Research reveals: OTA platforms offer lower prices than hotels in 75% searches
The World Parity Monitor's half-yearly report shows the extent of price pressure on the direct hotel sales channel.
In three out of four accommodation searches, at least one OTA (online travel agent) displays a lower price than the hotel's official website – a new report shows H1 World Parity Monitor 2025, which was published by the price comparison tool 123Compare.me.
Analysing data from the first six months of 2025, the report shows that in 33.1% of cases OTAs directly undercut hotel prices, while hotels managed to outperform OTA offers in 45.1% of cases. In only 22.1% of searches were prices in full parity.
But when you consider all the available offers for the same room type – on average more than 20 per search – the picture changes further. In as many as 75% cases, at least one OTA has a more favourable price than the hotel's official website.
Mobile devices are worsening the disparity
The problem is even more pronounced on mobile devices – OTA offers lower prices in 38% cases, whereas on desktop it's 31%. The reason? Faster decision-making, exclusive discounts and an optimised user experience make mobile search more sensitive to hotels.
Disparities due to loss of control
Roberto Gobo, digital strategy director at Valamar, points out that disparities often arise when hotels do not control the payment process.
“When an OTA processes a transaction, the hotel loses insight into the final price,” explains Gobo. “Secondary OTA resellers are particularly problematic, as they use poorly monitored distribution networks to offer unauthorised discounts.”
Early booking and family trips benefit hotels
Despite the pressure, the direct channel is showing strength in certain segments – particularly when it comes to early bookings, longer stays, and family trips. Hotels achieve the best results when bookings are made six to nine months in advance.
Jordi Serra, CEO of 123Compare.me, says:
“This report helps hoteliers better understand where and when they lose control over prices. It's important to know which OTA platforms, which timeframes, and which target audiences most disrupt parity. With these insights, hotels can manage distribution more intelligently and strengthen their direct channel.”
Source: India Outbound
