"Learn how to set OTA Restrictions like MinLOS, CTA, CTD, and Stop Sell to increase RevPAR, control demand, and reduce OTA costs. Smart Revenue Management strategies for hotels by THRev.co."

⚙️ How to Set OTA Restrictions to Prevent Revenue Leakage — A Vital Tool for Every Revenue Manager

In today’s fiercely competitive hotel market, configuring Restrictions on OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) is more than just a technical task — it’s one of the most powerful revenue control tools a Revenue Manager can use. Many hotels still overlook these settings or leave them entirely to the OTAs. In reality, applying the right restrictions strategically can help your hotel:

✅ Increase RevPAR
✅ Reduce OTA dependency and costs
✅ Control demand more intelligently

 

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🔍 What Are OTA Restrictions?

Restrictions refer to the “booking conditions” that a hotel defines within OTA systems to control how rooms are sold — ensuring alignment with rate strategies and guest behavior. Beyond the familiar “Stop Sell” function, there are other key restriction types that every hotel should understand.

 

Here are the 4 fundamental types of OTA Restrictions we’ll cover today:

Minimum Length of Stay (MinLOS) – Sets the minimum number of nights guests must stay. For example, during Songkran Festival, a MinLOS of 3 nights helps ensure continuous stays and reduces frequent guest turnover.

Maximum Length of Stay (MaxLOS) – Limits the maximum nights a guest can stay. Some hotels use this to prevent long stays that block inventory at low rates (e.g., limit stays to 7 nights).

Closed to Arrival (CTA) – Blocks check-ins on certain days, e.g., closing arrivals on Saturday to encourage guests to start their stay on Friday instead.

Closed to Departure (CTD) – Blocks check-outs on specific days, e.g., not allowing departures on December 31st to ensure guests stay through January 1st.

 

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💡 Why OTA Restrictions Are Crucial for Hotel Revenue

1️⃣ Smart Demand Management

• Low Season → Set a lower MinLOS to attract short-stay bookings.
• High Season → Increase MinLOS or apply CTD to extend the average stay length.

 

2️⃣ Reduce OTA Parity Gaps

• When OTAs become too price-competitive, applying Stop Sell or CTA on certain days can redirect demand back to your direct booking channels.

 

3️⃣ Prevent Overbooking

• Especially useful when managing group bookings or offline reservations simultaneously.

 

4️⃣ Improve Yield Rate Efficiency

• Use Restrictions alongside Dynamic Pricing Algorithms to let the system automatically adjust rates based on occupancy and other factors — a capability that THRev.co provides to maximize your hotel’s performance.

 

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🏨 Real Case Study — THEE Bangkok by TH District

Before using THRev.co, the hotel sold rooms without any restrictions, leading to several issues:

• Guests booked only 1 night during long weekends, leaving gaps between stays.
• Low ADR on high occupancy days.
• Inconsistent OTA rate distribution.

 

After THRev.co helped implement automated planning and system integration:

Results	Before	After Using THRev.co
RevPAR	THB 1,750	THB 2,050
Occupancy	74%	83%
Average LOS	1.2 nights	2.1 nights
OTA Parity Issues	8 times/month	1 time/month

💬 “We didn’t just sell more rooms — we sold smarter.” — Revenue Manager, THEE Bangkok

 

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🚀 In Summary: Restrictions Don’t Limit Sales — They Drive Revenue

Don’t think of restrictions as “closing sales opportunities” — think of them as “demand filters” that help you sell at the highest value days. Because hotel revenue isn’t about how many rooms you sell, but how well you sell each one.

 

If you’re still using the same restriction setup daily, or relying solely on “Stop Sell” without analyzing booking behavior — it’s time to elevate your strategy with the intelligent automation of THRev.co.

 

👉 Contact us for expert consultation on automated Restriction and Yield Rate setup — let the system do the work for you — We yield, you chill.