What Is an OTA and Why Does It Matter for Your Hotel?
Picture this. Ramesh runs a 22-room hotel in Udaipur. His rooms are clean. His staff is friendly. His location is excellent. But on weekdays, half his rooms sit empty.
His cousin in Jaipur told him to "just get on MMT." His nephew said "list on Booking.com." His neighbour said OYO was the answer. Ramesh has no idea where to start.
If you are Ramesh, this guide is for you.
An OTA (Online Travel Agency) is a website or app where travellers search for and book hotels. Think MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Goibibo, and Agoda. When a traveller books your room through one of these platforms, the OTA takes a cut called a commission. You get the rest.
To understand what an OTA is and exactly how the money flows, read our detailed explainer. The short version is this: OTAs give your hotel visibility to millions of travellers who would never have found you otherwise. That visibility comes at a cost, typically 15 to 25% per booking.
Here is why listing on multiple OTAs matters. Different platforms attract different travellers. A couple from Germany planning a Rajasthan holiday searches on Booking.com. A family from Bengaluru planning a weekend in Coorg opens MakeMyTrip. A solo traveller from Bangkok checks Agoda. If your hotel is not on the right platform, that booking goes to a competitor.
Top 10 OTAs in India: Quick Comparison Table
Here is a fast overview of all 10 platforms before we go deeper into each one.
| OTA | Best For | Commission | Audience | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MakeMyTrip | Domestic volume | 15–25% | Indian travellers | Must-list |
| Goibibo | Domestic (same parent as MMT) | 15–25% | Indian travellers | Must-list |
| Booking.com | International guests | 15–20% | Global | Must-list |
| Agoda | Asia-Pacific travellers | 15–22% | SE Asia, East Asia | High priority |
| Expedia | US and European guests | 15–25% | Western markets | High priority |
| Yatra | Corporate bookings | 10–18% | Indian corporate | Medium priority |
| Airbnb | Unique stays and home-style | ~3% host fee | Experience seekers | Situational |
| OYO | Budget standardisation | Revenue share (varies) | Budget domestic | Situational |
| Cleartrip | Growing domestic platform | 15–20% | Indian travellers | Medium priority |
| Google Free Booking Links | Zero-commission direct bookings | 0% | Google searchers | Must-activate |
1 and 2. MakeMyTrip and Goibibo: Best for Domestic Bookings
MakeMyTrip and Goibibo are owned by the same parent company, MakeMyTrip Group. When you list on one, you are visible on both. This is the single most important fact for any Indian hotelier.
Together, MakeMyTrip and Goibibo control over 60% of online hotel bookings made by Indian travellers. If a family in Pune is planning a trip to Mahabaleshwar, there is a very high chance they open the MakeMyTrip app first. If a young couple in Delhi is looking for a weekend getaway in Mussoorie, Goibibo is usually in their top two options.
Who books through MakeMyTrip and Goibibo?
- Families travelling within India for leisure
- Young travellers booking budget to mid-scale hotels
- Domestic tourists during long weekends and school holidays
- Corporate travellers booking through company accounts
What you need to know about commission
MakeMyTrip charges between 15% and 25% commission. The exact rate depends on your property category, your city, and whether you opt into promotional programs like Smart Deals or Sell Tonight offers.
On a ₹3,000 room booking, you pay ₹450 to ₹750 in commission. The guest pays MakeMyTrip. MMT then settles with you weekly, minus their commission.
Tips to get more bookings on MMT and Goibibo
- Upload at least 25 photos. Properties with more photos get significantly higher click-through rates.
- Keep your content (room descriptions, amenity list, policies) updated in the extranet (the OTA's partner dashboard where you manage your listing).
- Use Sell Tonight deals for rooms that are still empty by mid-afternoon. Discounted revenue beats zero revenue.
- Respond to guest reviews within 48 hours. MakeMyTrip's algorithm rewards engaged properties.
- Aim for the MMT Select or Goibibo Top Rated badge. These badges increase your visibility in search results significantly.
3. Booking.com: Best for International Guests
Booking.com is the largest hotel booking platform in the world. It has over 28 million listed properties and serves travellers from more than 200 countries. For any Indian hotel that wants international guests, Booking.com is non-negotiable.
A French couple planning a two-week India trip is almost certainly checking Booking.com. A British backpacker doing a Rajasthan circuit uses Booking.com. A business traveller from Singapore visiting Mumbai looks at Booking.com first. If you are not listed, you are invisible to all of them.
What makes Booking.com different?
Booking.com uses a pay-at-property model (also called the merchant model). The guest pays you directly at check-in or check-out. At the end of each month, Booking.com sends you an invoice for the commission you owe. This is better for cash flow. You collect the money first.
Booking.com's commission is typically 15 to 18% for standard properties. If you join their Preferred Partner program, commission can go to 20% but your visibility in search results increases substantially.
On a ₹5,000 booking, you pay ₹750 to ₹1,000 in commission. Compare that to MMT where the OTA collects the money first and settles with you later.
The Genius program
Booking.com runs a loyalty scheme called the Genius program. Genius members get discounts at participating hotels. If you join the Genius program, you offer a 10 to 15% discount to Genius travellers. In exchange, Booking.com shows your property more prominently to these high-intent, loyal guests. For full details on how to use this, see our guide to the Booking.com Genius program.
For a complete walkthrough of getting listed and optimising your Booking.com profile, read our Booking.com hotel listing guide.
4 to 6. Agoda, Expedia, and Yatra: Reach More Traveller Segments
Agoda: Your Gateway to Asian Travellers
Agoda is part of Booking Holdings, the same group that owns Booking.com. Despite sharing a parent company, they have different customer bases and do not automatically cross-list properties. You need to list on Agoda separately.
Agoda's strength is in Southeast Asia and East Asia. Travellers from Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia use Agoda heavily. If your hotel is in Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala, or any destination popular with Asian tourists, Agoda is important.
Commission on Agoda is typically 15 to 22%. The guest pays Agoda, and Agoda settles with you monthly.
On a ₹4,500 booking, your commission cost is ₹675 to ₹990. But if the guest would never have found you otherwise, every booking from Agoda is incremental revenue.
Expedia: For US and European Corporate Travellers
Expedia is the dominant OTA in the United States and has a strong presence across Europe. Expedia Group also owns Hotels.com, Orbitz, and several other platforms. When you list on Expedia, your property can appear across multiple Expedia-owned sites.
Expedia is especially useful for hotels near business districts, conference venues, and airports. Western corporate travellers often book through Expedia because their employers use it for business travel management.
Commission on Expedia is 15 to 25%, depending on your contract and whether you join their preferred placement programs. Settlement is monthly. On a ₹6,000 booking, your commission is ₹900 to ₹1,500.
Yatra: The Indian Corporate Specialist
Yatra is one of India's oldest OTAs. It began as a flight booking site and expanded into hotels. Yatra has carved out a strong niche in Indian corporate travel. Many mid-size and large companies in India use Yatra's corporate booking platform for employee travel.
If your hotel is in a business city (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai), Yatra deserves a spot in your distribution mix. Corporate travellers book on weekdays, pay on time, and often return.
Yatra's commission is typically 10 to 18%, lower than most OTAs. This is partly because corporate bookings are negotiated through contracts. Settlement is weekly or bi-weekly.
7 to 10. Airbnb, OYO, Cleartrip, and Google Free Booking Links
Airbnb: For the Experience-Seeker Audience
Airbnb started as a platform for home-sharing. Today, boutique hotels, heritage properties, and unique stays list on Airbnb as a "Boutique Hotel" category. Airbnb attracts a specific type of traveller: someone who wants character, personality, and a story. They are willing to pay more for it.
Airbnb's fee structure is different from traditional OTAs. The host (your hotel) pays around 3% and the guest pays a separate service fee of around 14 to 16%. This makes Airbnb significantly cheaper for the hotel than most OTAs.
Airbnb works well for properties that have something distinctive: a heritage haveli in Jaipur, a boutique homestay in Coorg, a colonial-era bungalow in Ooty. If your hotel looks and feels like every other hotel, Airbnb is less effective for you.
OYO: A Different Model Entirely
OYO is not a traditional OTA. It is a franchise-and-technology company. When you partner with OYO, they brand your property under the OYO name. You operate under their standards. In return, OYO fills your rooms through their app and platform.
OYO uses a revenue-share model. The exact terms depend on your contract and location. OYO is most effective for budget properties (room rates below ₹2,500 per night) in high-competition markets where brand recognition drives bookings.
Think carefully before joining OYO. You give up pricing control and branding identity. Some hotels do very well on OYO. Others find the terms unfavourable once volumes stabilise. Read the contract carefully, especially the exit clauses.
Cleartrip: A Growing Domestic Platform
Cleartrip was acquired by Flipkart (owned by Walmart) in 2021. This acquisition gave Cleartrip access to Flipkart's massive user base of over 400 million registered users in India. Cleartrip has been growing steadily and is now a meaningful platform for domestic hotel bookings.
Cleartrip's commission is 15 to 20%. Settlement is weekly. The platform is particularly active in metro cities and among younger, digitally native travellers who shop on Flipkart.
Cleartrip is not yet at MMT's volume, but the cost to list is low and the incremental bookings are worth it. It is a good choice to add once you have your core three or four OTAs set up.
Google Free Booking Links: Zero Commission, Real Bookings
Google Free Booking Links are not an OTA. They are a direct booking channel. When a traveller searches for your hotel on Google, Google can show your own rates directly in the search results. If the traveller clicks and books through your website, you pay Google nothing. Zero commission.
To activate Google Free Booking Links, you need a booking engine on your website that is integrated with Google's Hotel Center (usually done through your channel manager or booking engine provider). Once set up, your direct rates appear alongside OTA rates in Google search.
This is one of the most powerful things an independent hotel can do. Google Free Booking Links let you compete for bookings without paying OTA commission. A ₹5,000 booking through your own website costs you ₹0 in commission instead of ₹750 to ₹1,250 through an OTA.
OTA Commission Rates in India: Full Comparison
Commission is the single biggest cost of OTA distribution. Understanding what you actually pay helps you make smarter decisions about which OTAs to prioritise and when to push for direct bookings.
All figures below are based on a ₹5,000 room night as the base booking value. Commission costs vary by OTA program tier and property type.
Note: Booking.com's Genius program offers enhanced visibility in exchange for a 10 to 15% rate discount to loyalty members. Read more in our Booking.com Genius program guide.
| OTA | Commission % | ₹ Cost on ₹5,000 Booking | Payment Model | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MakeMyTrip | 15–25% | ₹750 – ₹1,250 | OTA collects from guest | Weekly (7–14 days) |
| Goibibo | 15–25% | ₹750 – ₹1,250 | OTA collects from guest | Weekly (7–14 days) |
| Booking.com | 15–20% | ₹750 – ₹1,000 | Guest pays hotel directly | Monthly invoice |
| Agoda | 15–22% | ₹750 – ₹1,100 | OTA collects from guest | Monthly |
| Expedia | 15–25% | ₹750 – ₹1,250 | OTA collects or guest pays hotel | Monthly |
| Yatra | 10–18% | ₹500 – ₹900 | OTA collects from guest | Weekly / bi-weekly |
| Airbnb | ~3% (host fee) | ~₹150 | OTA collects, guest pays separate service fee | 24 hrs after check-in |
| OYO | Revenue share (varies) | Varies by contract | OYO manages pricing and collection | Per contract terms |
| Cleartrip | 15–20% | ₹750 – ₹1,000 | OTA collects from guest | Weekly |
| Google Free Booking Links | 0% | ₹0 | Guest books direct on hotel website | Instant (your own payment gateway) |
How to manage rates across all these OTAs without going mad
This is where a channel manager becomes essential. A channel manager is software that connects to all your OTAs at once. You update your rate or close a room date once. The channel manager pushes that update to every OTA simultaneously.
Without a channel manager, managing 5 OTAs means logging into 5 separate extranets every day. You will make mistakes. You will get double-bookings. You will miss rate changes. A channel manager solves all of this.
Read our full guide on how a channel manager works and which ones are best for Indian hotels.
Enter your rooms, occupancy, and OTA share to see monthly commission costs, net profit, and whether reducing OTA dependency makes sense for your property.
Try Revenue & Profit Estimator →Frequently Asked Questions: OTAs for Hotels in India
Which OTA is the best for hotels in India?
There is no single best OTA because different platforms serve different travellers. For domestic Indian guests, MakeMyTrip and Goibibo give you the highest booking volume. They together command over 60% of online hotel bookings in India. For international guests, Booking.com is the clear first choice. It has the widest global reach and is the platform most foreign travellers trust. If you can only list on two OTAs, make them MakeMyTrip and Booking.com.
What is OTA software and which is the best OTA software for Indian hotels?
OTA software usually refers to two things. First, the OTA platform itself (like MakeMyTrip or Booking.com), which you access through their partner login called an extranet (the partner dashboard where you manage your listing). Second, a channel manager, which is software you use at your hotel to manage all your OTA listings from one place. The best channel manager options for Indian hotels include RateTiger, Staah, Siteminder, and Hotelogix. These tools connect to 50 or more OTAs and sync your availability and rates in real time. Read our channel manager guide to compare options and costs.
What are the top 10 OTAs in India for hotels?
The top 10 OTAs and booking channels for hotels in India in 2026 are: (1) MakeMyTrip, (2) Goibibo, (3) Booking.com, (4) Agoda, (5) Expedia, (6) Yatra, (7) Airbnb, (8) OYO, (9) Cleartrip, and (10) Google Free Booking Links. Note that OYO is a franchise model, not a traditional OTA. Google Free Booking Links are a zero-commission direct channel, not an OTA at all. Your priority order depends on your hotel's location and the type of guests you want to attract.
How do I list my hotel on an OTA in India?
Listing on most OTAs is free. The OTA earns through commission on bookings. The general process for any OTA: Go to the OTA's partner or hotel signup page (search for "MakeMyTrip hotel partner signup" or "Booking.com list your property"). Submit your property details including name, address, room types, photos, and amenities. Upload 20 to 30 clear photos of rooms, common areas, and exterior. Set your base room rate, cancellation policy, and payment preferences. Complete identity verification and bank account details for settlement. Wait for approval. Most OTAs take 3 to 7 business days to approve a new property. Once approved, your listing goes live and you can start receiving bookings.
What are OTA commission rates in India?
OTA commission rates in India typically range from 10% to 25% of the booking value. MakeMyTrip and Goibibo charge 15 to 25%. Booking.com charges 15 to 20%. Agoda charges 15 to 22%. Yatra is lower at 10 to 18%, especially for corporate bookings. Airbnb is the cheapest for hotels at around 3% host fee. Google Free Booking Links charge 0% because the guest books directly on your hotel website. Commission rates can vary based on your property category, city, and whether you join promotional programs that offer higher visibility in exchange for a higher commission or a discounted rate.