Whereas early on in the era of hotel bookings reservations were either made directly (telephoning the property/face to face) or via a travel agent, over the past few decades a larger offer of booking channels has emerged. Nowadays, hotel distribution channels for transient bookings can be grouped into five major categories as shown in the attached chart.

The OTA segment is becoming a strong competitor to the individual booking sector and distribution channels; it has already taken substantial share from traditional contracted booking channels, mainly wholesalers and tour Operators.