The verdict in three sentences
A 15 to 40-room hotel in Zanzibar managing its planning on paper suffers overbookings and gives 20 to 30 % commission to OTAs. A PMS with a direct booking engine syncs the room planning, handles check-in/out and billing, and collects via Mobile Money or card, lifting the direct-booking share from 25 % to 55 %. Between a PMS SaaS at 25,000-80,000 FCFA/month and a custom app + engine at 2,500,000-6,000,000 FCFA, every point of direct booking recovered wins back the matching OTA commission.
PMS SaaS or custom app + engine?
SaaS handles the basics fast; custom gives you a branded, commission-free direct booking engine wired to your payments. 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Criterion | PMS SaaS | Custom app + engine |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 0 to 200,000 FCFA | 2,500,000 to 6,000,000 FCFA |
| Subscription | 25,000 to 80,000 FCFA/month | Hosting 20,000-50,000 FCFA/month |
| Direct booking engine | Sometimes, vendor brand | Your brand, no commission |
| Room planning | Standard | Custom, multi-type |
| Check-in / out | Yes | Yes, billing integrated |
| Mobile Money / card payment | Vendor-dependent | Wave + Orange Money + card |
| Commission per direct booking | Sometimes | 0 % |
The core battle: OTA commission
Every direct booking taken back from the OTA keeps 20 to 30 % commission in your pocket. Estimated 2026 gains on an average hotel.
| Metric | On paper | With the PMS |
|---|---|---|
| Occupancy rate | 55 % | 65 % |
| Direct-booking share | 25 % | 55 % |
| Overbookings per month | 3 to 6 | 0 |
| Revenue per available room | Sub-optimized | +10 to 20 % |
| OTA commission paid | 20 to 30 % | Halved |
Mini case study
Fatou runs a 25-room hotel in Zanzibar with monthly revenue of 15,000,000 FCFA. Lifting the direct share from 25 % to 55 %, she moves 4,500,000 FCFA of bookings off OTAs and saves about 1,125,000 FCFA in commission per month (25 %). The custom PMS cost 5,000,000 FCFA: it pays for itself in under five months.
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FAQ
How much does a PMS for a small hotel cost? Expect 25,000 to 80,000 FCFA/month for a SaaS, or 2,500,000 to 6,000,000 FCFA for a custom app + commission-free direct booking engine.
Does the direct engine really remove OTA commission? On direct bookings captured by your engine, commission drops to 0 %; you keep the 20 to 30 % the OTA took on those nights.
How does the PMS prevent overbookings? The room planning syncs in real time between the direct engine and channels, removing double bookings on the same night.
Can the guest pay by Mobile Money? Yes, Wave and Orange Money are built into the direct engine, alongside card, easing the deposit and remote payment.
How long to deploy? A PMS SaaS is live in a few days; a custom app + engine ships in 5 to 8 weeks depending on connected channels.
Let's talk about your project. We set up your direct booking engine and payments before the season opens. 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.
