Short answerSmall hotels, guesthouses and holiday homes in the UAE often get their first bookings through portals, which take a commission on every night. Their own website should win the guests who already know them: returning guests, local guests and people who search the hotel's name. That needs current rooms and rates, a booking request on WhatsApp or e-mail, offers with an end date and, for Dubai holiday homes, the DET permit number.
A couple stayed at your guesthouse last winter and liked it. This year they search your name. The first result is a portal listing with your photos and the portal's price. They book there, and you pay commission on guests you had already won.
Where the commission goes
Booking portals are useful. They bring guests from places your name will never reach on its own. The cost is a commission on every booking, including the ones from people who would have come to you anyway. For a small hotel, those returning and local guests are the part worth winning back.
The calculator on our hotels page shows what a small shift to direct bookings means with your own numbers: nights per month, average rate and commission.
Why guests book on the portal anyway
- Your own website is hard to find, or the portal ranks above it for your own name.
- Your website shows no rates, so the portal is the only place with a price.
- Booking directly looks like more work than two taps in an app.
- Your offers are out of date, so the portal's price looks better.
Each of these can be fixed without a booking engine.
What a small hotel website needs
- Rooms with real photos and “from” prices, updated from your phone when rates change.
- A booking request that takes a minute. Dates, room type and number of guests, sent to your WhatsApp or e-mail. If you already use a booking engine or channel manager, link it from every room.
- Offers with an end date. Summer deals, long stays, Ramadan iftar packages. They appear on the website and disappear by themselves.
- Your phone number and location in plain sight, so a guest who searches your name can reach you in one tap.
- English and Arabic if part of your guests read Arabic first, and other languages your guests speak.
- What is included. Breakfast, parking, airport pick-up, late checkout. Otherwise these questions fill your WhatsApp.
Holiday homes in Dubai: show the permit
Holiday homes in Dubai are registered with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), and each unit gets a holiday home permit number. Airbnb asks Dubai hosts to add that number to their listing. Showing the same number on your own website tells guests the home is licensed, which matters when you ask them to book outside a portal.
This week
- Search your hotel's name on a phone and note whether your own website or a portal comes first.
- Give guests a reason to book directly, such as breakfast or late checkout, where your portal contracts allow it.
- Add a WhatsApp button to every room.
- Ask returning guests to book directly next time, and make that easy.
Questions
How much does a website for a hotel or guesthouse in Dubai cost?
At MM², AED 2,500 setup and AED 449 a month on the Medium plan, or AED 5,000 setup and AED 799 a month on the Premium plan. Hosting, the domain and one small change a month are included.
Do I need a booking engine to take direct bookings?
No. Guests can send a request with dates and room type that you confirm on WhatsApp or by e-mail. If you already use a booking engine or channel manager, the website links to it from every room.
Should a small hotel leave the booking portals?
No. Portals bring guests who do not know you yet. Your own website wins the guests who already do, so fewer of them cost a commission.
Do holiday homes in Dubai need a permit number on their listings?
Holiday homes in Dubai are registered with the Department of Economy and Tourism, which issues a holiday home permit number per unit. Platforms such as Airbnb ask hosts to add it to their listings. Check the current rules with DET.