Do you need one?
Does a hotel need a website?
A fair question when the booking sites bring guests. But the honest answer turns on commission: without your own site, the platforms are your only channel, and they take a cut of everything.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Does a hotel need a website?
The honest answer
Does a hotel need a website? If you are happy to pay commission on every single booking forever, then perhaps not. But the honest answer turns on that commission. The booking platforms bring guests, but they take a substantial cut of every reservation, so without your own site, those platforms are your only channel, and they charge you on everything. A guest who would happily book direct has nowhere to do it, so the reservation goes through a platform and you pay the cut. Your own website changes that: it gives you a commission-free channel, captures direct bookings that keep the money, and wins guests off the platforms who would otherwise have cost you. The real question, then, is whether you want to stop paying commission on your whole business, because without a website the platforms own your bookings and your margin, and take a slice of every guest who stays.
Without a site, the platforms take a cut of everything
A hotel that relies solely on booking platforms is running its whole business on someone else’s channel, on their terms, and paying for the privilege on every reservation. The platforms fill rooms, which is real value, but the commission is charged on every booking they bring, so the more you rely on them, the more of your revenue you hand over. And there is no escape valve without your own site, because a guest who would prefer to book direct, or who is already sold on your hotel, has nowhere to do it, so even the bookings you did not really need the platform for still cost you commission. Your own website is that escape valve: a channel where a guest can book direct, commission-free, keeping the money the platform would have taken. Without it, every booking, even the ones from guests who already knew they wanted to stay with you, is a booking you pay commission on. A site is how you stop that.
Your own site wins back platform-found guests
The strongest objection is that the platforms already fill your rooms, so why build a site, and it is worth answering directly. The platforms do fill rooms, but a large share of guests who find a hotel on a booking site then look up its own website to see it properly before deciding, checking the rooms, the facilities, the experience, and reassuring themselves. A hotel with no site loses those guests back to the platform, and the commission with them, while a hotel with a compelling, easy-to-book site captures the direct booking, turning a platform-found guest into a commission-free reservation. So your own site does not just win new guests, it recaptures the ones the platforms would have charged you for, by giving them somewhere to book direct once they are sold. Relying only on listings means the platforms own your bookings and your margin; your own site is how you take both back, while still using the platforms for the reach they bring.
So the real answer to does a hotel need a website is: yes, if you want to stop paying commission on every booking, because without your own site the platforms are your only channel and take a cut of everything, so being absent means paying for your whole business. And finding out costs just £99 up front: I build the site on spec, from £297, and you see it finished before you pay the rest, so you can look at your actual site, ready to take direct bookings, and decide from there, knowing the commission saved on direct bookings quickly outweighs the modest cost.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a hotel site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
Does a hotel really need a website?
If you want to stop paying commission on every booking, yes, because without your own site the booking platforms are your only channel, and they take a cut of everything. A guest who would happily book direct has nowhere to, so the reservation goes through a platform that charges you. A site gives you a commission-free channel and the means to win guests off the platforms.
Isn't Booking.com or an agency enough to fill rooms?
They fill rooms, but they take a substantial cut of every one, so relying on them alone means paying commission on your whole business. Your own site lets you capture direct bookings that keep that money, and many guests who find you on a platform will book direct if you have a site to book on. So the platforms are worth using, but a site is how you stop paying commission on everything.
Why do guests look at a hotel's own site?
Because many who find a hotel on a platform then check its own site to see it properly and decide, looking at the rooms, facilities and experience before booking. A hotel with no site loses those guests back to the platform, and the commission with them, while one with a compelling site captures the direct booking. So your own site is where platform-found guests become direct bookings.
Can't I just rely on my listing on the booking sites?
A listing fills rooms but on the platform's terms, showing you among rivals and taking a cut of every booking, whereas your own site presents your hotel fully and takes bookings commission-free. Relying only on listings means the platforms own your bookings and your margin, so your own site is how you take back control of both. The listing supplements, it does not replace.
When could a hotel skip a website?
Realistically, only if you are happy to pay commission on every single booking forever. Because without a site the platforms are your only channel and take a cut of everything, most hotels without one leave significant money on the table. For any hotel that wants a commission-free channel, the case for a site is strong.
Is a website worth it for a small hotel?
Often especially so, because commission hits a small hotel's margins hard, and a site that wins even a portion of bookings direct keeps money that matters. A compelling, easy-to-book site can shift a small hotel's guests off the platforms and onto its own channel. The commission saved quickly outweighs the modest cost.
How much does it cost to find out if a website is worth it?
Just £99 to start with me, and it comes off your quote. I build the whole site first and you see the finished thing before you pay the rest, from £297. So you are not gambling on a maybe, you are looking at the actual site for your hotel and deciding then. Given the commission saved on direct bookings, the risk of finding out is very low.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a hotel site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.