The base commission
Booking doesn't charge you for being listed: it charges a percentage of each booking that comes through the platform. That percentage isn't the same for everyone. It varies by country, area and type of property, and it's set in your contract. The figure most often heard in the trade is around 15%, but yours may be different.
Commission is calculated on what the guest pays for the stay. And it's also charged on non-refundable bookings even if the guest doesn't show up.
What gets added
The base commission is the floor. On top there are programmes Booking offers for more visibility, and they're almost always paid for with more commission or with discounts. None is mandatory, but many properties switch them on without doing the maths.
The best known is Preferred Partner: you pay a higher percentage and in exchange you show up with a thumbs-up and higher in the results. In April 2026 Italy's competition authority opened an investigation into this programme, because highlighted properties would be chosen more for the commission they pay than for their quality. Booking says the programmes are optional and comply with the law.
| What | How it works | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Base commission | A percentage of each booking, which varies by country, area and contract | It's in your contract |
| Preferred Partner | You pay more commission in exchange for a badge and better placement in results | You, it's optional |
| Payments by Booking | If Booking charges the guest for you, a processing fee is added | You, where available |
| Genius | Discounts for Booking's frequent customers, which come out of your price | You, it's optional |
Where to see your number
Your rate is in the Booking extranet, in the finance section, and in the contract you accepted when you listed. If guests pay you at the property, Booking sends you an invoice at the start of each month with the previous month's bookings and the commission on each one. It's all there.
Do the maths for the year
Add up what you billed through Booking last season and multiply it by your real rate, programmes included. An example to make it clear: if you sold the equivalent of USD 20,000 through Booking at 15% commission, you paid it USD 3,000. At 18% it would be USD 3,600.
Now think how many of those bookings were people who already knew you, who were coming back, or who found you on Google and ended up booking on Booking because your website didn't make booking easy. That's the part you can win back.
Booking as a complement
The idea isn't to leave Booking. It helps people who don't know you find you. The problem is when it's the only thing filling the hotel, because then commission stops being a sales cost and becomes a partner taking part of the profit every month.
What changes the maths is your own website: one that loads fast, shows up on Google and makes booking easy. Every booking that comes through it is a commission you don't pay and a guest who stays yours. If you'd like to know how much you could win back, we'll do a free diagnosis.