Free playbook · 2026 edition
The Direct-Booking Playbook for independent hotels.
16 pages on cutting OTA commissions, filling the dead season, and buying marketing without getting burned. Real 2026 numbers, two worksheets, and a 90-day plan you can start Monday.
What’s inside
7 chapters. No fluff. Every number sourced.
- 1
The OTA tax, all-in
What Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, and Vrbo really take in 2026, and what that costs a 30-room resort in real dollars.
- 2
What a direct booking costs
The 4 to 7% all-in math, and the measurement trap that makes most marketing look better than it is.
- 3
Keep the OTAs, shift the mix
Five ways to make direct the easy choice without delisting, plus a realistic 12-month target.
- 4
11 moves to fill the dead season
The low-season playbook, with a 12-week calendar you can put on the wall.
- 5
Buying marketing without getting burned
2026 agency price ranges, the 4 pricing models, 7 red flags, and 9 questions to ask.
- 6
A 90-day direct-booking plan
Three 30-day checklists, in the order that pays back fastest.
- 7
Two worksheets
Put a dollar figure on your OTA cost, and score any agency out of 18.
From chapter 1
Every 30% of OTA bookings a mid-size resort moves to direct is worth roughly $45,000 a year.
The playbook shows the math on a 30-room resort, then gives you a worksheet to run it on your own property in ten minutes.
Written by
Giuseppe Gaspari
Founder of The No Vacancy Co. Fifteen-plus years running paid search, SEO, and conversion tracking for tourism and lodging operators. Full bio
Questions
- Is the direct booking playbook really free?
- Yes. Enter your name and email and the 16-page PDF downloads instantly. There is no payment and no subscription.
- Who is the playbook for?
- Owners and managers of independent resorts, lodges, hotels, and similar properties who pay OTA commission and want more direct bookings, especially in the slow months.
- Do I have to leave Booking.com or Expedia to use it?
- No. The playbook recommends keeping your OTA listings for reach and shifting 10 to 15 points of booking share to direct over a year.
- What happens after I download it?
- Giuseppe may follow up personally to ask if it was useful. You will not be added to a newsletter, and you can ask us to delete your details at any time.
Want the full versions now? Read the 2026 OTA commission rates, 11 ways to increase low-season revenue, and what agencies charge hotels.