Millions left on the table with direct bookings, new Hospitable data finds

£2.26m in recovered bookings highlights blind spot in direct booking strategies

 For many property managers, the direct booking journey ends the moment a guest hesitates at checkout but new insight from property management software company, Hospitable, suggests that assumption is costing the industry millions.

Since introducing the Abandoned Bookings feature in late 2024, the firm has reported it has recovered a loss of over $3.1 million USD (£2.26 million) for property managers and others in direct booking revenue that would otherwise have gone unclaimed.

The findings point to a "structural gap in how direct booking funnels are designed". Property managers invest heavily in driving guests to book direct, but once a guest hesitates at checkout, the journey effectively stops. 

The recovered revenue suggests that improving conversion is not only about attracting more traffic, but about acknowledging and supporting guests at the final decision point.

Pierre-Camille Hamana, CEO and frounder of Hospitable, said: “In almost every other online purchase, if you leave something in your cart, you get a reminder. It works because it acknowledges hesitation, not disinterest. 

"Treating abandoned checkouts in direct bookings as lost demand is one of the most expensive habits in our industry. These guests have already made a choice. 

"When no one follows up, revenue disappears not because interest is gone, but because the moment is ignored.”

In each case, guests selected dates, entered their details, and reached the confirmation stage before dropping off which have previously been that moment that ends the booking journey.

Hospitable’s data indicated that this drop-off is less about guests changing their minds and more about untreated hesitation. 

The recovered revenue highlights a "widespread blind spot" in direct booking strategies, where "meaningful demand is left behind simply because it is never revisited", the firm said.