Source: Forbes.com

As the battle for bookings rages on between travel brands and online travel agencies (who charge anywhere between 15-30% commission per booking), it's easy to see why hoteliers and agency leaders have fallen for quick-fix solutions like metasearch advertising.

Designed to let brands add a direct booking link within prominent online price aggregators, metasearch ads are a brand's last line of defense when consumers shop through the likes of Google, Kayak or TripAdvisor. Instead of exclusively showing prices available through common online travel agencies (OTAs), now hotels can also include a "brand.com" link, giving consumers one last chance to return to the hotel website and book direct. If the prices are the same on "brand.com" as they are on OTAs, problem solved, right?

Read the full article at Forbes.com