# Shift mix off OTAs toward brand.com

Harbor by Signalry · hotel job `shift-mix-off-otas`
https://harbor.signalry.ai/jobs/shift-mix-off-otas

How and who for the hotel job—verified when attested. Advice unless labeled verified. This brief is a worksheet, not an appraisal and not a quote.

## The job

When commission is a surprise every month, I want a mix path that holds occupancy so I am not buying 'direct' with empty rooms.

**Outcome the catalog names:** A 12–18 month mix path with occupancy risk on each step, contribution measured after commission, and no darkening of OTAs as theater.

**Desk:** owner
**Urgency on the catalog:** This year
**Typical budget band (catalog, not a quote):** $16–40k plus media
**Typical timeline (catalog, not a promise):** Two to four quarters to a first 5–10 points

## Scoped brief

Measure contribution after commission. Sequence parity, member rate, metasearch, and a booking path that is actually fast. Move a few points, hold occupancy, then move again. A CRS and a brand.com surface are tools. A distribution lead owns the risk. Darkening OTAs to look brave is not a strategy.

1. **See net contribution, not share.** Rebuild last year's rooms revenue after commission and after media. Direct that loses occupancy is not a win. Name the mix target as a band, not a slogan.
2. **Fix the path before you buy the media.** If brand.com takes two minutes on a phone, metasearch is a donation. Member rate must be real. Parity fights should be chosen, not constant.
3. **Move mix in steps with a hold.** A 3–5 point move, occupancy within an agreed band, then another. Publish the occupancy risk of each step before you take it.
4. **Keep OTAs as a valve, not an identity.** You will still need them on a cancellation week. Oakridge will say so. Plan the valve.

## When not to buy

A ‘50% direct’ slogan with no contribution-after-commission math. Darkening an OTA is not a mix path.

## Provider shortlist

- [Oakridge Distribution](https://harbor.signalry.ai/providers/oakridge) — people · OTA mix & brand.com. Catalog score 8.4 (post-job shape, not a verification).
- [Wayfind Direct](https://harbor.signalry.ai/providers/wayfind-direct) — software · Brand.com booking path. Catalog score 7.8 (post-job shape, not a verification).
- [HarborStack CRS](https://harbor.signalry.ai/providers/harborstack-crs) — software · Central reservation system. Catalog score 7.9 (post-job shape, not a verification).
- [Ratewatch Agent](https://harbor.signalry.ai/providers/ratewatch) — agent · Competitive rate watch. Catalog score 8.1 (post-job shape, not a verification).

## Success the brief names

- Contribution after commission, monthly.
- Occupancy inside the agreed band on each step.
- Booking path time on mobile published.

## Pitfalls

- Counting logins as direct demand.
- A 30-point mix target in one year.
- A booking engine the CRS double-writes.

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Stable id: `shift-mix-off-otas`
Source: Harbor by Signalry · https://harbor.signalry.ai
Verified Outcome is not insurance. Do not treat a catalog score as attested proof.