Questions
The questions owners ask before they spend anything, answered in two sentences first
6 questions, each with the answer at the top and the reasoning under it. They are the ones that arrive by phone and on the quote form, and the ones people type into Google and into ChatGPT. Every page links to the service it belongs to and to the longer guide, so the short answer never has to stand alone.
- 01Do hotels need SEO?Yes, but not the kind sold to shops. A hotel is found through its Google listing, its own name and the specific searches guests make, without commission.
- 02How much commission does Booking.com take?A percentage of each booking set at sign-up, varying by country and property type: typically about 15 per cent for a UK independent, within 10 to 25.
- 03Can a small hotel compete with the OTAs on Google?Not for the generic town search, and it does not need to. A small hotel beats the OTAs on its own name, in the hotel module, and on the specific searches.
- 04What is a good direct booking rate for a hotel?Over 40 per cent of room nights direct is good for a UK independent, over 50 is strong, under 25 means the OTAs own your guests. The typical figure: 37.
- 05Do Google Hotel Ads work for small hotels?Yes on your own name and live dates, rarely on the town search against OTA budgets. No commission-per-stay bidding since February 2025, so keep it narrow.
- 06How do I get my hotel on Google Maps?Create or claim the Google Business Profile, pick a lodging category, verify it, and the pin appears within days. Add rates to show a price on Google.
When the two-sentence answer is not enough
The 8 guides go further: how a property is found on Google, the Business Profile checklist for lodging, why a site gets visits and no bookings, the OTA question in full, what to spend and when, the review rules since April 2025, seasonal pages, and structured data.
All guidesFind out how much of your booking revenue is leaving as commission
Send us your property name, your town and your website. You get a plain-English audit of your Google hotel listing, your booking path and the three properties above you, with a quote. No pressure, no long contract.