With digital bookings and online travel agencies (OTAs) taking center stage in the age of digital transformation, it can be easy for hoteliers to underestimate the revenue potential of the voice channel in hospitality. But new data from Revinate’s 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report reveals just how valuable the voice channel can be for hotels.

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to the voice channel in hospitality, it continues to be a top-performing booking method that often delivers higher conversion rates and increased revenue per booking.

But there’s a rather common hurdle for hoteliers: While the voice channel is an important channel for direct booking, many hotels aren’t utilizing it to its full potential — leaving more personalized interactions, loyalty, and ultimately revenue on the table.

Keep reading to learn more about the important role of the voice channel in hospitality. You’ll get insight into some of the key takeaways from the 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report on this valuable channel to help you determine how your voice channel strategy compares to other hotels throughout North America.

The voice channel’s role in direct bookings

While guest booking behaviors continue to shift, it’s important to know that reservations booked over the phone continue to yield high value for hotels. It’s easy to believe that your guests want to focus on digital bookings, but many guests still prefer speaking with an agent. And this is especially true for guests seeking luxury getaways, those who have complex itineraries, and those wanting more personalized experiences.

Consider this: When guests call your hotel directly, they’re already engaged and more likely to book with you than those simply browsing OTAs. Additionally, when a potential guest speaks to a live reservation agent, this offers an opportunity for the agent to build trust, personalize the interaction, and increase upsell opportunities for ancillary revenue — all of which can offer a better experience that drives loyalty.

Remember, nothing converts better than the human voice — a sentiment proven time and again when hotels prioritize their voice channel strategies.

How the voice channel compares to OTAs

According to research by PATA, OTAs have taken considerable market share in the travel industry, accounting for an average of 40% of the total global travel market. And this includes owning two-thirds of all gross digital hotel bookings.

The impact on hoteliers? Fewer direct bookings, which results in immediate lost revenue, less data on your guests, and decreased opportunities to personalize and improve the guest experience and drive loyalty.

The great news is that while you’re working on your digital direct booking strategy, you have an amazing opportunity to capture stronger long-term revenue through your voice channel. Not only does the voice channel convert higher than all other hotel marketing channels (conversion rates hover around 50% across North America for Revinate customers), but they also provide opportunities for interactions with guests that can help to generate a higher spend per stay.

Plus, when you capture your potential guest’s data over the phone, it provides additional opportunities to follow up with them if they don’t book right away and allows you to continue to market to them directly.

Remember, an inbound call can be as valuable as a guest walking into the lobby. But that’s not all: Our 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report on the voice channel in North America showed that capturing guest data and implementing outbound calls resulted in an average of $1,748 in incremental yearly revenue per room for Revinate customers — an incredible value OTAs will never match and a direct impact on your NOI.

Check out the report for the full benchmark data for the voice channel in North America.

Maximizing the voice channel in hospitality with Reservation Sales

Every hotelier wants to maximize revenue potential, and the voice channel in hospitality can be a significant driver, if not the most profitable channel. And in order to do that, you have to make sure you’re using the right hotel reservation service technology and implementing the best marketing and sales strategies. That’s exactly where our voice channel product, Reservation Sales, comes in.

By providing a comprehensive approach that optimizes inbound call conversion, drives outbound call strategy, and offers robust lead capture and management, Reservation Sales provides the exact data your hotel call center agents need to maximize the value of every guest interaction.

Here are a few specific ways you can maximize the performance of your voice channel with Reservation Sales.

1. Increase revenue with lead capture and conversion strategy.

When your reservations agent is on the phone with a potential guest, capturing their contact information during an inquiry enables you to follow up with them for new sales opportunities. By maintaining contact with a strong, qualified lead, you can reduce lost potential revenue by identifying the best campaigns to help nurture and convert those leads. In fact, the 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report reveals that hoteliers in North America earned an average of $12.07 for every guest email they captured.

2. Get more direct bookings with real-time agent coaching.

With Reservation Sales, you can utilize real-time coaching to empower your reservation agents to effectively handle objections and queries, upsell targeted offerings and experiences, and get more high-value bookings. By listening to calls in real time and whispering to agents or joining those calls, you’re able to provide guidance and help convert more leads into guests.

3. Improve the guest experience with warm transfers.

One of the most frustrating experiences for a potential guest is having to wait long periods to book with your hotel. But Reservation Sales can help you reduce handle times to decrease lost bookings while simultaneously boosting the guest experience by making sure your potential guests are transferred to the right agent right away.

4. Take reservations anytime — and from anywhere.

Finally, it’s important to be available to guests who are ready to book. That’s why RezForce is a great complementary hospitality call center service to Reservation Sales — it enables our on-demand virtual reservation agents to pick up exactly where your team leaves off. Plus, our agents are trained to Forbes 5-Star standards and have a 99% booking accuracy, allowing them to increase your call conversions.

Key Takeaways

• While OTAs tend to take center stage in the age of digital transformation, Revinate’s 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report reveals the voice channel is the most valuable booking method for hotels.
• Currently, many North American hotels are underutilizing the voice channel, causing them to miss out on opportunities for direct bookings and upsells.
• By building trust and allowing for more personalized services, the voice channel supports future marketing and outbound sales opportunities that drive guest loyalty and direct bookings.
• Reservation Sales provides comprehensive approach that optimizes inbound call conversion, drives outbound call strategy, and offers robust lead capture and management.