March 29, 2025
As someone who has worked with small, independent hoteliers my whole career, I've had to watch helplessly as Booking.com and Expedia have tightened their grip on the hotel booking industry. These two giants have become the gatekeepers, controlling access to the vast majority of travelers. And they use that power ruthlessly, demanding the highest commissions possible from the little guys.
It's a classic David and Goliath story - the big corporations flexing their muscle to squeeze every last penny, while we smaller players get shoved aside. Booking.com and Expedia know they have us over a barrel. If we don't agree to their terms and become a "pay to play" hotel, our properties are banished to page 5, 6, or 10, even if our location is prime. And with them controlling almost all of the online booking market, it's practically a death sentence for independent inns and hotels.
It's a constant uphill battle. We have to work twice as hard just to be seen and stand out from the corporate chains that get prime placement due to their millions of marketing dollars. These booking channels are now mixing hotels with private rentals and vacation homes, making it even more difficult for a small, independent inn to be found. It becomes overwhelming for the traveler too! The guest is buried in a pile of transactional data, forgetting about the experience.
I'm not giving up. I know there are travelers out there who crave something different, who want to support small businesses like these independent hotels. We just have to find ways to get in front of them, to show them there's a better alternative to the generic hotel experience. It's an ongoing challenge, but one I'm determined to overcome.
That's why we founded EquationTravel.com, an avenue for travelers to discover unique, locally-owned hotels. Booking.com and Expedia have built an impenetrable duopoly, rigging the system to maximize their own profits and leaving little room for the kind of diversity and competition that would truly benefit consumers. We want to change that, one Equation booking at a time.
At Equation Travel we believe that one caring traveler plus one innkeeper who cares about the local community can equal a ten times greater experience.