OTAC pushes hotel cooperation as an alternative to OTA dependence

A new episode of 10 Minutes Hotels spotlights OTAC and Medialog as they argue hotels can win more bookings by diversifying distribution beyond Booking and Expedia. The discussion also details a collaborative booking model that lets nearby hotels reroute guests in real time and keep more value within the sector.

Why it matters: - Hotels are under pressure to reduce reliance on major online travel agencies and find booking sources that better fit their property, market and margins. - OTAC is pitching a cooperative model that can keep bookings inside the hotel ecosystem while helping properties capture demand they might otherwise lose. - The discussion gives hotel operators a practical framework for deciding which sales channels are worth the time and effort.

What happened: - The podcast 10 Minutes Hotels featured Cyrille Bellefaix, manager of Medialog, and Thomas Myszkowski, head of commercialization at OTAC. - The episode focused on how hotels can rethink distribution and identify new commercial opportunities beyond Booking, Expedia and other large platforms. - The conversation highlighted OTAC’s guide, 137 façons de vendre votre hôtel sans dépendre des OTA, which was recently published. - The episode also introduced OTAC, Medialog’s collaborative booking solution. - The full episode and guide are available here.

The details: - OTAC and its research process identified nearly 270 potential booking paths before narrowing the list to 137 solutions. - Those 137 options are grouped into 21 channel families. - The guide breaks down each channel by target customer base, access conditions, business model and main risks. - The goal is to help hotels choose partners that can generate incremental demand, rather than simply adding more intermediaries. - The channel list includes niche markets, business travelers, GDS, institutional buyers, local events and relocation demand. - Thomas Myszkowski said hotels should first understand their territory, local businesses, tourist activity, property strengths and desired guest profiles before adding new channels. - Cyrille Bellefaix said major platforms have helped hotel visibility, but other sources of guests can be closer and more recurring. - OTAC’s model connects participating hotels through their PMS systems. - The platform shows nearby hotels’ availability and rates in real time. - If one hotel is full or cannot meet a guest’s room request, the hotel can direct the traveler to a nearby property with the right inventory. - The referring hotel earns compensation, and the receiving hotel gets a direct booking from another hotelier. - OTAC says the approach keeps more value within the hotel sector. - OTAC says the network includes 1,500 hotels in France, including about 800 in Paris intra-muros. - OTAC plans to gradually open the system to hotels using other PMS platforms. - OTAC does not require a subscription and uses a commission model capped at 10% paid by the hotel that receives the booking.

Between the lines: - The message is not to abandon OTA channels, but to stop treating them as the only realistic path to demand. - OTAC is positioning cooperation between competing hotels as a way to turn lost bookings into retained revenue. - The guide and podcast also signal a broader shift toward more granular, property-specific distribution strategies.

What's next: - Hotel directors and owners are being encouraged to review their current distribution mix and test channels that match their local market. - OTAC’s broader rollout beyond its current PMS base could expand the usefulness of the network if adoption grows. - The company is framing the podcast and guide as tools to help hotels move from theory to execution.

The bottom line: - OTAC is betting that hotels can win more business by cooperating with each other, not just competing for visibility on the biggest OTA platforms.