If you’ve been in hospitality for a while, you already know this: online travel agencies (OTAs) still dominate. Despite every “book direct” campaign ever launched, over two‑thirds of travelers still start and often finish their searches on platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, or Agoda. OTAs have scale and massive marketing budgets, coupled with algorithms that serve up hotels by price and convenience in seconds.
But in 2026, the landscape is changing fast.
A tectonic shift is underway. Roughly one in three travelers is open to letting AI‑powered travel assistants (things like ChatGPT, Gemini Travel, or the Trip.com AI planner) actually discover hotels for them, and many are willing to let these systems book their stays too. That’s what we call agentic booking behavior, and it’s the next frontier in travel distribution.
In short: you’re not merely competing with OTAs; you’re competing with automated AI decision‑flows that prioritize speed and perceived value, often over brand loyalty.
But let’s focus on the good news:
Despite all the buzz around OTAs and AI bots, guests still prefer direct relationships with hotels when offered a reason to. They want to be recognized, to feel known. They want experiences and perks that feel personal. They want loyalty that pays off. They just haven’t had compelling reasons, or at least ones that outweigh convenience and habit.
So, if your goal for 2026 is to shift meaningful share back to your direct channels and make those bookings stick, you need strategies that are built for this new normal: a hybrid landscape where OTAs, AI assistants and direct channels coexist, but where you win on the things OTAs and AI can’t replicate.
Here are seven tried-and-true strategies to outpace OTAs in 2026.
1. Turn OTA Guests Into Loyal Fans Before They Even Arrive
It sounds obvious, but most hotels treat OTA guests like ghosts: they show up, they stay, then they disappear into the OTA data black box. However, once an OTA guest has booked, you have a brief window to start collecting first‑party data.
That can be as simple as an automated email after booking that asks for preferences (like room type, arrival time, spa needs) and ties it back to an account on your system. Even better: add a sign‑up form for your loyalty program, offering perks next time if they book direct. This strategy focuses on building a relationship that survives after the guest leaves your hotel.
Thanks to that data, you can personalize future messaging in a way that OTAs can’t. Personalized outreach consistently outperforms generic messaging because it speaks to humans and appeals to them emotionally.
2. Make the First Impression Count: Engage Guests Before Check-In
Don’t wait until checkout to start building loyalty. Pre‑arrival engagement lays the foundation for a more emotional connection. A well‑timed email or SMS that welcomes the guest by name, highlights your insider tips for the city, and shares a few curated offers makes guests feel seen.
AI automation allows you to do this at scale: sending relevant messages based on booking data without manual effort. Hotels that deploy pre‑arrival campaigns often see stronger repeat rates, simply because guests arrive feeling connected to the brand.
This tactic does something subtle: it shifts the dynamic from transactional (“I booked a room”) to relational (“You’re part of my story”).
3. Use Post‑Stay Campaigns
Some of your best opportunities to encourage future direct bookings come right after a guest has checked out. That window (generally within 24–48 hours of departure) is when people are still thinking about their trip, feeling grateful, and most receptive to hearing from you.
A post‑stay campaign that thanks the guest and then gently nudges them toward direct booking next time with a compelling offer (including early check‑ins, a unique local experience, or an upgrade) can be a revenue engine in its own right.
In fact, recent research shows that hospitality properties running automated post‑stay campaigns see open rates far above generic email blasts.
4. Have an AI‑Agent & LLM Discoverability Strategy (and Execute it)
AI travel assistants are now a legitimate discovery channel. Whether a traveler uses ChatGPT, Gemini, Siri, or others, these systems crawl public content, structured data, FAQs, reviews, and more to build responses and recommendations. If your hotel doesn’t show up in those outputs, you’re invisible in an increasingly relevant segment of the funnel.
For 2026, some of the key pillars in this strategy include:
- Being active across all digital touchpoints: your site, Google Business Profile, Tripadvisor, OTAs, and review platforms.
- Responding diligently to reviews to signal engagement and freshness.
- SEO‑optimizing your website so that it feeds both traditional search engines and generative AI with structured, intent‑rich answers.
- Adding schema markups, longer form FAQ pages, and experience‑led content that AI agents love.
AI doesn’t read your brand the way a human does. In fact, it only reads text and data structures. If your content is poorly organized or sparse, you might as well be invisible in the AI discovery layer.
5. Offer Instant Perks That OTAs Can’t Match
You don’t necessarily have to undercut OTA pricing to win direct bookings. But, you do need to match their rates, and then layer on something they can’t give.
Free breakfast. Late checkout. Flexible cancellation. Complimentary parking. Spa credits. A welcome drink on arrival. These are tangible extras that don’t devalue your inventory but create a sense of value beyond price.
Sometimes travelers care more about getting a feeling of value than chasing the lowest price. When you package perks intelligently, you take price out of the equation and put experience in its place.
6. Turn Casual Visitors Into Direct Bookers With AI Agents
If you aren’t using AI Agents on your website (and beyond) you’re leaving conversions on the table.
Hotels can’t rely on limited-response bots that only answer generic questions to engage modern travelers. Today’s AI Agents can actually complete bookings, handle complex queries, compare room types, upsell and cross-sell, and move travelers down the funnel faster than any human responder could. They reduce friction and eliminate waiting times.
But it’s not just about having an AI chatbot on your site. The real opportunity is having an AI booking agent that integrates with your PMS and booking engine and represents your brand intelligently. Beyond answering questions, these agents convert intent into action across every touchpoint.
Related read: 7 Ways TrustYou AI Agents Help Hotels Reduce Operational Costs
7. Leverage Social Proof and Guest Reviews
If pricing and convenience are the table stakes, social proof can be the ace up your sleeve.
Modern travelers turn to reviews as a key decision-making tool. Data shows a large majority check between half a dozen to over a dozen reviews before booking. Nowadays, positive reviews build confidence and reduce perceived risk while creating intentionality. When visitors see real stories from real guests woven into your brand narrative, they begin to trust you.
More importantly, reviews give your SEO and AI discoverability strategy fuel. They provide fresh, structured content that search engines love and that AI agents use for recommendations.
Respond to reviews promptly. Feature them boldly. Use guest stories to differentiate your experience.
Final Thoughts: The 2026 Landscape
The travel world in 2026 is not the travel world of five years ago. OTAs are still powerful, but they’re no longer the only players that matter. AI assistants are poised to reshape discovery and booking behavior, and traveler expectations around personalization, value, and experience are higher than ever.
But even as technology shifts, the core truth remains: guests want relationships, not transactions. They want experiences that feel personal. They want to be recognized and rewarded for loyalty. Your direct booking strategy should meet them there.
Of course, OTAs will continue to be part of your distribution mix (no savvy hotel would ever walk away from their reach). But you can take control of the guest journey in ways that matter: data, relationships, experiences, and value that OTAs simply can’t replicate.
If you build your direct channels with empathy, automation, discoverability, and real value, you’re winning bookings and building loyalty at the same time. And that’s how you win the long game.
If you’re curious to see how AI can help modernize your hotel operations, saving time, optimizing resources, and driving more direct bookings and higher revenue, book a demo with us today.
