The hospitality landscape is undergoing a seismic shift.
The entry into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the reform of the SCIA are inadvertently benefiting the large OTAs, penalizing the visibility of official sites with drops of almost 30%.
In this scenario, disintermediation is no longer a choice, but a technical challenge: to safeguard margins and rebalance the distribution mix.
What is DMA and why is it penalizing your website?
Topics index
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is the European regulation aimed at limiting the power of technological “gatekeepers”.
To comply, Google has modified its search results: direct booking widgets (Google Hotel Ads) have been scaled down or removed in favor of links to comparison sites and aggregators.
The real impact on hotel numbers
As highlighted by recent traffic data for April 2026, forced “disintermediation” has paradoxically favored the large OTAs.
Decline in direct traffic: An average 20-30% decrease in visits to official sites is recorded .
Rising acquisition costs: By shifting traffic to OTAs, commissions erode net RevPAR.
Visibility fragmentation: The user no longer finds the “Official Site” button in the foreground, but a list of third-party portals.
🔑Key points: The DMA requires Google not to favor its own direct booking tools. The result? More power for comparison sites and less immediate visibility for individual properties.
New SCIA and 2026 requirements: what changes operationally?
In parallel with the digital revolution, the month of April 2026 sees the consolidation of the New Unified SCIA.
This regulatory update aims to streamline the start-up of non-hotel businesses, but introduces stricter controls on the compliance of data transmitted to the portals (cross-referencing CIR/CIN data and national databases).
The challenges for the non-hotel manager
Bureaucratic alignment: Any operational changes must be communicated instantly to avoid delisting from the portals.
Joint Liability: Increased pressure on the correctness of Contract supplies and safety requirements.
How to respond to a decline in visibility? A comparison table of solutions.
To counteract the DMA effect, simply being there isn't enough. An active brand protection strategy is needed.
| Challenge 2026 | Impact on Business | Recommended Solution |
| DMA effect | Collapse of direct bookings | Local SEO Enhancement and Meta-Search Management |
| New SCIA | Risk of sanctions and sales ban | Technical consultancy for regulatory compliance |
| Increased ADR | Difficulty maintaining occupancy | Dynamic Revenue Management and Upselling |
📌Immediate actions: Evaluate whether your current booking engine is optimized for the new Google APIs and whether your SCIA is updated according to the 2026 standards.
The market has changed. You need a partner who knows how to reposition your property in the new search results. [Discover the Revenue Partner Consultants of Direzione Hotel]
3 Mistakes to Avoid When Managing Post-DMA Visibility
1. Thinking that the “book button” on Google is eternal
Many hoteliers base 50% of their live traffic on Google Hotel Ads. With DMA, that traffic must be bought back or re-captured through content marketing and brand protection strategies.
2. Underestimating the integration between Channel Manager and new standards
Software vendors that haven't adapted to the new European protocols leave their facilities in a visibility limbo. It's crucial to choose Google Premium Partner vendors.
3. Ignoring Brand Identity
If the official website disappears from the top results, guests will search for the property's name. If they don't find a strong identity and an exclusive offer, they'll book on the first available OTA.
DMA also applies to B&Bs and holiday homes, which see their direct links slip below the large aggregators in search results.
Google Ads campaigns can still be run, but they must be optimized for Google's new SGE layouts, which prioritize descriptive responses and aggregator carousels.
The New SCIA simplifies the initial bureaucratic process, but requires surgical precision in managing digital data, under penalty of exclusion from international markets.
The April 2026 landscape no longer allows for improvisation. The DMA Effect has shattered the "easy disintermediation" game, and the New SCIA imposes extremely high professional standards.
To learn more about the new rules on digital competition and understand how the Digital Markets Act is reshaping markets, you can consult the European Commission's official page on the DMA.
Take control of your visibility
Don't let algorithms decide the future of your property. Direzione Hotel We connect you with the best software providers and specialized legal/revenue consultants to face the 2026 revolution.
👉 [Request a free consultation or quote from our selected partners]
