Methodology · last updated 6 Oct 2026
How CompSetly checks rate parity
This page describes exactly what a CompSetly brief observes, how the numbers are calculated and what is not verified. If something in a brief is not covered here, ask us at hello@compsetly.com.
1. What we capture
For a hotel, a stay (check-in, check-out) and a number of guests (2 adults unless you ask otherwise), an automated collector we operate reads the public Google Hotels listing for a given country and currency (for example Spain / EUR). For every offer listed we record:
- the provider (the hotel’s official site or an online travel agency),
- whether Google labels it as the official site,
- the price per night and the stay total as listed,
- the capture time (UTC), country, currency, dates and guests.
2. How the numbers are calculated
| Figure | Formula | Madrid sample |
|---|---|---|
| Gap on the stay | official total − lowest OTA total | €1,001.44 − €903.72 = €97.72 |
| Official-site premium | gap ÷ lowest OTA total | €97.72 ÷ €903.72 = 10.8% |
| Price per night | stay total ÷ nights, rounded to the cent | €1,001.44 ÷ 3 = €333.81 |
| Spread across offers | highest ÷ lowest per-night offer − 1 | €458.17 ÷ €301.24 − 1 = 52.1% |
Gaps are always computed from stay totals, then divided by the number of nights. Percentages always use the lowest OTA offer as the base, so “10.8% above” is not the same as a 10.8% discount on your rate (that would be 9.8% here).
3. What we do not verify unless the brief says so
- Room type, bed type and board (meals) behind each offer.
- Cancellation and payment terms (refundable vs non-refundable, pay now vs pay later).
- Which taxes and fees are included in each listed price.
- Member-only, mobile-only or logged-in rates.
- Whether the offer is still bookable at that price when you click through.
Each brief has a match-check table that marks these items as “Not verified” until someone has opened both booking pages and recorded what they show.
4. Limits
- A brief is a snapshot. Prices on Google Hotels change through the day and can differ by country, device and whether the viewer is signed in.
- We capture from one country setting per brief. Guests elsewhere may see different offers.
- Google Hotels does not list every booking site, and an offer may be missing at capture time.
- A lower OTA price does not by itself show lost bookings, commission paid or revenue you could recover. It shows a gap worth investigating.
5. Samples
Public samples, such as The Principal Madrid brief, use public data only. The hotels shown are not CompSetly customers and have not reviewed or endorsed the brief.
6. Independence
CompSetly is not affiliated with Google or any online travel agency, and we receive no commission from any booking site.