Book Direct: You're Making a Bigger Difference Than You Think
Every time a guest books through a big booking site instead of directly with us, Babel loses close to 20% of that money — before the guest has even arrived.
That's not a complaint about the booking sites themselves —they exist, they're useful, the apps are very user-friendly, and for a lot of first-time travelers, they're how you find us in the first place.
I am writing this blog post to highlight what happens after that commission is taken, and why, in 2026, we're asking a specific kind of traveler to consider booking with us directly instead.
Responsible tourism means thinking about what you leave behind — and what you help sustain.
The math nobody shows you
Babel already runs on thin margins. We're a small, family-run guesthouse and boutique hotel, not a chain with a marketing budget or a head office absorbing the loss. When a booking comes through a major platform, roughly a fifth of what you pay disappears before it reaches us — money that would otherwise go straight back into the people who make Babel what it is: our staff, our drivers and our community programs.
Cambodia's tourism numbers are down in 2026. That's not a secret, and it's not just us feeling it.
According to the Cambodia Ministry of Tourism's own statistics, foreign arrivals to the Siem Reap region were down nearly 32% in the first five months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
That is a lot.
And that is not a feeling — that's fewer travelers shopping at Old Market, fewer tuk-tuks booked, fewer plates served in local restaurants. When the margin gets thinner and a big platform is still taking its fixed cut, it's the small, local, family-run places that feel it first.
Foreign arrivals to Siem Reap & Angkor, January–May 2025 vs 2026. Source: Cambodia Ministry of Tourism.
We're not "just another hotel"
We do say this a lot. That is because we mean it literally, not as a slogan. Some of what that 20% would otherwise support:
A tuk-tuk driver's family, cared for. One of our long-time drivers is currently critically ill. His brother and sister-in-law, who also work with us, receive ongoing monthly support from Babel so their household doesn't carry that weight alone. That's not a government program or an insurance payout — that's Babel choosing to look after its own.
Real flexibility for new parents. Two of our staff members are currently home with their babies. They receive everything they're legally entitled to under Cambodian labor law — and on top of that, Babel lets them decide how long they need. Three months, two years, whenever they're ready, their job is waiting. That flexibility isn't free. It's absorbed by the business, and by all of us choosing to prioritize our people over squeezing every dollar of margin.
Long-term training, not turnover. Our drivers and staff go through ongoing training — from ChildSafe certification to language and hospitality skills — because we're investing in careers, not just shifts.
None of this shows up as a line item on a booking site. It's paid for out of what's left after the platform takes its share, and there's less of it left every year.
Heang and John Daniel Solhaug, photographed a few years ago. Heang is now critically ill, and continues to be supported by Babel and the Solhaug Fund through this time.
"But it was cheaper on Agoda"
We hear this quite often, and honestly, we understand the instinct — you've done your research, you've compared prices, and you want the best deal for your trip. We're not asking anyone to overpay.
When you book through a site like Agoda or Booking.com, they take about 20% of what you pay, before it ever reaches us.
Here's the honest truth: we're largely beholden to these booking platforms. They dictate much of how we're able to price our rooms — and then sometimes undercut that very price to maximize their own return. We don't always understand the logic behind it, and we don't control it.
What we do control is this: book direct, and your money goes straight to us — no middleman taking a cut in between.
Our team — the people your booking actually supports.
We've also noticed that travelers arriving from neighboring countries sometimes compare our prices to what they paid in Vietnam or elsewhere in the region. Cost of living, labor costs, and what a fair wage actually looks like are different from country to country — a lower price elsewhere doesn't mean we're overcharging here, it usually means someone, somewhere in that chain, is being paid less than what we believe our team deserves.
Who we're hoping to reach
This post isn't for every traveler, and that's fine. It's for the ones who read this and think: yes, that's exactly the kind of trip I want to take.
If you care about where your money actually goes when you travel — if "sustainable tourism" and "responsible travel" aren't just words on a page for you but something you want reflected in your choices — then book directly with us.
Another huge advantage is the personal communication before you even arrive. We don't use AI-generated answers — we read through and answer every email ourselves. This often creates a relationship even before we have met you!
How to book direct
You can book directly through our website, or by email: babelsiemreap@gmail.com.
You can reach out on social media — but we will ask to continue the booking and conversation by email to make sure we don't lose out on any unanswered messages. (Too many channels makes it very confusing!)
When you choose Babel, you choose family. And while you're here, that includes you.
