The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 4 hotels, a cloud PMS (3,500 to 9,000 FCFA/room/month) remains each property's operational base. What's missing is a custom consolidation portal (7,000,000 to 18,000,000 FCFA, 10 to 16 weeks) with a direct booking engine and multi-site reporting. It cuts OTA commission (15 to 22%) on 30% of nights, replaces 3 monthly days of entry and gains 10 points of occupancy.
PMS per room vs custom group portal
Keep your local PMS; add the group layer that captures direct bookings and consolidates reporting.
| Criterion | SaaS PMS per room | Custom group portal |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 3,500 to 9,000 FCFA/room/month | 7,000,000 to 18,000,000 FCFA |
| Scope | 1 hotel | All 4 hotels |
| Direct booking | Via OTA (commission) | Integrated direct engine |
| Consolidated reporting | Manual | Real-time |
| Mobile money payment | Rare | Integrated |
| Data ownership | With vendor | With you |
| Timeline | 2 to 4 weeks/hotel | 10 to 16 weeks |
OTA commission savings and gains
The heart of ROI is direct booking that avoids platform commission.
| Lever | 2026 impact (ballpark) |
|---|---|
| OTA commission avoided | 15 to 22% on 30% of nights |
| Occupancy rate | +10 points |
| Reporting consolidation | -3 days/month |
| Mobile money collection | immediate |
| No-shows (prepayment) | strongly reduced |
| Custom portal ROI | 16 to 22 months |
Mini case study
Mr. Etoa owns 4 hotels, 180 rooms total, lodging revenue of 540,000,000 FCFA/year, of which 40% goes through OTAs at 18% commission. His accountant consolidates the 4 PMS in Excel (3 days/month).
A custom portal at 12,000,000 FCFA adds a direct booking engine and consolidated reporting. Shifting 30% of OTA nights to direct avoids commission on ~65,000,000 FCFA of revenue, i.e. ~11,700,000 FCFA/year saved, plus 10 occupancy points. The portal pays back in about 14 months.
FAQ
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Do we replace the hotels' PMS?
No: the portal connects to existing PMS via API or export, you keep local tools and gain the group view and direct booking.
Does the booking engine collect via mobile money?
Yes: direct payment via MTN MoMo and Orange Money at booking, strongly cutting no-shows through prepayment.
What does OTA commission really cost?
Between 15 and 22% per night booked via platform; shifting 30% of nights to direct recovers a significant margin share.
How long for the consolidation portal?
Expect 10 to 16 weeks for a direct booking engine, multi-site reporting and mobile money integration.
Can we add hotels later?
Yes, the custom portal is multi-site: each new hotel connects with no per-room group licence surcharge.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your hotel and room counts and your OTA share, and we'll price a custom consolidation and direct-booking portal in FCFA. 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.
