What the platform fee buys
An OTA brings audience, search infrastructure, merchandising, a conversion-tested interface, payment handling, support workflows, and a recognizable brand. Commission is partly a distribution and technology expense.
Airbnb and Vrbo publish different fee arrangements, so a host should model its actual statements rather than use a generic industry percentage.
The direct cost stack
Direct costs can include website and booking software, card processing, fraud and chargebacks, metasearch or advertising, email and CRM, content, SEO, guest screening, support, and staff time.
Some costs are fixed, some variable, and some are investments that serve every future booking. A direct channel becomes more efficient as qualified repeat and organic demand grows.
Contribution margin by channel
Calculate accommodation revenue plus mandatory property fees, then subtract channel commission, payment costs, discounts, acquisition spend, variable support, and incremental operating costs. Keep taxes and refundable deposits out of revenue.
Compare cancellation behavior, lead time, length of stay, damage outcomes, repeat rate, and support burden—not just gross booking value.
Use OTAs and direct for different jobs
An operator may use OTAs for reach and first-time trust while using its direct site for brand depth, special inventory, repeat guests, longer stays, and markets where organic demand is efficient.
Channel diversification is resilience. The strategic goal is not necessarily to eliminate OTAs; it is to avoid having no alternative source of demand or guest relationship.