OTA (online travel agency)

An OTA (online travel agency) is a platform that lists your property, handles the search and booking flow, and sends you the reservation. Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo and Expedia are the big four in short-term rentals.

OTAs put your listing in front of millions of travellers, and they charge a commission for it, commonly 15% to 25% per booking. Most hosts treat them as a distribution channel rather than the whole strategy: list on the OTAs that matter in your market, keep them in sync with a channel manager, and grow direct bookings alongside them.