How is growing third-party control over search, booking, and data reshaping how hotels build and protect guest relationships?

This is a pivotal shift. The issue is no longer which channels we use, but who controls the guest narrative and the data behind it.

Hotels will not win by fighting OTAs on scale or ad spend. We win by aligning revenue, marketing, and sales around a single guest intelligence strategy using data to drive relevance, not just reach. Direct channels succeed when personalization, loyalty, and commercial intent are treated as revenue levers, not marketing add-ons.

Ownership of the guest relationship is now a strategic imperative. Hotels that reclaim it will protect margin, strengthen brand equity, and future-proof demand in an increasingly intermediated marketplace.

OpenAI, Google and Perplexity will reshape this landscape again. Nobody knows how exactly but 2 years from now the picture will be very different. 

Stop playing the OTA game—change the game with the product.

Yes, third parties are taking control of search, booking flows, and traveler data—but copying their playbook won't reclaim the guest relationship. If you try to "out-CRM" Expedia or "out-loyalty" Airbnb, you're choosing a scale game you can't win. 

Protecting revenue won't come from copying the tactics of OTAs. It comes from building an advantage third parties can't easily replicate: the product, and how it's packaged, positioned, and merchandised digitally. If you want to beat Roger Federer, you don't play tennis—you change the sport.

The real weakness in the direct channel isn't lack of marketing tools. It's that hotels still sell standardized room categories and then try to "personalize" around a generic product. That's backwards.

With dynamic, feature-based inventory, you stop selling "Room A vs Room B" and start selling outcomes that match trip context: quiet vs vibrant, high floor vs easy access, work-friendly vs family-friendly, sunrise vs sunset, near vs far from elevator, short-stay convenience vs long-stay comfort. These are real differentiators—and incredibly hard for third parties to express and fulfill at scale. 

The impact of large third party platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, Google and soon most AI LLMs) is deeper than lost revenue. It's about losing the guest relationship. With AI now managing pre-arrival communication for many OTAs, you (hotelier) are further distanced from your own clientele.

However, this challenge is also driving innovation. Independent hotels are investing in first-party data strategies, AI-enhanced booking tools, and loyalty programs that offer unique, experience-based perks for direct bookers. Because you might feel helpless about reaching out for new customers. But have you ever made your numbers and checked how many repeat guests keep coming via third party channels? Because THAT is a MUST you need to fix.

By shifting focus to personalization, on-property engagement, and smarter digital infrastructure, you can regaining control. The goal isn't to eliminate OTAs, but to balance the mix. This reclaims data ownership, protects brand integrity, and fosters repeat business.

Because you must own the journey, not just the room.

The Objective Hasn't Changed: Focus on What You Control

The fundamental objective of hospitality hasn't shifted: provide a product the guest likes and treat them well. While the digital age has made choice infinitely easier, the delivery of the experience is still the single variable the hotelier completely controls. We don't control shopper behavior or external search algorithms—we never did. But we absolutely control the welcome, the stay, and the departure.

Great hoteliers have always deeply known their customers. Today, tools support meaningful knowledge capture. Technology provides the genuine possibility of a two-way relationship beyond a transaction. But let's be clear: a frictionless booking engine is table stakes, not the product. If the room is poor and service is lacking, digital magic won't save you.

My advice is pragmatic: Stick to what you directly control. Use technology to remove friction and build connection, but do not confuse the booking journey with the product. Fight the good fight in distribution, but win the war where it matters—in the guest experience.

The rise of third-party platforms at every stage of the guest journey—from discovery, to booking, and engagement—poses a significant challenge for hotel revenue and distribution managers. These platforms increasingly control guest access and critical data, shifting the competition to data ownership, personalization, and building direct relationships rather than just distribution.

For hotels to reclaim their role as true owners of the customer experience, they must treat guest data and relationship-building as core revenue drivers. Investing in advanced CRM systems, robust loyalty programs, and seamless direct booking strategies is essential—not optional—to match the convenience of OTAs while showcasing each brand’s unique story and service. Direct engagement through targeted offers, personalized communication, and loyalty incentives fosters deeper guest connections and builds lasting loyalty.

Equally important is empowering frontline staff through ongoing training in empathy and problem-solving, ensuring authentic and memorable guest interactions. Technology should be used to streamline operations and free up staff to focus on guests, not to replace the human touch. By strategically aligning revenue, marketing, and IT, hospitality providers can blend innovative tools with traditional service values—regaining control of the guest experience, rebuilding genuine guest connections, and driving sustainable profitability in a competitive landscape.

Hoteliers can reclaim their ownership of the customer experience only by implementing CRM technology and a Guest Appreciation/Reward Program. Naturally, in addition to providing impeccable service, above and beyond customer expectations.

Only a meaningful CRM technology application – as part of your hotel tech stack – can ensure deep engagement with your past, current and future guests and can ensure sustainable repeat business. The CRM aggregates all of the hotel first-party and zero-party data that is cleansed, de-duped, enriched and appended.

CRM tech provides automated pre-, in- and post-stay communications with the guest, upsells and crosssells, in-stay promotions, guest satisfaction surveys, guest retention marketing automation and drip marketing campaigns, guest recognition program management and loyalty marketing. All of these fully automated CRM initiatives keep "the conversation going" with your upcoming and past guests, keeps them engaged and steer them in the right direction: to book your hotel when it"s time for them to visit your destination again.

Without a CRM tech hoteliers cannot rely on any meaningful repeat business. No wonder, on any given night, less than 10% of guests at independent hotels are repeat guests. Why? Well, less than 10% of independents have CRM technology and program in place