The fight for hotel bookings is no longer simply about visibility or rate competitiveness. In 2026, the real battleground is margin control, conversion quality, and the ability to capture demand before intermediaries shape the guest’s decision.
Rising acquisition costs, shifting guest behavior, and the rapid integration of AI into discovery and purchasing journeys are forcing hotels to rethink what winning direct actually means. The goal is no longer more direct bookings at any cost, but smarter demand capture that protects profitability while maintaining channel balance.
This article is shaped around expert insight from Alberto Bisetto, Director of International Business Development at Blastness, whose work focuses on direct booking hotels economics, distribution profitability, and AI driven guest engagement.
Why the booking battle is intensifying in 2026
Bisetto explains that the most significant shift ahead is the move from transactional booking experiences to conversational selling.
He says, "The biggest shift in hotel bookings is the move from transactional booking to conversational selling. AI is becoming the interface between hotels and guests, guiding discovery, answering objections, and shaping decisions in real time."
Rather than functioning as a support layer, conversational AI is evolving into the primary interaction surface between hotels and guests. Booking journeys are becoming adaptive, contextual, and increasingly similar to guided sales conversations.
At the same time, acquisition complexity continues to rise. Commissions, sponsored visibility, and competition for digital attention are increasing demand costs, while inflation across media, staffing, and technology is compressing margins even when revenue appears stable.
This environment is accelerating a deeper KPI transformation. According to Bisetto, hotels must move beyond topline metrics and focus on what they actually retain.
He notes that, "If the objective is net revenue, treating direct and OTA performance as interchangeable no longer makes sense. They are different ecosystems with different costs, audiences, and constraints."
From search to sale: Attention, intent, and conversion define the new battleground
Hotels often lose the booking battle before a guest even reaches the website.
Bisetto points out that OTAs dominate visibility through scale and marketing investment, which creates a structural disadvantage for hotel direct channels.
As he puts it, "Hotels are often losing the booking battle at visibility first. OTAs dominate attention through scale and investment, which makes intelligent demand capture and conversion strategy critical for direct success."
However, behavior shifts once guests arrive on a hotel’s own channels. Visitors explore more deeply, evaluate perceived value more carefully, and demonstrate stronger intent when the experience reinforces trust and relevance.
AI is reshaping how that intent is captured.
Instead of static booking paths, modern direct experiences increasingly interpret user behavior in real time, adapting content, room presentation, and messaging dynamically. According to Bisetto, capturing intent early now means anticipating guest needs before comparison begins and guiding them toward relevant choices while reducing abandonment risk.
Hotels investing in adaptive booking journeys are improving conversion while simultaneously strengthening margin control and customer relationships.
Distribution pressure points hotels cannot ignore
Bisetto highlights that several structural risks remain underestimated by many hotel organizations.
A common issue is the absence of clear ownership for net revenue performance. Without accountability for profitability rather than volume, teams may optimize occupancy while quietly eroding margin.
Channel mix is also frequently driven by volume targets instead of contribution quality, which can produce strong topline performance while masking declining booking profitability.
Applying identical strategies across both direct and intermediated channels further compounds the problem. Direct channels offer journey control, relationship ownership, and pricing flexibility, but these advantages require dedicated KPIs and differentiated strategies.
Margin erosion often occurs without immediate visibility. Many hotels only recognize profitability issues at GOP review stage, which limits their ability to respond proactively.
Bisetto summarizes this mindset shift clearly. He says, "The compass is always profitability. Not more direct bookings at any cost, but more direct only when they are more profitable."
The direct booking advantage: What actually moves the needle
Lowering price is no longer the most effective lever for strengthening direct performance.
Bisetto emphasizes that perceived value now plays a far greater role in conversion. Exclusive benefits, flexibility, upgrades, and bundled services often create stronger differentiation than price alone. When supported by clear messaging and frictionless booking paths, these elements help shift demand toward higher margin channels.
Conversion barriers remain widespread. Slow loading speeds, weak mobile optimization, unclear messaging, and inconsistent brand presentation all contribute to abandonment. Even strong marketing efforts cannot compensate for slow or confusing booking experiences.
Personalization also continues to underdeliver when implemented superficially. Bisetto explains that meaningful conversion improvements occur when personalization is embedded within conversational engagement, CRM intelligence, and adaptive booking flows rather than treated as a standalone feature.
The result is a transition from static personalization toward contextual engagement, where the booking journey evolves alongside guest intent.
The 2026 playbook: Balancing OTAs without losing control
A healthy OTA strategy in 2026 is not about avoidance, but orchestration.
Bisetto stresses that OTAs remain valuable demand generators, particularly for discovery and incremental reach. The strategic objective is ensuring they complement rather than dominate the distribution mix.
Dynamic channel positioning supported by margin awareness allows hotels to maintain controlled pricing corridors between OTA and direct channels. This enables adjustments based on demand conditions, conversion strength, and channel efficiency while protecting profitability.
Channel mix should also reflect brand strength and market positioning. Strong brands may rely more heavily on direct and loyalty demand, while properties with lower brand recognition may require greater OTA reliance but still need clear net cost guardrails.
Control ultimately depends on measurement. Bisetto points to metrics such as NetRevPAR, per channel contribution margin, direct share, and booking quality indicators as the clearest signals of whether a hotel is truly in control of its booking performance.
Key takeaways: The winners of the 2026 booking battle will
Hotels that succeed over the next year will prioritize focused and margin conscious actions.
They will implement advanced revenue strategies supported by forecasting and automation. They will strengthen loyalty through immediate value and benefits that influence booking decisions and reduce volatility. They will use revenue marketing to guide guest choices throughout the booking journey. They will optimize customer interaction through AI supported CRM and conversational engagement. They will invest in adaptive booking experiences that inspire, guide, and convert direct demand.
Equally important is what hotels stop doing.
Treating AI as an isolated add on, applying identical strategies across direct and OTA channels, and evaluating performance through gross revenue alone are increasingly incompatible with margin focused growth.
Bisetto summarizes the winning approach succinctly. He explains that, "The winning strategy is an integrated, data driven ecosystem where AI supports demand capture and conversion, and where direct and OTA channels are managed with distinct profitability rules."
Hotels that achieve this balance will not only grow bookings. They will retain control, strengthen customer relationships, and protect margins in a market where attention is scarce and competition is constant.