Testimonial: how an independent agent transformed their monetization with Bookotels
Sophie Martin, 34, had been a travel blogger since 2019. With her blog “Les Carnets de Sophie” drawing 45,000 monthly visitors, she lived mainly on affiliate income from the big online booking platforms. But in 2025, an affiliate-programme change halved her commissions overnight. That's when she discovered Bookotels and transformed her monetisation model.
The problem: dependence on affiliate income
“For years, I earned between €1,500 and €2,500 a month from affiliate links on my blog,” says Sophie. “I recommended hotels to my readers and earned a 3–5% commission when they booked through my links. But in March 2025, the platform cut its commissions to 1.5% with no notice. My income was halved in a month.”
This scenario is unfortunately common for travel content creators. The affiliate programmes of the big platforms are opaque: rates change without notice, tracking cookies expire quickly, and competition between affiliates drives income down.
Discovering Bookotels
“A travel-agent friend told me about Bookotels in April 2025,” Sophie explains. “At first I was sceptical — I thought it was reserved for traditional agencies with a physical office. But when I understood that I could sign up for free as an independent agent and access the same negotiated rates, I immediately saw the potential.”
Sophie created her account in under 10 minutes. With her sole-trader status and her blog as a professional showcase, she could immediately access Bookotels' catalogue of 250,000 hotels.
The shift in model
Instead of simply recommending hotels through affiliate links, Sophie began offering a genuine hotel-booking advisory service to her most engaged readers.
“Now, when a reader asks me for advice on a hotel in Bali or Lisbon, I no longer send them an affiliate link. I search for the best hotels on Bookotels, create a personalised quote with my margin, and send them a payment link. The client pays online, the booking is confirmed automatically, and I receive my commission. Everything is in my business's name, not Bookotels'.”
Tip
If you are a travel content creator, you can turn your existing audience into clients of your booking advisory service. Your expertise on destinations is your competitive advantage.
The results: commissions multiplied by 4
After 6 months using Bookotels, Sophie shared her figures. With affiliate links, she earned on average 1.5% on each booking. With Bookotels, she applies an average margin of 18% on her quotes — 12 times more per booking.
“Of course, I do less volume than with affiliate links — I handle around 15 to 20 bookings a month versus hundreds of affiliate clicks. But my monthly income went from €1,500 to €4,500. And above all, I no longer depend on an affiliate programme that can change its rules overnight.”
Sophie also noticed an unexpected effect: her clients are more loyal. “When you offer a personalised service — advice on choosing the hotel, help with transfers, local recommendations — people come back. I now have clients who reach out to me for every trip.”
Sophie's tips for getting started
For travel bloggers and content creators who want to follow her example, Sophie recommends starting gradually.
- Start by offering the service to your most engaged readers, the ones who already ask you questions
- Set a reasonable margin at first (10–15%) to build loyalty with your first clients, then adjust
- Highlight your expertise and your added value, not just the price
- Use Bookotels' tracking tools to analyse your performance and optimise
- Create content around your advisory service to attract new clients
