How Meliá Hotels Beat the OTAs at Their Own Game

Meliá Hotels International might have 400+ properties worldwide, but North Americans barely noticed. Direct bookings on melia.com lagged while online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia were siphoning off customers—and charging a punishing 20–25% commission for the privilege. Our mission was clear: shift bookings back to melia.com, maximize ad dollars, and build a pipeline of high-value guests.

We started by drilling into audience intelligence to identify and target the most profitable travelers across demographics, geography, behavior, and attitudes. Instead of blanketing ads everywhere, we built a one-to-one connection designed to pull people off OTAs and onto Meliá’s own platform.

Then we took a bold swing with eBay—launching the “La Bomba” flash sale promotion. This countdown-driven campaign created urgency, captured attention in key markets, and reached travelers during work hours when planning and booking peaks.

The results were game-changing. By leveraging eBay’s platform and negotiating smarter, Meliá cut OTA fees by 77%. Flash sales grew by more than 500%. In just three days, the campaign generated over 200,000 new leads. And the return on ad spend? A cool $4 to $1.

We didn’t just run a campaign; we reshaped how Meliá connects with its North American guests—proving that smart data, bold partnerships, and urgency-driven creativity can beat entrenched competitors and drive massive direct revenue growth.