why your location is worth choosing, you pick up searches that hotels with no local content miss entirely.
What you get
Why it matters
Guests who book directly through your website tend to be higher quality customers. They have spent more time on your site, they know what to expect and they have chosen you specifically rather than clicking the cheapest result on a listing page. Direct bookers also have a better experience because you own the entire relationship from first click to checkout.
"We went from about 10% direct bookings to over 35% in the first year. The website Makeproper built made a noticeable difference, especially for weekend stays where people were specifically searching for somewhere near the Surrey Hills."
Claire Ashworth, The Mill House B&B, Dorking · Website, 2024
FAQ
The questions hoteliers and guesthouse owners ask us most often, before they brief a project.
A direct booking widget that loads instantly on every page (not a slow third-party iframe), individual room pages with proper photography, dining and bar pages if you have them, weddings and events pages where relevant, area information that helps guests plan their stay, transparent rates with the right rate parity displayed, and your address with directions to find the hotel.
Most independent hotel projects launch within 6 to 8 weeks of kick-off. The biggest lift is photography and PMS or booking engine integration. Photography of every room type, the dining room, the bar and the grounds is non-negotiable for a hotel that wants direct bookings.
Both. Booking.com and Expedia bring new guests who do not know your hotel, but they take 15 to 25 percent commission. Direct bookings on your own site keep that margin and the customer relationship. We integrate with the booking engines that hotels actually use, including SiteMinder, Profitroom, Bookassist, Net Affinity and Cloudbeds, and price parity is handled correctly.
Most rate parity agreements with OTAs prevent you publicly undercutting their rates, but allow direct booker perks (free upgrades, late check-out, breakfast included, loyalty discounts via member rates). We build the site so direct bookers see the perks clearly, with member rates behind a free signup. Done properly this materially shifts the channel mix.
Local and intent-specific SEO is built in: dedicated pages for the things guests search for (boutique hotel, country house hotel, dog-friendly B and B, hotel with a pool) in your specific area, schema markup including Hotel and Room structured data, Google Business Profile alignment, and on-page content that uses the language travellers use. Realistic timeline for meaningful movement is 4 to 6 months.
Areas we cover
We work with hotels and B&Bs across Surrey and the surrounding area.
More in food and hospitality
Other industries we work in across food and hospitality. Each page covers the specifics of how we approach websites for that sector.
Start a project
Tell us about your rooms, your location and what proportion of bookings come through the OTAs right now. We will come back with a clear picture of what we can build and whether it makes sense financially.
Tell us about your project and we will get back to you within one working day.