Why I run Innforge.

The relative who ran the hotel asked me a question.

What does a guest cost to bring in? We were going over the money one day. Then he gave me the number. 20% of every booking.

I stared at him for a few seconds. One fifth of our money went to someone else. For an intro. To a guest we had already won.

300€ in ads filled 50% of the hotel.

Years later, I had moved away. I was learning digital marketing. That relative still ran the hotel. We put 300€ into a test. He called a few days later. He said: "I spent 300€ on ads and filled half the hotel."

That is the moment Innforge began. Before it had a name.

The first system I built for a client turned 500€ of ads into 10.000€ in direct bookings. Mid-season.

The booking sites sell price. You sell the stay.

That is the whole fight. A site wants your room to look like every other room. Sorted by price. So the guest picks the cheapest one. And the site gets paid either way. Your job is the opposite. Why a guest loves your hotel has nothing to do with a price list.

So the sites are not evil. They are just not built for you. They take 18 to 25%. And they keep the guest's details. Fine as a shop window. Bad as your whole business. If price is their game, your reason to book direct cannot be a lower price. It has to be a better offer.

Most hotels think they have a direct booking problem. They have an offer problem.

The questions I would ask you.

This company began with a question. So it is only fair to give you three.

How many of last summer's guests could you reach tonight? By name. Without paying a site to reach them again?

When a guest compares you in those open tabs, what do they find on your site? Do they find what the sites are not already showing cheaper?

And if the fee goes up again next season, what is your plan?

If the answers are none, nothing, and pay it, your hotel is not short on marketing. It is renting its own guests.

You already knew that. You just need to see where it leaks.