Low-commission OTA signs up 400 properties in first week

Start-up OTA Hotel Bonanza claims to have signed up more than 400 properties to its 8% ‘low-commission’ proposition in its first week of operation.

Start-up OTA Hotel Bonanza claims to have signed up more than 400 properties to its 8% ‘low-commission’ proposition in its first week of operation.

The business aims to offer a fairer deal to a sector where high commission rates have long impacted on margins.

Hotel Bonanza wants to put control back into the hands of accommodation providers while offering consumers a membership scheme that gives them a discount on every booking.

The business model is created on first-hand experience and its founding team is motivated to reduce commission charges for hotels after facing their own challenges using OTAs.

The consumer site is due to go live in the third quarter of the year.

Co-founder and chief executive, Suzie Barber, a former London hotelier, said: “The feedback we have received has been very positive, and the numbers have been fantastic.

“Accommodation providers are pleased that we are focusing on them as the priority, and this is reflected in the number of properties signing up.

“We knew a new approach to the OTA model was needed, but the feedback and engagement we’ve had so far has surpassed our expectations, there’s a groundswell of movement from the industry which is very exciting.”