Repeat guests and direct bookings: why remembering guests pays

By Logan Gatch, Co-founder and CEO, Nown. Last updated October 2026.

Repeat guests are among a hotel's most valuable relationships, and they are more likely to book direct. What brings them back is the feeling of being known, which depends on the hotel remembering what matters to them and, just as importantly, what does not.

In short

Direct bookings were 51.3% of European hotel overnights in 2025, and online travel agencies 29.9%.

Guests who book direct appear far more likely to return.

Most unhappy guests do not complain. They simply do not come back.

Recognition, including remembering dislikes, is what turns a first stay into a second.

How do European hotels get their bookings today?

According to HOTREC's European Hotel Distribution Study 2026, direct bookings accounted for 51.3% of hotel overnights in 2025, and online travel agencies for 29.9% (HOTREC). Both figures are weighted European estimates that exclude chain data.

The OTA share has grown from 19.7% in 2013 and has held at around 30% in recent studies. Online travel agencies remain an important way for new guests to discover a hotel, and each booking they bring carries a commission.

Why are repeat guests so valuable?

A returning guest already knows the hotel. They do not need to be found again through paid channels, and they are more likely to book directly.

One analysis of more than two million guests at European hotel groups, published by the guest data company Bookboost, found that guests who booked direct returned at around four times the rate of guests who booked through an OTA: 5.1% compared with 1.3% (eHotelier). The figures come from a single company's data, so they are best read as a signal rather than a benchmark. The direction matches what most hoteliers see.

Guests at independent hotels say the same. In a 2025 survey of 350 travellers who regularly stay at independent properties, 66% said they prefer to book directly (TakeUp).

Why do guests not come back?

Ask an owner who has run a hotel for decades, and you will often hear the same thing: guests rarely tell you what they want, and they rarely complain. When something crosses a line, they simply do not return.

The reasons are usually small:

The welcome amenity they never touch appears again.
The room is next to the lift, again.
They have to repeat their allergy at every meal.
Nobody mentions the anniversary they wrote about when they booked.

Each one tells the guest that the hotel has not been paying attention. Together, they are enough to send a guest elsewhere next time.

What brings a guest back?

Location, product and price all matter. In luxury hospitality, recognition matters too. A guest who is greeted by name and finds the bed made the way they like it has a reason to return that a lower rate elsewhere cannot easily match.

The same survey found that 95% of travellers who regularly stay at independent hotels would be more likely to book one that offered personalised recommendations or offers.

Recognition is also where many hotels fall short. In Medallia's research with 1,749 hotel guests, only 23% said they experienced high levels of personalisation after a recent stay (Medallia).

Is retention more valuable than marketing?

For many luxury hotels, yes. Marketing brings a guest in once. Keeping that guest coming back, booking directly and recommending the hotel to friends is where the value compounds.

That makes the guest experience on the second, third and tenth stay as important as the first impression. Each stay is a chance to learn something more about the guest and to show that the hotel remembered it.

Guest recognition also works alongside a loyalty programme, with no need to compete with it, and gives guests a reason to return that goes beyond points.

Why is recognition hard to deliver?

The information needed to recognise a guest usually exists. It is spread across the reservation system, emails, staff notes and the memory of whoever served them last. When that person is on another shift or has left the hotel, the guest is treated as a stranger.

This matters most for the guests a hotel most wants to keep: the ones who have stayed before, booked direct and would come back if they felt known.

What can hotels do?

Keep what you learn, including dislikes. Record preferences, dislikes and occasions where every team can see them, with a note of how strongly the guest feels.
Prepare before arrival. Brief each team on returning guests ahead of check-in, so recognition starts at the door.
Ask, then remember. Invite guests to share preferences before their stay, and do not ask again next time.
Get the welcome amenity right. Replace the default with what each returning guest actually wants, or nothing at all.
Make the direct relationship worth having. Guests who book direct should feel the difference in how well they are known.

Frequently asked questions

Why do direct bookings matter to hotels?

Direct bookings carry no OTA commission and give the hotel a direct relationship with the guest, which makes it easier to learn their preferences and welcome them back.

What percentage of hotel bookings are direct in Europe?

HOTREC's 2026 study estimates that 51.3% of European hotel overnights in 2025 were booked direct, and 29.9% through online travel agencies.

What is the best way to increase repeat guests?

Make each stay feel personal by remembering what guests like and dislike, preparing before they arrive, and never asking them to repeat themselves.