The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 4 hotels and 2 restaurants, the real economic battle is not the PMS licence but the 15-22% OTA commission taken on every room night. A custom platform at 60,000-115,000 EUR makes direct booking pay, unifies restaurant POS and centralises group reporting. The tipping point arrives once OTA volume exceeds a few hundred thousand euros/year.
Rented PMS vs custom platform: the weight of commissions
Renting a PMS is modest; OTA commissions are what bleed the margin.
| Line item (2026 estimate) | Rented vertical PMS | Custom platform |
|---|---|---|
| Licence 200 rooms, 36 months | ~72,000 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Channel manager | 4,500 EUR/yr | included |
| Restaurant POS (2 sites) | 6,000 EUR/yr | included |
| Initial build | — | 60,000-115,000 EUR |
| Annual maintenance | in licence | 15% of build/yr |
| OTA commissions (indicative) | 15-22% of OTA nights | reducible via direct |
The scope that moves the margin
Each brick targets either an avoided commission or an hour saved.
| Module | Key function | Quantified impact |
|---|---|---|
| Direct booking | Commission-free engine, upsell | -15 to -22% commission |
| Channel manager | OTA sync, rate parity | -1 overbooking/month |
| Restaurant POS | F&B, tables, payment | unified reporting |
| Group reporting | RevPAR, occupancy, F&B | consolidated decisions |
| GDPR | Consent, register, data | compliance assured |
| Maintenance 15%/yr | Fixes, evolutions | continuity |
Mini case study
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Helene, director of a Montreal hotel group (4 hotels, 200 rooms, 3,200,000 EUR lodging revenue), books 62% of revenue via OTAs at ~17% commission, or ~337,000 EUR/year in commissions. Shifting 12 points of volume to direct via the built-in engine avoids about 65,000 EUR/year. Against a 95,000 EUR build, payback lands in under 18 months, before even counting the unified F&B POS.
FAQ
Doesn't a market PMS already do all this? It runs operations, but an optimised direct-booking engine and integrated F&B POS are often costly options or siloed across tools.
How do you really cut OTA commissions? By pushing direct booking: fast engine, member rates, follow-ups. Gaining 10-15 points of direct strongly shifts the margin.
What is the deployment time for a group? Budget 16 to 24 weeks, in batches: PMS and channel manager, then direct engine, then restaurant POS and reporting.
Is the restaurant POS truly integrated? Yes, F&B and lodging share the same platform and reporting, removing manual reconciliations across tools.
What maintenance budget? Maintenance at 15%/yr, roughly 14,000 EUR for a 95,000 EUR build, covers fixes, seasonal evolutions and hosting.
Let's scope your project. Give us your number of hotels, rooms and OTA share, and we frame a scope and budget between 60,000 and 115,000 EUR. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
