Online travel agencies typically take 3% to 25% of a booking, depending on the platform and plan. On a €100 reservation, that usually means you keep somewhere between €84 and €97 after commission, and often less once guest-facing fees, payment processing and taxes are layered in.
Those numbers move with your market, your plan and how fees are split between you and the guest. Below are the widely-cited typical ranges, with the math made plain.
How much commission do OTAs charge?
Each platform structures its fees differently, so a single percentage rarely tells the whole story. There are three common models:
- Host-only commission. The platform deducts one percentage from your payout and the guest sees no separate service fee. This is Booking.com’s standard model and one of Airbnb’s options.
- Split fee. The platform charges the host a smaller percentage and adds a separate service fee on top of the guest’s total. This is Airbnb’s most common setup.
- Subscription or per-booking. Some platforms offer a yearly fee instead of per-booking commission, which can suit very high-volume listings.
The headline rate is only part of the picture. Payment processing, currency conversion and the guest fee (which raises the price travellers see) all affect how competitive and profitable a listing really is.
Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo compared
The table below uses typical industry ranges. Treat them as estimates: actual rates vary by country, property type, cancellation policy and the plan you choose.
| OTA | Typical commission / fees | What the host keeps on a €100 booking |
|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | ~15% commission (often 10–25% by market) | ~€85 |
| Airbnb (split fee) | ~3% host fee + a guest-side service fee | ~€97 |
| Airbnb (host-only) | ~15% host fee, no guest fee | ~€85 |
| Vrbo | ~5–8% commission + ~3% payment processing | ~€89–92 |
A few things worth noting:
- Booking.com commission is highly market-dependent and rises with optional visibility programs that boost ranking.
- Airbnb’s low 3% host fee looks cheap, but the guest pays extra, which can make your listing appear pricier than a direct rate.
- Vrbo’s commission is lower, but payment processing and a guest service fee still apply, so the effective cost is higher than the headline 5–8%.
What do you actually keep on a €100 booking?
After the platform takes its cut, a €100 booking commonly nets a host €85 to €97 before tax. The exact figure depends on three things:
- The commission rate for your plan and market.
- Payment processing, typically around 3% where it applies.
- Whether the guest fee is inflating the price travellers compare against.
The hidden cost is not just the percentage. Every booking that arrives through an OTA belongs, in a sense, to the OTA: you rarely get the guest’s real email, you cannot easily market to them again, and the next stay starts the commission clock over. You are renting access to the same guest twice.
How direct bookings change the math
A direct booking keeps the commission you would otherwise hand to an OTA, and it gives you the guest relationship outright, their contact details, the chance to follow up, and a repeat stay with no platform in the middle.
That is what The Booking Widget is built for. You embed it on your own website, it connects to your existing PMS or channel manager to sync availability and pricing, and guests book directly with you. It is free to use, and we take only a small commission when you actually get paid, no monthly fee, no charge for a booking that never happens.
It also captures a guest’s booking intent the moment they start, so you can see and recover the bookings that would otherwise slip away, and it keeps your booking pages clean and structured so Google and AI answer engines can find you.
Key takeaways
- OTAs typically take 3–25% of a booking; on €100 you usually keep €85–€97.
- Booking.com sits around 15% (10–25% by market); Airbnb is ~3% host fee plus a guest fee, or ~15% host-only; Vrbo is ~5–8% plus ~3% processing.
- These are typical ranges and vary by market, property and plan.
- Direct bookings let you keep more per stay and own the guest relationship.
Every channel has its place, but the more bookings you bring in directly, the more of each €100 stays with you.