In the summer of 2024, for the first time since its launch, Blastness recorded direct bookings matching the volumes of Booking.com. A significant milestone for the company that has the mission is to support the hospitality industry in maximizing profitability through revenue management and disintermediation, .

“When I founded Blastness twenty years ago with the aim of developing the direct channel," says CEO Andrea Delfini, "I could never have imagined achieving the volumes of the giant Booking.com. In recent years, the growing digitization of user behavior has facilitated disintermediation processes across all sectors. In the hospitality sector, this phenomenon has been amplified by the Google Travel project, which allowed the official websites of properties to compete on equal footing with OTAs in its tariff comparison tool. The development of an integrated solution for electronic distribution, revenue management, and digital marketing has enabled us to achieve such an extraordinary result.”

The numbers are significant. Between January and August 2024, for the May–September period, over 2 million room nights were sold, representing a value exceeding €619 million. Direct bookings and those made through Booking.com each accounted for 33% of the online market, nearly tripling Expedia’s 12%. In the five-star segment, 34% of stays came from direct bookings, compared to 26% from Booking.com.

Certain tourist clusters showed particularly positive results: on the Amalfi Coast, direct bookings reached 39% of electronic distribution, surpassing Booking.com by 20 percentage points. In the Tuscany cluster, the direct channel holds 46% of the market, compared to Booking.com’s 35%. This achievement demonstrates how growing digitization allows properties not only to compete with OTAs but also to become increasingly independent from intermediaries, improving profitability and strengthening their brand.

Properties that rely on Blastness can count on a "one-stop-shop" partner specialized in the hospitality sector, offering advanced technologies and strategic support to enhance their online presence and implement effective sales strategies. By integrating data from different sources, the platform helps hotels improve their KPIs, increase revenue, and maximize the performance of marketing campaigns and direct sales.

Today, hotels that embrace digital transformation can maximize revenues and reduce dependence on OTAs, fully realizing their potential.