What's a good direct booking percentage for an independent hotel?
Benchmarks for direct-booking share, why the 'right' number depends on your market, and how the best independents push past 50% direct.
There's no universal target — but if direct is under ~30% of room revenue, there's almost certainly recoverable margin on the table.
It's the question every owner eventually asks: how much of my business should be direct? The honest answer is 'more than it is now' — but useful benchmarks do exist.
The rough benchmarks
Across independent and boutique properties, direct-booking share commonly lands somewhere between 20% and 40% of room revenue. The strongest direct performers — hotels with a real brand, a fast booking engine, and active direct marketing — push past 50%, and a few exceptional ones clear 60%.
- Under 20% direct: heavily OTA-dependent; significant recoverable margin.
- 20–40% direct: typical; steady gains available with focused effort.
- 40%+ direct: strong; now it's about protecting and compounding the lead.
Why the right number is personal
A remote resort guests discover on Instagram has a very different ceiling than a city hotel competing on a crowded map. Your realistic target depends on demand source, brand strength and market. That's exactly why a benchmark against your own compset beats any industry average.
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