The Independent Hotelier’s Quick Guide to Major OTAs

For independent hoteliers, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) can feel like both a blessing and a burden: offering reach you can’t get on your own, but at a cost and complexity that’s hard to navigate without a full-time distribution team.

An Online Travel Agency (OTA) is a website where travelers can search, compare and book hotel rooms, flights and other travel services.

This guide breaks down today’s OTA ecosystem. Who owns what, where they dominate, and how to think about them in 2025. More importantly, we’ll give you the clarity you need to make smarter choices about which partners to work with, and how to stay in control of your pricing and inventory, no matter your size.

Key takeaways

• Expedia Group and Booking Holdings together hold over 40% of global OTA market share

• Booking Holdings facilitated 1.1 billion room nights in 2024

• OTA commissions typically range from 15–25% per booking

• Booking.com lists more than 29 million properties worldwide

What is an OTA?

Lighthouse defines OTAs in our industry glossary as: “Reservation systems supported by websites on which guests can find and reserve rooms (and travel).”

The key benefit they offer customers is the ability to quickly compare travel options based on certain criteria. 

When you list with an OTA, you’re handing over a portion of your inventory in exchange for visibility and paying a commission when they deliver a booking. On the surface, that seems like a fair trade. But as OTAs have grown more powerful since the mid-1990s, so has the sophistication of how they shape search results, control rankings and influence booking behavior.

Many hotels still rely on OTAs as a primary source of demand. And for independents without massive marketing budgets or loyalty programs, they often play an even bigger role. The trick is making sure you stay in control of your rates, your availability and your strategy.

OTAs vs. bedbanks: what’s the difference?

OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia are consumer-facing platforms where travelers book directly. Bedbanks like Hotelbeds operate behind the scenes as B2B wholesalers, selling room inventory to travel agents, tour operators and airlines rather than to guests. Both can be part of your distribution mix, but they work very differently.

The major OTA players and their subsidiaries

As it stands in 2025, the two largest players are the OTA conglomerates Expedia Group and Booking Holdings, the two combining for over 40% of global share.

Despite the dominance of these two behemoths, there are still many other smaller, independent Online Travel Agents that we will introduce you to as well. Below is a list of the most important players worldwide in 2026.

Expedia Group

Expedia Group is an American online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer-facing travel brands including Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Trivago and VRBO.

Subsidiaries include: Hotels.com, Travelocity.com, wotif, orbitz, Egencia, trivago, VRBO

Established in 1996 as a division of Microsoft, Expedia Group is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

The company offers services such as hotel bookings, flight reservations, car rentals and vacation packages. Expedia’s platforms provide access to over three million lodging properties and flights on more than 500 airlines worldwide.

Expedia has high brand recognition in the North American market due to high-visibility marketing campaigns and their acquisition of popular, recognizable brands such as Hotels.com, Travelocity and Orbitz which became household names during the early 2000s in part due to successful viral marketing.

Hoteliers who partner with Expedia manage rates and inventory, reputation management and monitor performance analytics using Expedia Partner Central.

Key Facts:

• With Expedia’s acquisition of a majority share of Trivago in 2012, the company expanded its presence to include a meta-search offering

• By acquiring HomeAway (and by extension VRBO) in 2015 Expedia Group expanded their offerings to include Short-Term rentals

Booking Holdings

Booking Holdings is a global online travel company that operates Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda and Kayak, making it the world’s largest OTA by booking volume.

Subsidiaries include: Priceline, Agoda, Kayak, OpenTable

Founded in 1997, Booking Holdings is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. The company operates in over 220 countries and territories through its primary consumer-facing brands.

According to Booking Holdings’ 2024 annual report, the company reported gross travel bookings of $166 billion, a 10% year-over-year increase, and facilitated 1.1 billion room nights, up 9% from the previous year.

The company employs over 24,000 people globally and offers more than 29 million reported listings on Booking.com. As of February 2025, Booking Holdings’ market capitalization stood at approximately $165.69 billion.

Booking Holdings is the global leader from a booking volume perspective, thanks to its utilization of tools such as AI-powered travel assistants and its incorporation of short-term rental properties into its customer search results.

Like other Online Travel Agents, Booking.com has branched out to other ancillary streams outside of lodging, such as OpenTable—a restaurant reservation booking platform.

AirBnB

Airbnb is a global online marketplace connecting travelers with hosts offering short-term accommodations, from private rooms to entire homes, across more than 220 countries.

Subsidiaries include: HotelTonight

Founded in 2008, Airbnb expanded into the traditional hotel sector by acquiring HotelTonight in 2019, a platform specializing in last-minute hotel bookings, thereby broadening its accommodation offerings beyond private residences.

As of early 2025, Airbnb boasts over 5 million hosts and 7.7+ million active listings.

Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a leading Chinese online travel agency offering hotel reservations, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management.

Subsidiaries include: Ctrip, Trip.com

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Shanghai, the company operates under brands like Ctrip, Qunar, Trip.com and Skyscanner, providing access to over 1.7 million global accommodation offerings and partnerships with more than 600 airlines.

According to Trip.com Group’s 2023 annual report, the company reported revenues of approximately $6.3 billion and net income of $1.4 billion.

Serving as a prominent alternative to Western competitors like Expedia Group and Booking Holdings, Trip.com Group leverages its strong presence in the Chinese market and expanding global operations to cater to a diverse clientele worldwide.

Despegar

Despegar is the leading online travel agency in Latin America, operating under the brands Despegar and Decolar (in Brazil).

Subsidiaries include: Decolar, Bestday.com

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Buenos Aires, the company offers a comprehensive range of travel services, including airline tickets, hotel bookings, car rentals and vacation packages, catering to both leisure and corporate travelers.

According to Despegar’s 2023 financial statements, the company reported annual revenues of approximately $706 million.

The company has expanded its presence through strategic acquisitions, such as the purchase of Best Day and HotelDo in Mexico in October 2020. Despegar serves as a regional alternative to major global players like Expedia Group and Booking Holdings, focusing on the unique needs of the Latin American market.

HRS Group

HRS Group is a global technology company specializing in business travel solutions, operating one of the first online hotel booking portals launched in 1995.

Subsidiaries include: Destination Solutions

Established in 1972 and headquartered in Cologne, Germany, HRS operates in over 30 countries with a workforce of approximately 1,500 employees. The company offers a comprehensive hotel booking portal featuring over 400,000 hotels in 190 countries, serving both business and leisure travelers.

HRS has been a pioneer in the industry, launching the first online hotel booking portal in 1995 and the first mobile app for hotel bookings in 2009. The company focuses on simplifying business travel by providing end-to-end solutions, including strategic procurement, booking and payment processes, catering to more than 3,000 enterprises worldwide.

HotelBeds

Hotelbeds is a B2B travel technology company that operates as a bedbank, distributing hotel inventory to travel agents, tour operators and airlines rather than directly to consumers.

Subsidiaries include: Bedsonline, Tourico

Established in 2001 and headquartered in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, Hotelbeds offers an extensive portfolio of over 250,000 hotels across 185 countries.

The company processes approximately 46 million room nights annually, catering to a global network of over 60,000 travel distributors, including tour operators, travel agencies, airlines and loyalty programs.

Hotelbeds focuses on wholesale agreements, negotiating preferential rates and room allocations with hotels, which are then distributed to its partners through advanced technology platforms. 

In 2017, Hotelbeds expanded its market presence by acquiring competitors GTA and Tourico Holidays. In February 2025, the company announced plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in Spain, aiming to raise up to €725 million to strengthen its financial position and accelerate growth.

Final thoughts

Running an independent hotel means making tough tradeoffs. Between time and return, simplicity and control. OTAs remain a vital channel for most, but they shouldn’t run your business. You should.

Independent hoteliers should use OTAs strategically for visibility while prioritizing direct bookings to protect margins.

Whether you’re just getting listed or fine-tuning your distribution strategy, the right tools can help you stay visible without losing margin or sleep.

Lighthouse makes your job simpler. Our smart platform for independent hotels is built to help you:

By bringing together pricing and distribution in one automated solution, you can stay competitive and keep your listings in sync without hours of manual work.

You’ve worked hard to build your property. We’re here to help more guests find and book it. Find out more about our solution that optimizes your prices and distribution channels below.

Frequently asked questionsWhat are the largest OTAs in 2025?

The two largest OTAs in 2025 are Booking Holdings (which owns Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda and Kayak) and Expedia Group (which owns Hotels.com, Trivago and VRBO). Together they account for over 40% of global market share.

What commission do OTAs typically charge hotels?

OTA commissions typically range from 15–25% per booking, depending on the platform, your property’s location and any promotional programs you participate in.

What’s the difference between an OTA and a bedbank?

OTAs are consumer-facing platforms where travelers book directly. Bedbanks like Hotelbeds are B2B wholesalers that sell room inventory to travel agents, tour operators and airlines rather than to guests.

Daniel Foreman is a hospitality professional with over a decade of experience in revenue management, business intelligence and marketing. Daniel is passionate about hotel data, worldwide trends in hospitality and learning from dynamic hospitality leaders around the world. He is the host of the Lighthouse Spotlight Podcast. Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn.

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) is the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry. We transform complexity into confidence by providing actionable market insights, business intelligence, and pricing tools that maximize revenue growth.

We continually innovate to deliver the best platform for hospitality professionals to price more effectively, measure performance more efficiently, and understand the market in new ways.

Trusted by over 65,000 hotels in 185 countries, Lighthouse is the only solution that provides real-time hotel and short-term rental data in a single platform. We strive to deliver the best possible experience with unmatched customer service. We consider our clients as true partners – their success is our success.

Source: View the original article at Lighthouse.