Doubao Hotel Referral Fee Clarified as Transaction-Based Only

Recently, ByteDance's AI assistant Doubao began directing users to hotel bookings on Douyin Life Services. A new policy from Douyin's learning center, effective August 10, 2026, sets a 11.4% software service fee plus 0.6% payment processing fee for hotel orders made through Doubao, totaling about 12%.

In response to claims that Doubao takes a 12% commission, Doubao's PR head Liu Xing said this is inaccurate. She explained that Doubao's life services business currently has no paid promotions, and merchants cannot influence recommendations or rankings with money. Fees are only charged when a booking is completed. Unlike platforms using a "commission plus ads" model, Doubao mainly charges per transaction, so the two aren't directly comparable.

Liu Xing added that actual channel costs and new order results are more meaningful for merchants. The service is still in early exploration, and feedback is welcome. The new rate applies until a new policy is issued, with details shown in the merchant backend.