OTA - Online Travel Agency

An OTA (Online Travel Agency) is a website that lets you book hotels (and flights, cars, etc.) without going directly to the hotel, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Agoda, Trip.com, and Hotwire are the biggest. Hotels pay these sites a commission of 15-30% on each booking, which is why hotels prefer when you book directly through their own website. For you as a traveler, OTAs offer convenience and comparison: you can see prices across many hotels at once. The trade-off: you usually don't earn loyalty points, your stay may not count for elite status, and complications (changes, cancellations) go through the OTA, not the hotel directly. For special requests, anniversary celebrations, or upgrades, book direct.