The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 4 hotels in Dubai, a multi-property website costs 25,000 to 55,000 EUR (about 27,000 to 60,000 USD) and ships in 4 months. The financial lever is direct booking: moving from 25% to 40% direct sales saves tens of thousands in OTA commissions every year. The budget usually pays back in under 18 months, provided the booking engine and rate strategy keep up.
What a hotel group website costs in 2026
A group website is not four hotel sites stitched together. It needs a shared architecture (parent brand, property pages, cross-property offers), a booking engine connected to each hotel's channel manager, and content in at least three languages for Dubai's international guests (English, Arabic with RTL support, often Russian or German).
| Item | 2026 range (EUR, excl. tax) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-property architecture and UX | 4,000 to 8,000 | Group structure, per-hotel journeys, multi-date search |
| Custom design and brand system | 5,000 to 12,000 | Shared identity, per-property variants |
| Development and CMS | 8,000 to 18,000 | Room, offer, event and gallery templates |
| Booking engine integration | 2,500 to 6,000 | Widget, deep links, conversion tracking |
| Translation and multilingual SEO (3 to 4 languages) | 3,000 to 7,000 | Hreflang, Google Business profile per hotel |
| Photo and video | 2,500 to 4,000 | Shoot per property |
| Total project | 25,000 to 55,000 | Timeline: 4 months |
On top of that comes the booking engine subscription: 150 to 400 EUR per month per hotel, so 7,200 to 19,200 EUR per year for 4 properties. Website maintenance runs 150 to 400 EUR per month depending on the service level.
OTA commissions vs direct booking: the math
OTAs (Booking, Expedia) take 15 to 22% of the room rate. Direct booking has costs too (engine, Google Hotel Ads, metasearch), estimated at 4 to 8% of direct revenue. The gap, around 10 to 15 points, is the margin you win back.
| Metric (4 hotels, 180 rooms) | Before redesign | After 12 to 18 months |
|---|---|---|
| Annual room revenue | 9,000,000 EUR | 9,000,000 EUR |
| Direct booking share | 25% | 40% |
| OTA share | 75% | 60% |
| Average OTA commission | 18% | 18% |
| OTA commissions paid | 1,215,000 EUR | 972,000 EUR |
| Direct distribution cost (6%) | 135,000 EUR | 216,000 EUR |
| Total distribution cost | 1,350,000 EUR | 1,188,000 EUR |
2026 order of magnitude: about 162,000 EUR in annual savings for a group this size. Even with a cautious assumption (33% direct), savings exceed 80,000 EUR per year.
What actually drives direct bookings up
The website alone is not enough. Groups that reach 40% direct combine several technical and commercial levers:
- Smart rate parity: a visible member benefit (free breakfast, upgrade, flexible cancellation) rather than a price cut that breaches OTA contracts.
- A fast mobile engine: 65 to 70% of hotel searches happen on a smartphone; every extra second of load time costs 7 to 10% of conversions.
- Cross-property offers: a guest who finds one hotel full is redirected to another group property instead of leaving for Booking.
- Google Hotel Ads and Google Business profiles kept up to date for each hotel, with the direct booking link.
- CRM and email: re-engaging past guests and seasonal offers (Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo-type events, winter high season).
| Lever | Indicative 2026 cost | Expected effect on direct share |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-optimized booking engine | 150 to 400 EUR/month/hotel | +4 to +6 points |
| Member benefits and loyalty program | 2,000 to 5,000 EUR setup | +3 to +5 points |
| Google Hotel Ads (metasearch) | 10 to 15% of revenue generated | +3 to +4 points |
| Email and CRM | 100 to 300 EUR/month | +2 to +3 points |
| Multilingual local SEO | 800 to 1,500 EUR/month | +1 to +3 points |
Mini case study
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Omar, commercial director of a group of 4 hotels between Downtown Dubai and Jumeirah, generates 6,200,000 EUR in room revenue with 26% direct bookings. He invests 42,000 EUR in a group website plus 4 × 250 EUR per month for the booking engine, or 12,000 EUR per year.
After 14 months, direct share reaches 37%. The 11 points gained represent 682,000 EUR of revenue shifted from OTAs to direct. At 18% commission avoided and 6% direct cost, the net gain is 682,000 × 12% = 81,840 EUR per year. After the engine and maintenance (about 15,000 EUR), the annual gain stays close to 67,000 EUR. The site pays for itself in roughly 8 months of steady-state operation.
FAQ
One site per hotel or one group site?
For 3 or more hotels under one brand, a group site with a section per property costs 30 to 40% less than four separate sites. It also concentrates SEO authority on a single domain.
Which booking engine should we choose?
Market solutions charge 150 to 400 EUR per month per hotel, sometimes with a 1 to 3% commission on sales. The key criterion is native connection to your channel manager and PMS.
Can we show a lower price than Booking on our own site?
Parity rules vary by contract and jurisdiction, and many OTA agreements in the UAE still include rate parity clauses. Most groups prefer exclusive benefits, which are easier to defend commercially.
How long before direct bookings move?
First gains appear within 3 to 6 months, and the 40% target is realistic over 12 to 18 months. Dubai's seasonality means launching before October, ahead of the high season.
What annual budget after launch?
Plan 1,800 to 4,800 EUR per year for maintenance, 7,200 to 19,200 EUR for the engine across 4 hotels, and a variable acquisition budget of 10 to 15% of direct revenue generated through metasearch.
Let's scope your project. Number of hotels, languages, current engine and direct-share target: we price your group website between 25,000 and 55,000 EUR with a 4-month plan. 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.
