How the numbers work
- Commission per booking = average booking value × commission %, plus 18% GST on that commission if ticked.
- Saved a month = commission per booking × direct bookings a month.
- After software cost, a year = (saved a month − software cost a month) × 12.
- Direct bookings to cover the software = software cost ÷ commission per booking.
The defaults are a 3-room homestay: four bookings a month moved to direct, ₹9,000 a booking, 18% commission and InnRow's Homestay plan at ₹999 a month. On InnRow's Free plan (2 rooms), set the software cost to 0.
Where direct bookings come from
Most small properties already get more direct guests than they think: repeat guests, guests who find you on Google Maps and then look you up on a booking site, and friends of past guests. The trick is giving them an easy way to book you directly. A booking page with live availability, linked from your Google Business Profile and Instagram, does that. Read ten ways to get more direct bookings.
Don't try to move everyone. Booking sites bring guests who would never have found you; the aim is to stop paying commission on guests who were already yours.
A worked example
Say a 4-room guest house in Coorg takes 30 bookings a month, 12 of them through booking sites at 18% commission plus GST. If it moves 5 of those to its own booking page, at ₹10,000 a booking:
| Per month | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission saved (5 × ₹2,124) | ₹10,620 | ₹1,27,440 |
| InnRow Homestay plan | ₹999 | ₹11,988 |
| Left over | ₹9,621 | ₹1,15,452 |
Questions about direct bookings
How much commission do booking sites charge in India?
Commonly 15% to 25% of the booking value, plus 18% GST on the commission. Check your own extranet contract. Read OTA commissions in India.
Does InnRow charge commission on direct bookings?
No. InnRow charges a flat monthly or yearly price, or nothing on the Free plan, and takes nothing from your bookings.