The verdict in three sentences
A Dubai hotel group website with a direct booking engine costs between 120,000 and 350,000 MAD (equivalent) in 2026, delivered in 8 to 12 weeks. The economic stake is clear: each direct booking avoids 15 to 25 % OTA commission (Booking, Expedia). A well-built setup (multilingual EN/FR/AR, attractive direct rates, secure payment) targets +20 % direct bookings from the first year.
Cost of the site and booking engine
A hotel group sells high-margin room nights: the site must maximise the share of intermediary-free bookings. The budget depends on the number of properties and the depth of the engine.
| Package | 2026 price (MAD equiv.) | Timeline | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single property | 120,000 - 170,000 | 8 wks | Site + engine, 1 hotel, EN/FR |
| Group of 2-4 hotels | 180,000 - 260,000 | 9-11 wks | Multi-property, EN/FR/AR, dynamic rates |
| Premium group | 270,000 - 350,000 | 11-12 wks | + loyalty program, upsell, CRM, connected PMS |
| PMS/channel manager link | 25,000 - 60,000 | +2 wks | Real-time availability sync |
| Maintenance & hosting / yr | 20,000 - 45,000 / yr | — | Security, updates, monitoring |
The PMS and channel-manager link is the crux: without real-time availability sync, the direct engine causes overbooking and loses customer trust.
ROI vs OTA commissions
The maths is simple: what you pay once for the site, you then save on every booking shifted to direct. Here is a simulation (2026 ballpark).
| Metric | Via OTA | Direct | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average commission | 18 % | 0 % (2 % payment fees) | 16 pts |
| Average room night | 1,400 MAD | 1,400 MAD | — |
| Commission per night | 252 MAD | 28 MAD | 224 MAD |
| Direct bookings / month (target) | — | +180 nights | — |
| Monthly saving | — | ~40,000 MAD | +40,000 MAD |
| Annual saving | — | ~480,000 MAD | ROI < 8 months |
Even staying conservative on volume, shifting a few hundred nights a month to direct pays back the site in less than a season.
Mini case study
Karim Benali, director of a 3-hotel group in Dubai (280 rooms total). His OTA dependence reached 72 % of bookings, with 18 % average commission. He invests 240,000 MAD (equivalent) in a multilingual EN/FR/AR group site with a direct engine and channel-manager link, plus 35,000 MAD/yr of maintenance.
After 10 months: the direct share rises from 28 % to 41 %, i.e. about +220 direct nights a month. At 224 MAD of commission saved per night, that is nearly 49,000 MAD/month saved, i.e. 588,000 MAD/year. The site pays back in about 5 months, and every following year the saving falls to net margin.
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FAQ
Why a direct site rather than relying fully on OTAs?
OTAs bring visibility but take 15 to 25 % per booking. A strong direct site recovers part of that volume and turns saved commission into net margin.
Is EN/FR/AR multilingual essential in Dubai?
Yes: clientele is Gulf, English-speaking and European. Arabic support (with RTL layout) noticeably widens the addressable market and boosts credibility.
Must the engine connect to the PMS?
Essential for a group: without real-time availability sync you risk overbooking. Budget 25,000 to 60,000 MAD for the link.
How to encourage direct booking over Booking.com?
Slightly better direct rate, free breakfast, flexible cancellation or upgrade. The advantage must be visible from the home page.
What timeline for a multi-hotel group?
Between 9 and 12 weeks depending on the number of properties and integrations (PMS, loyalty, CRM). A single hotel ships in 8 weeks.
Let's scope your project. Tell us the number of hotels, your current PMS and your OTA share, and we will quote a profitable site and direct booking engine. 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.
