💸OTA vs direct booking: which is really cheaper in Copenhagen
In one tab, there is a familiar OTA with ‘12% off today + cashback’, in another, there is a hotel website promising ‘the best price for direct bookings’ and a ‘night + Tivoli’ package. Where is it cheaper in the end? In Copenhagen, the answer almost always comes down to the details: what exactly is included, what are the cancellation conditions, does the chain offer packages/bonuses, and can you combine benefits (OTA cashback + card + coupons) without losing flexibility.
🧭 What is an OTA and how does it affect the price
OTA (online travel agency) — an online intermediary between the hotel and the guest. The OTA receives a commission from the booking; in return, it provides a convenient search, filters, reviews, ‘secret’ prices, cashback/loyalty programmes and sometimes flexible cancellation tools.
Strengths of OTAs:
- 🔍 wide selection and comparison ‘in a second’;
- 💸 stacking benefits: OTA promo code + cashback/points + card/bank refund;
- 📲 “mobile”/‘member’ prices for specific dates;
- 🧾 quick ‘flight + hotel’ packages (not always, but sometimes profitable).
Weaknesses of OTAs:
- 🥐 basic rates often without breakfast/with stricter conditions;
- 🧩 nuances with special requests (connecting rooms, ‘quiet side’): the hotel is more willing to help ‘its own’ direct guests;
- 🔁 changes/refunds during peak periods may take longer through an intermediary.
🏨 What is a direct booking (hotel/chain website)
Chains and independent hotels in Denmark actively promote direct bookings: Best Price Guarantee (price parity with protection), perks (late check-out, drinks, upgrades if available), packages.
The following are particularly important for Copenhagen:
- Packages from local chains (example — Arp-Hansen group):
- ‘Tivoli package’ (night + admission to Tivoli + usually breakfast) for the light season/summer months;
- ‘All Inclusive’ (overnight stay + dinner at a partner restaurant/chain + drinks according to the terms and conditions).
- Such offers are often cheaper than the sum of their parts, especially on weekdays and during the shoulder season.
- Best price guarantees from chains (and some boutique brands): valid when conditions match exactly (dates, room type, rate, meals, currency, cancellation policy), sometimes with a small ‘bonus’ (additional discount/perks upon successful application).
⚖️ Comparing apples with apples
- Category and basic amenities: same room type, with/without breakfast, same cancellation policy (non-refundable/flexible), same currency/taxes included.
- Financial benefits:
- OTA → cashback/points/coupon + 1–2% card refund;
- Direct → breakfast for everyone, late check-out, welcome drink, package (Tivoli/dinner).
- Service/risk: whoever responds to the request faster (cradle/connecting/“quiet courtyard”), whoever makes it easier to get a refund when changing dates.
- Summer nuances: in July-August, A/C and the ‘quiet side’ are important — a direct guest is more likely to be given priority in the allocation of rooms.
📊 OTA vs Direct — summary table
| What to compare | OTA | Direct with hotel/chain |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate | Often lower “on screen” thanks to promos/coupons | Matched or lower with Best Price Guarantee |
| Breakfast | Often extra | Often included / easier with a “room + breakfast” package |
| Packages (e.g., Tivoli, all‑inclusive) | Rare or pricier | Often good value, especially on weekdays & shoulder season |
| Cashback/points | Yes (via OTA) + card/bank cashback | Sometimes chain points/perks (late checkout, welcome drink) |
| Cancellation terms | Flexible options exist, not always the best | Often more flexible/transparent by date |
| Special requests | Through an intermediary | Direct contact; higher chance of upgrade / quiet side |
| Summer (A/C, noise) | Cheaper, but risk of stricter/advance rates | Slightly higher, but easier to “negotiate” room location |
Outcomes vary by hotel/date; use this as a planning guide.
🧮 ‘Who is more profitable for me’ calculator
Enter the base rates and add the ‘value’ of the included options — the calculator will calculate the effective cost per night.
🛒 OTA
🏨 Direct with the hotel
📌 Result per night
🎢 Package deals from hotel chains: when ‘hotel + experiences’ is actually cheaper
- ‘Tivoli package’ from city hotel chains (e.g. Arp-Hansen): overnight stay + admission to Tivoli (sometimes with additional options) + breakfast.
- When it is advantageous: weekdays, March–May and September–November, as well as December weekdays between ‘Christmas weekends’. In summer, on Fridays/Saturdays, the price increases and the advantage decreases.
- ‘All Inclusive’: overnight stay + dinner (fixed menu/credit in the restaurant) + drinks according to the terms + breakfast.
- When it is advantageous: when you are planning to have dinner in the hotel area anyway and like ‘no surprises’ in terms of budget. On rainy/winter days, it is also convenient logistically.
Tip: estimate the ‘value’ of the package using the calculator above — especially if breakfast is listed separately on the OTA and you would buy tickets/dinner anyway.
🧷 ‘Best price when booking directly’: what to look for in the rules
- Identical conditions: dates, category, meals, currency, cancellation policy, number of guests, type, etc. are the same.
- Exceptions: many chains do not take into account promo codes, mobile ‘secret’ prices, and closed OTA club rates.
- Application deadline: for some, within 24-48 hours after booking; take a screenshot of the terms and conditions so that your application is accepted.
- Compensation: reduce to the price found or give an additional discount/perks (late check-out/drink/points) — depends on the chain.
- Important: in Denmark, the final price usually already includes VAT; compare the ‘total to pay’ at the last step, not just the ‘price per night’.
✅ Best Price Guarantee checklist
✅ Before submitting a “Best Price” claim, make sure that:
- The room type matches (including view/bed/size) and the rate composition is the same (with/without breakfast).
- The same cancellation rules, currency and dates apply (no hidden “+1 night” in the cart).
- The price you found is not a “closed” rate (mobile/club OTA rate or promo code).
- You have screenshots showing the final “total” price, time/date, and booking step.
- You are within the submission deadline (often 24–48 hours after booking on the hotel’s website).
🧩 What else does the choice of channel influence?
- Contact and care: direct guests are more likely to receive priority when allocating rooms (floor, quiet side, cot, early check-in).
- Summer and heat: if you need confirmed A/C, a boutique in a historic building, and a ‘quiet’ building — the direct channel will be easier to fix the details.
- Complex trips: connecting blocks or several rooms ‘next to each other’ are easier to confirm directly.
- Flexibility: OTAs also offer flexible cancellations, but ‘fine-tuning’ dates and categories is usually easier and faster through a direct channel.
- Final arithmetic: on weekdays, packages + perks at hotels often outperform OTAs; in a ‘dry’ price duel without breakfast and bonuses, OTAs with stacking are often ahead.
🧾 Summary (in short, in essence)
- OTAs are more profitable when: you book a bare rate without breakfast/packages, know how to combine cashback + coupon + card, don't need complex requests, and your dates don't coincide with peak times (Distortion/Pride, July weekends).
- Direct is more profitable when: perks are important to you (breakfast for everyone, late check-out, room priority), there is a package (Tivoli/dinner) or you want Best Price Guarantee; it works especially well on weekdays and during shoulder seasons.
- Always compare the ‘total’ under the same conditions and scroll through the calculator above. A hybrid tactic is often optimal: check the price on the OTA, check the direct price in a minute, and take the best ‘effective cheque’, not just the ‘lowest number on the screen’.
❓FAQ
💡 In most cases, no: the best price guarantee applies only to direct bookings. Here's how it works: keep the OTA option on a refundable rate (if available), book directly at the same time, and request a ‘match’. Once confirmed, cancel the OTA. Perks (late check-out, room priority) are usually only given to direct guests.
💡 Evaluate the bonuses in monetary terms and convert them to cost per night: Breakfast in Copenhagen: budget buffet ~95–135 DKK/adult, mid-range ~165–225 DKK, boutique ~225–325 DKK. For two people, this easily adds +190–450 DKK to the ‘bare’ OTA rate. Late check-out usually ‘costs’ ~150–300 DKK in value (savings on luggage storage/taxi/comfort time). If OTA cashback (say, 8–10%) gives less benefit than the sum of these inclusions, the direct rate is more effective, even if it is more expensive ‘up front’.
💡 Check three things: The total in DKK with the same composition (breakfast/cancellation). Conversion and ‘dynamic’ currency on OTAs sometimes eat up the difference, bank currency fees (1–3%) — these are often forgotten, taxes/fees and charges for linen/towels in hostels (if this is your case). The final figure should be ‘apple to apple’.
💡 OTAs will pass on your requests, but guarantees are rare. If this is critical (family, child), book directly and confirm your request in writing (category with ‘connecting’, check-in time, priority ‘courtyard’). Direct guests get these requests sorted out noticeably faster.
💡 In practice, hotels often prioritise direct guests: they offer alternatives/upgrades/transfers faster. OTA resolves the situation, but usually through additional coordination with the platform, which takes more time.
💡 Yes, if the cashback from your bank card/loyalty programme for direct payment is combined with a “direct” package (e.g., ‘hotel + Tivoli’ or ‘night + dinner’). Cashback/OTA points with a direct package cannot be combined because the purchase is not made through the platform.
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