A website that merely lists prices
The site features nice rooms and a “Call Us” button. Meanwhile, guests see a different price on Google than on Booking.com because someone updates the price list on the website on Fridays. You won’t win over guests this way. You’ll just convince them that the booking portal is more user-friendly.
The process the guest completes
The website booking system shows availability and prices from the same rate feed that goes to booking portals and Google Hotels. Ellipse Pay processes the payment directly in the booking, without you having to send the guest a link to your account in the notes. You can only apply a promo code to the direct channel; you can’t also share it with a booking portal.
Google gets rates and availability from the integration, not from a manually updated feed. When you change a rate in the system, it doesn’t rely on a week-old cache.
- The price on the website comes from the same rate card as on the portal
- Payment is processed within the booking system; do not use the phrase “we’ll handle the payment via email”
- Google Hotels linked to your rates
- Discount codes only where you don’t pay a commission
Don’t make empty promises
Your direct bookings won’t increase just by turning off the booking portal. They’ll increase if your website is just as clear as the portal and saves you on commission—without confusing your guests.
