TableFlow Hotels

Guides

What Expedia really charges a small hotel

Expedia brings guests a small hotel could never reach alone. It also takes a share of every one of those bookings, and the share is easy to underestimate. Here is how the charge works, where it grows, and how to keep more of it.

Updated November 2026

How much Expedia charges

Expedia’s commission usually runs from 15% to 30% of the booking, often near 20%. These ranges come from published industry guides. Expedia doesn’t publish one rate for every hotel: yours is in your contract and in Partner Central.

Two ways to get paid

Expedia Collect: Expedia charges the guest. You receive the amount due after Expedia’s share later, by virtual card or bank transfer, depending on your account.

Hotel Collect: you charge the guest yourself, then Expedia bills you for its commission.

Either way, work out the commission from the booking amount in your contract, not from what lands in your bank. Taxes, fees and discounts can make the two differ.

Where the charge grows

Expedia’s Accelerator lets you set a higher compensation rate for the dates you choose, in return for a higher place in search results. You pay it when a guest completes a stay in those dates. A better place doesn’t guarantee a booking. A common suggestion is to add a point or two at a time, measure for a few days, and stop when you are full.

What it adds up to in a year

Take a 12-room inn at $160 a night, 65% full, with one night in five booked through Expedia at 20% commission. That is about 570 nights a year through Expedia, worth about $91,100 in room revenue, and about $18,200 in commission. Add Booking.com, and booking sites often become one of a small hotel’s biggest bills.

How to keep more of it

  • Keep Expedia for what it does well: being seen by travellers who don’t know you yet.
  • Give those travellers an easy way to book you direct next time, with your own booking page and a button on your website.
  • Check your Expedia contract before you offer a better price elsewhere.
  • Use Accelerator only when you have rooms to fill, never all year.

How TableFlow Hotels helps

The Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb connection is included in every plan, at no extra charge. Your own booking page and website button take 0% commission, and guest payments go straight to your own Stripe account.

Questions

What percentage does Expedia take from hotels?

Usually 15% to 30% of the booking, often near 20%. Your own rate is in your contract and in Partner Central.

What is the difference between Expedia Collect and Hotel Collect?

With Expedia Collect, Expedia charges the guest and pays you the amount due later. With Hotel Collect, you charge the guest and Expedia then bills you for its commission.

Does Expedia Accelerator cost more?

Yes. You set a higher rate for the dates you choose, and pay it on stays completed in those dates, in return for a higher place in search results.

Do I pay Expedia if I get no bookings?

Expedia says its compensation is paid only when you have bookings. TravelAds is a separate paid ad, charged per click. Your sign-up terms have the details.

Sources

Get started