In Brief: This article explores the nuanced relationship between online travel agencies and hospitality businesses, analyzing how the choice of booking channel can influence a customer's lifetime value to a company. Authors Dev, Chekitan S. Kumar, V. Sunder, Sarang Lezkiewicz, Agata Abstract Online travel agencies (OTAs) and other intermediaries have become essential customer acquisition partners for hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines and other travel brands.