Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Housekeeping Management • Room Blocks • Direct Booking

Direct Booking

Term from Hotel Management industry explained for recruiters

Direct booking refers to when guests make hotel reservations directly through the hotel's own channels (like their website or phone line) rather than through third-party booking sites like Expedia or Booking.com. Hotels prefer direct bookings because they don't have to pay commission fees to intermediaries, allowing them to keep more revenue. This approach also helps hotels build better relationships with guests and collect more detailed customer data. In the hotel industry, this is sometimes called "book direct" or "direct reservations."

Examples in Resumes

Increased Direct Booking revenue by 45% through implementation of new website booking engine

Led Direct Bookings initiative resulting in 30% reduction in OTA commission costs

Developed successful Book Direct campaign that improved customer loyalty rates

Managed Direct Reservation systems and trained staff on proper procedures

Typical job title: "Hotel Revenue Managers"

Also try searching for:

Revenue Manager Reservations Manager Hotel Operations Manager Direct Sales Manager Distribution Channel Manager Hotel Sales Manager Booking Manager

Where to Find Hotel Revenue Managers

Professional Organizations

Online Communities

Job Boards

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you develop a direct booking strategy to compete with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)?

Expected Answer: A strong answer should include discussion of loyalty programs, competitive pricing strategies, website optimization, and marketing campaigns that highlight the benefits of booking direct. Should also mention analysis of booking patterns and customer behavior.

Q: How do you measure the success of a direct booking program?

Expected Answer: Should discuss key metrics like direct booking ratio, cost of acquisition, RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room), customer lifetime value, and conversion rates. Should also mention tools and reports used to track these metrics.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What incentives would you offer guests to encourage direct bookings?

Expected Answer: Should mention practical incentives like best rate guarantees, room upgrades, flexible cancellation policies, loyalty points, and exclusive packages available only through direct channels.

Q: How would you handle overbooking situations with direct bookings versus OTA bookings?

Expected Answer: Should explain prioritization strategies, communication approaches with guests, and procedures for managing relationships with both direct bookers and OTA partners.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the main advantages of direct bookings for hotels?

Expected Answer: Should mention basic benefits like reduced commission costs, better guest relationships, access to customer data, and more control over the booking process.

Q: Explain the difference between direct bookings and OTA bookings.

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that direct bookings come through hotel's own channels while OTA bookings come through third-party websites, and understand basic cost implications.