In three out of four hotel searches, at least one online travel agency (OTA) undercut the hotel’s website on price. That’s according to the 2025 midyear World Parity Monitor from 123Compare.me.
We observed the same phenomenon ourselves when we conducted real searches at six major hotels on Oahu and Maui, right here in Hawaii. In each case, the OTA price matched the same room type, exact stay dates, and sometimes the same cancellation policy. What changed was the rate.
What the study found.
The World Parity Monitor analyzed hotel pricing across more than 100 brands during the first half of 2025. It found that in 33 percent of individual rate comparisons, an OTA offered a lower price than the hotel’s direct price. However, when examining the complete set of OTA listings for each search, the number jumped to 75 percent. In other words, in three out of four searches, at least one OTA offered a better deal than the hotel’s website.
The undercuts were more common on mobile, where OTAs showed lower rates 38 percent of the time, compared with 31 percent on desktop. And they were especially likely when the OTA handled the payment, a situation where hotels lose visibility into how their rates are presented—or discounted.
The report didn’t focus on Hawaii. So we did.
Our Hawaii price tests six major hotels.
We checked rates on identical travel dates at six major Hawaii hotels and found OTA savings ranging from 12 percent to 24 percent.
All comparisons were conducted using Google Hotel Search, which aggregates prices across the official hotel site and multiple OTAs in one view. This made it easier to spot pricing disparities without needing to visit each site individually. To use Google Hotel Search, type the name of the hotel into the search bar, and you’ll see pricing.
At the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, the hotel’s direct site listed a base room at $365. That same room was available on one OTA for $287, a 21 percent difference. For more on this property, see our article What Hilton Hawaiian Village Gets Right and So Very Wrong.
The Prince Waikiki had a hotel-direct rate of $358, compared to $275 through an OTA. That’s a 23 percent savings. You can read our review at Insiders Review: Prince Waikiki Hotel Surprises With Comfort And Value.
At the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki, the direct hotel rate was $181, while the OTA price was $146. That’s a 19 percent discount. The comparison highlights how even mid-tier branded properties reflect the same undercutting pattern.
At the Grand Wailea on Maui, the hotel website listed a base room at $877. We found the same room on an OTA for $715. That’s an 18 percent savings. For more about this property, see Candid Grand Wailea Review: A Bad Start A Good Ending.
We also compared rates at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. The hotel’s website listed a base rate of $230, while the OTA price was $203—a 12 percent difference. We haven’t reviewed this hotel yet, but the result followed the same trend.
And at Halekulani, one of Honolulu’s most iconic luxury hotels, the official rate was $859 per night. The same stay appeared on an OTA for $650, a 24 percent savings. That was the most significant dollar difference we found in our tests.
Why this matters for Hawaii visitors.
Travelers are often advised to book directly for the best price, perks, or potential upgrades. However, that advice may not always align with reality.
We’ve consistently seen lower OTA rates even at hotels that advertise best rate guarantees. And the price differences are not limited to obscure dates or mystery rooms. They appear across major brands, during high season, and at well-known properties. We have found this to be true ourselves, and on a property we will soon stay at and review (name to be revealed soon), the actual savings for the same room were 38%.
Hotels blame these gaps on distribution blind spots or unauthorized discounting by OTAs. But to the traveler, the reason is less important than the result. If one site offers the same stay for less, that’s what gets booked.
The issue becomes even more relevant in Hawaii, where hotel rates remain among the highest in the country. Even a 20 percent gap on a five-night stay can mean hundreds of dollars in savings. And if the OTA deal still includes the same cancellation policy and room category, it’s not a tradeoff. It’s a win.
Tips before you book.
If you’re planning a Hawaii vacation and looking for hotel deals, here’s what worked for us.
• Always compare rates across multiple OTAs and the official hotel site.
• Check both mobile and desktop. Mobile-only discounts are common.
• Review all terms and especially the cancellation terms carefully. Some OTA deals are non-refundable, while others match the hotel’s flexible policy or modify it further.
• Look for surprise fees. Some OTAs display lower upfront rates but add taxes or resort fees later in the process.
• If you make a refundable OTA hotel reservation (which we almost always do), we then call the hotel directly to be sure they can confirm that reservation. To date, we have had no problems.
We saved money booking OTA rates at properties where we already had status or familiarity. In some cases, the OTA deal was so much better that loyalty benefits didn’t matter, especially when the hotel wasn’t offering any meaningful upgrades or perks for direct bookings.
What’s next for Hawaii hotel pricing?
The OTAs are not going away, and neither are the discounts. If anything, they appear to be gaining strength based on this study and on our own experiences. Next, we want to hear yours.
As more travelers become aware that direct isn’t always the best option, hotels may be forced to address their parity gaps or risk losing bookings. Some may tighten distribution controls or limit which OTAs can sell their rooms. Others may begin to offer more meaningful perks for booking directly.
For now, Hawaii travelers who do their homework can benefit from these differences. It takes a few extra clicks but can pay off in real dollars. Whether it’s a last-minute stay or a once-a-year trip, checking OTA rates before hitting book is a habit worth forming.
Have you seen this trend in your bookings? Let us know where you’ve scored Hawaii hotel deals—and what the tradeoffs were.
Photo Credit: Beat of Hawaii at Hilton Hawaiian Village.
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I always use OTA to check hotel and airfare prices. Most of the time, airfare is comparable to the company’s site but hotels always seem to be lower. If I have loyalty points with a hotel chain I then call the hotel and ask to speak to the manager. When told the price I would pay with the OTA, the usually match it.
Did you actually try booking the lower rate on the OTA? Sometimes, the advertised rate is no longer available when you try to complete the transaction- sometimes the “rate” is lower but taxes and fees are higher, resulting in the same total.
Google makes it easy to get an overview of listed rates, but doesn’t guarantee that the rate plus fees will be cheaper. Once you get the consumer to your site, there is a chance that they will book even at a higher rate.
Very surprising that the big brands (Hilton, Marriott) have not caught these issues as they do have technology to catch parity violations.
Booking outside of the hotel website give you less options if you need to cancel. I just had a bad experience on a mainland trip. Not just with hotels but with airfare. I will never use the lower costs options again. It ended up costing more, when I needed to cancel and the stress level is over the top. Hey buyer beware.
Winter seasonal rates are less expensive than summer. Each hotel has their own chain designating summer rates, winter rates,spring rates and holiday rates. Winter rates drop what 25% less compared to summer so maybe some hotels August-December for their property is in the winter rate category. Also OTA’s charge hotels for listing fee’s and in that instance the booking site may have waived the listing fee embedded in the rate just to make money on the airfare. How do you think OTA’s say they can save you hundreds on package airfare and hotel combinations.
While ota’s can sometimes show lower rates than the hotels.. beware the room may not be the same kind that you get even though it states that it is the same room. Every hotel has less desirable rooms that they seem to allocate to these OTAs reservations. I had that happen to me in Singapore where I got a room which I didn’t like and then I realized that was not like the rest of the rooms even though it was the same category. After I complained they moved me to a much better room.
My son used to get great deals on some site that dealt with closeout, one hour deals emailed to your phone etc. The big problem was most deals were nonrefundable or adopted cancellation fees and the contact method was to fill out a form with your email and we will get back to you. How does this help if you have a hotel problem that needs to be addressed asap. How important is it to purchase from a site that may have 24/7 assistance but be more expensive? What is the price for peace of mind? It’s one thing to live on Hawaii with the option to just go back home but IMO traveling back to the mainland or somewhere else is another story.
Yes, OTA’s really do save us a lot of money. We travel a lot during the year and use Booking.com for all our destination bookings. Often, when we check in at our destinations, the front counter people ask us how we received such a good/low price.
Recently visited Big Island with family, and found similar trends in rates via OTA.
For our case, Costco Travel provided the best bundled prices (Flight, Resort, Rental Car).