How Azul Surf House grew direct bookings 40%
By shifting demand away from OTAs and onto their own booking engine, one surf camp reclaimed both margin and the guest relationship.
DO
Daniel Okafor
May 2026 1 min read
Azul Surf House had a great problem: they were busy. The catch was that most of that demand arrived through online travel agencies, taking a double-digit commission and the guest relationship with it.
The shift to direct
They moved their booking engine front-and-center on a fast, mobile-first site, added commission-free packages, and let the channel manager keep availability in sync everywhere automatically.
- Direct bookings up 40% in two seasons
- Commission costs cut by more than half
- Repeat-guest rate climbed to 31%
"We finally own the relationship. When a guest books with us directly, we can wow them from the very first email."
What made the difference
It wasn't a single feature — it was removing friction at every step. A booking that takes seconds, a confirmation that builds excitement, and a follow-up that earns the next trip.