Can I sell hotel rooms where my customer pays the hotel directly when they check in?

Yes, in most cases you can, but it depends on which rates your supplier gives you. Hotel booking APIs usually carry two kinds of rates. Prepaid rates are paid up front, so the money is collected on your portal at the time of booking and the supplier settles with the hotel later. Pay at hotel rates, sometimes called pay on arrival, let your customer confirm the room now and hand the money over at the front desk when they check in.

Both kinds normally come back in the same search, and the API tells you which one you are looking at, so your website can show the difference clearly before your customer commits. A pay at hotel room still asks for a card at the time of booking in many cases, because the hotel wants a guarantee against a no show, but nothing is charged unless the guest fails to turn up or cancels late.

The part worth thinking about is your own earning. On a prepaid room you take the payment yourself, so your markup sits with you straight away. On a pay at hotel room the money goes to the hotel, so your commission reaches you afterwards through the supplier, and the timing depends on the agreement you have with them. Some suppliers do not offer pay at hotel rates at all, and some hotels allow it only on certain room types or in certain countries.

Before you switch these rates on, ask your supplier which of their hotels support pay at hotel and how they pass your commission back to you, and check that your booking page makes it plain to the guest what is still owed on arrival.