According to the research by hotel price comparison website Top10.com, guests save an average of 15 per cent or £30 a night when booking through OTAs such as Booking.com, Expedia.co.uk or LateRooms.com with the online price being cheaper than the direct booking 71 per cent of the time.
Top10.com's random sampling of 100 three to five star hotels across the world for a booking date of Saturday 7 December 2013 revealed that only one hotel offered a cheaper rate by going direct and in the UK specifically, consumers were able to save 50 per cent through an OTA. Examples include a rate of £54 a night at The Cleveland in Torquay through Venere.com compared to £110 by booking direct; £108 at the Cotswold House Hotel in Oxford on Booking.com, compared to one of £200 direct and £400 for a night at The Savoy in London through Expedia and Lastminute.com compared to £774 direct.
Alex Buttle, director of Top10.com, said: "There is a commonly held belief that booking a hotel direct with the hotel is the most cost effective way to book - our research debunks that myth. The reality is that customers need to shop around to save money - the best prices are normally to be found through one of the booking sites.
Read full story at: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/Hotels-urged-to-check-pricing-as-survey-shows-guests-save-15-through-OTAs
