How hotels are using eSIMs to outsmart OTAs

A gigabyte of mobile data might not sound like much — but for travelers, it’s instant connectivity, and for hotels, it’s a new weapon in the booking wars

Here’s the latest twist in the long-running tug-of-war between hotels and OTAs: free mobile data. The Hotels Network (THN) thinks giving travelers a gigabyte of eSIM data with every direct booking could be the nudge that keeps them off Booking.com and Expedia. It’s a small perk, but one that taps into a very real pain point — landing in a new country with no connection.

Key takeaways

• Direct booking with benefits: Guests who book on a hotel’s site now get 1GB of free eSIM data, instantly activated on arrival.
• Frictionless perk: No SIM swapping, no roaming headaches — guests just download and go.
• Zero effort for hotels: THN bakes the perk into its personalization platform, with no logistics or hidden costs for staff.
• Standing out from OTAs: A digital freebie helps hotels make their websites feel more valuable than third-party platforms.
• Conversion tactics built in: Hotels can surface the perk via welcome banners, smart notes, or exit messages to catch guests before they click away.
• Bigger picture: For THN, eSIMs are another layer in a personalization arsenal designed to push direct bookings and build loyalty in a market still dominated by OTAs.

Get the full story at The Hotels Network