A couple stayed with you for a week last year. This year they search for you on Google by name. They find your website and your Booking.com listing, with exactly the same price. They book on Booking.com, because they already have an account there. You pay a commission on a guest who was already yours.
If the price on your site had been a little lower, or the Booking.com price a little higher, quite a few people would decide differently. This is called rates per channel, and a channel manager does it without you changing prices on five extranets.
Am I allowed to be cheaper on my own site?
For properties in the EU, the answer changed in recent years. The European Commission designated Booking.com as a "gatekeeper" under the Digital Markets Act in May 2024. Since 14 November 2024, according to the Commission, Booking.com must allow hotels to offer better prices and conditions on other channels, including their own websites, than on Booking.com.
That does not mean every contract with every channel is the same. Read the terms you have accepted and, if in doubt, ask your accountant or lawyer.
An example with numbers
Say the price you want to collect for a double room in July is €100 a night, and the commission in your Booking.com contract is 15%. The numbers are for the example. Use your own.
- Same price everywhere (€100): from Booking.com you keep €85. From your site, €100.
- Booking.com +15% (€115): from Booking.com you keep about €98. From your site €100, and the guest sees it is cheaper there.
For a 7-night week, the difference between "€85 a night" and "€98 a night" is about €89 per booking. Multiply by your Booking.com bookings in a season.
There is also the reverse approach: the same price on the channels, and a discount only for those who book direct. For the guest the result is the same. The difference is which price goes up and which goes down.
How it is set up in Bookmatrix.com
Rates per channel rest on two things: rate plans, and matching each channel to a rate plan.
- A base rate plan. This is where you enter your rates per season, as you do today. It is the one place you change when prices change.
- A rate plan derived from the base. For example "Booking.com", with a rule such as "+15%" or "+€10" on top of the base. You do not type prices into it: it changes by itself when the base changes.
- Restrictions. This plan can take the minimum stay and the rest from the base plan, or have its own rules.
- Mapping. In the Booking.com connection, which runs through Channex, each Booking.com room and rate is matched to one of your plans. This is where we set with you which plan each channel sees.
Your own booking engine reads the same calendar. Availability is one for every channel. Only the price the guest sees in each place changes.
Promo codes for direct bookings
If you prefer the reverse approach, the booking engine accepts promo codes. You set a percentage or a fixed amount, validity dates, how many times it can be used, a minimum booking value and which room types it applies to.
A code you give guests at check-out, for next year, is a simple way to bring them back direct. More on bringing people to your site in "Bookings from your own website, with zero commission".
Three things to check
- Channel discounts. If you take part in a channel's discount programmes, the discount applies on top of the rate you send. Open the extranet and see the final price the guest sees.
- Round numbers. "+15%" on €87 gives €100.05. If that bothers you, use a fixed amount, for example "+€15".
- Your site must be visible. A lower price only helps if the guest finds your site. Put the booking engine link on Google, on Instagram and in the confirmation email.
For the case for direct bookings in general, see also the article on direct bookings with zero commission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set a different price on Booking.com and on my website?
With two rate plans: a base one for your site and one derived from it by a percentage or amount, connected to Booking.com. You change prices only in the base and the second follows.
Will two rate plans cause double bookings?
No. Rate plans are about price. The room's availability is one and closes on every channel as soon as it sells.
Can I have a different price on Airbnb too?
Yes, the same way: a plan for Airbnb, with its own rule on top of the base.
Do I need to change prices on each channel separately?
No. You change them once in Bookmatrix.com and the rates are sent to every channel within seconds.
Sources
- European Commission: Booking designated as a gatekeeper (13/05/2024)
- European Commission: Booking must comply with the DMA (14/11/2024)
Updated: 14/10/2026. This article is general information. For your contract with each channel and for tax matters, your accountant has the final word.
Want to see how your own rates per channel would work? Start the free 14-day demo at bookmatrix.com/demo. Or tell us which channels you sell on at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. You can also call us at +30 2351 151525.