Last week I checked into Amari Boulevard Kuala Lumpur. Since we launched Travel Tech Thursdays in Kuala Lumpur, it has become my regular base because it’s near the Wego offices where we hold our events.
The first time I tried to book, I did what hotels always say they want us to do –book direct. I went to the hotel website, intending to join the Onyx loyalty programme and see if I could build a relationship from the start – okay, earn points too.
The experience was so clunky and frustrating that I gave up halfway.
I switched to Booking.com. Two minutes later, room secured, confirmation received, done.
And I remember thinking: this is exactly why customers prefer OTAs – because they are so convenient and efficient
For my next few stays, I repeated the pattern. There’s something to be said about familiarity, especially when it’s that or friction.
Then something different happened.
On my most recent trip, Booking.com happened to be down when I was making the reservation, so I booked through Trip.com instead. Same hotel, same room type, same outcome – or so I thought.
At check-in, for the first time, the staff member asked me a simple question: “Have you stayed with us before?”
No one had asked that on my previous visits. Usually, it was a quick ID check, key card issued, check-in is at 3pm, breakfast not included.
I told her, “Yes, a few times.”
She searched the system and said, “Oh yes, this is actually your fifth stay with us but because you booked through an OTA, we won’t be able to give you any points.”
I told her honestly why – the website experience had driven me away.
Instead of defending the system, she asked what exactly had gone wrong. Then she did something even more interesting.
“Next time,” she said, “why don’t you contact me directly? I can assist you with your booking.”
She asked my room preferences, confirmed my bed type, handed over the key card, thanked me for returning and said breakfast was included with my stay.
Ten minutes later, a WhatsApp message arrived: “For future stay, feel free to text me for booking, thank you.”
That small act made me rethink my future booking behaviour. Not because of price. Not because of loyalty points. Not because of a better UX funnel.
But because someone took ownership of the relationship.
Hotels spend enormous time and money trying to win the direct booking battle –better websites, better rates, better loyalty perks. But they sometimes overlook their biggest competitive advantage over OTAs – the human moment on property.
The OTA may own the click, but the hotel owns the stay.
That is the moment of truth, where behaviour can be reshaped. The irony is that hotels already have the channel – it’s called the front desk. They just need to activate it.
Just as Nina did.
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