What it means in practice
Disintermediation is the removal of intermediaries, such as OTAs, from the booking chain so a travel brand reaches and sells to travellers directly. For hotels and operators it shifts demand away from third-party channels and back to owned websites, apps, and contact centres, where the brand controls the guest relationship and the margin.
The main driver is cost: every third-party booking carries OTA commission, so pushing volume to a direct booking channel keeps more revenue per stay. The trade-off is reach, since intermediaries supply demand a brand cannot always replace on its own, which is the heart of the direct booking vs OTA decision.
Disintermediation does not mean cutting all partners. A travel brand running its own affiliate program keeps a controlled, performance-based channel that drives direct bookings on the brand site, capturing partner-sourced demand without paying full third-party rates.
How Track360 handles this
Track360 supports a disintermediation strategy by powering an owned affiliate and referral channel, so a travel brand can win partner-sourced bookings on its own site, attribute them accurately, and pay on performance instead of full third-party rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about disintermediation, how it works in affiliate programs, and where it shows up across Track360's supported verticals.
Disintermediation in travel is the removal of intermediaries such as OTAs from the booking chain so a hotel or operator sells directly to travellers. Disintermediation shifts demand away from third-party channels and back to owned websites, apps, and contact centres, where the brand controls the guest relationship.
Related Terms
Direct Booking
A direct booking is a reservation made directly with the travel brand rather than through an OTA intermediary, avoiding OTA commission.
OTA (Online Travel Agency)
An OTA, or online travel agency, is a website that sells hotel, flight, tour, and car-rental inventory from many suppliers inside a single booking flow.
OTA Commission
OTA commission is the percentage an online travel agency charges a hotel or operator for each booking it brings, typically 15 to 25 percent.
Direct Booking vs OTA
Direct booking vs OTA is the trade-off between selling rooms through a brand's own channels versus paying an OTA commission for distribution.
Rate Parity
Rate parity is a pricing policy where a hotel publishes the same room rate across all channels, including OTAs and its own direct site.
Travel Affiliate Program
A travel affiliate program is a partnership program where a travel brand pays affiliates and creators a commission for the bookings they drive to its site.
Continue Learning
Free structured courses that cover this topic and more.
How to Migrate an Affiliate Program Without Breaking Attribution
A practical migration plan for operators moving from an existing affiliate or IB system. Map your stack, protect attribution, preserve payout logic, and move to a new setup without creating reporting chaos.
How to Structure Affiliate Commissions
CPA, RevShare, hybrid models, KPI-based deals, and multi-tier payout logic. How to pick the right structure for your program, negotiate without losing margin, and adjust as your affiliate base grows.
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Further reading on disintermediation and related affiliate program topics.
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