Booking engine vs OTA dependence

Direct bookings avoid OTA commission (often 15–20%) and let you own the guest relationship. Lodgify and Cloudbeds emphasize branded checkout; AppleVision matches that with mobile-first search, real-time availability, and instant confirmation codes.

Best practices we see across successful independents:

• Offer a small perk for direct bookers (breakfast, parking, flexible cancel).
• Keep parity: never undercut OTAs on public rates without a gated promo code.
• Retarget OTA guests with email capture on direct checkout (coming soon).