Guests prefer direct when hotels make it personal

Clear value, recognition, and personalization are the real drivers of direct booking loyalty

Despite the growing influence of OTAs and AI-powered travel assistants, hotel guests continue to favor direct relationships with hotels. Travelers value being recognized, appreciated, and understood—expectations that third-party platforms and automated booking flows struggle to meet consistently.

The challenge for hotels is therefore not guest intent, but execution. Too often, direct-only value is unclear, inconsistent, or poorly communicated. The following practical strategies show how hotels can convert this underlying preference into measurable direct bookings by combining first-party data, thoughtful personalization, and genuine human connection.

Key takeaways

• Guest preference favors direct relationships: Most travelers value recognition, personal service, and a sense of belonging, which makes them receptive to booking direct when hotels clearly articulate the benefits.
• Value must be explicit and tangible: Direct booking succeeds when hotels offer clear advantages—such as upgrades, flexibility, or exclusive perks—that guests immediately understand and experience.
• Personalization drives emotional loyalty: Using first-party data to tailor communication and offers reinforces the feeling that the hotel knows the guest, something OTAs and AI tools cannot fully replicate.
• Recognition builds long-term behavior change: Remembering preferences, acknowledging repeat stays, and delivering consistent benefits encourages guests to shift habits away from OTAs over time.
• Automation supports, not replaces, relationships: Pre- and post-stay campaigns work best when they feel personal and relevant, strengthening the direct bond rather than mimicking generic OTA messaging.
• Human interaction remains decisive: Front desk teams and on-property staff are uniquely positioned to reinforce direct booking benefits through authentic conversations that guests trust.
• Direct booking is a system, not a tactic: Sustainable success comes from aligning data, technology, perks, and people around one goal: making the direct relationship feel more rewarding than any intermediary.

Source: Revinate

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