Online Travel Agency (OTA)

An online travel agency (OTA) is a marketplace where guests find and book places to stay. For short-term rentals, the major OTAs are Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com.

OTAs bring demand and visibility, but they charge fees and own the guest relationship. Many operators use OTAs to fill their calendar while building a direct-booking channel to reduce dependence on any single platform.