One of the difficult tasks of Property Managers and Vacation Rental companies is to get and keep loyal guests who will stay with you year after year. The goal of course, is to get web visitors to book one of your vacation rentals directly on your site. When guests book directly it is a win win for both guests, and property managers. Guests don’t have to pay extra fees and property managers get to build a direct relationship with the guest. Not to mention, the chance to gain additional revenue with travel insurance sales and other amenity upgrades.
There are lots of ways you bring guests to your website, whether it is through email, SEO, social media or PPC ads they all have an effect. We know that all this works, but we also know that we must cast a wider net and work with Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s). The OTA’s are the big players in the market. They have the marketing budgets to promote the whole concept of Vacation Rentals which helps more and more potential guests understand the concept. OTA’s do change the rules all the time, and for their benefit not yours. If for example you don’t change your cancellation policies to mirror theirs, your listing will fall to the bottom.
Therefore, we need to learn to not build on rented land and rely too heavily on the Vrbos, Airbnbs and Booking.coms of the world. Remember OTA's create a layer between you and your guest, and instead of a direct relationship, it becomes just a financial transaction.
By building a direct relationship with your guests:
You determine if they are a good fit to be your guest.
You get to control the message the guests receive from that point forward.
You upsell them travel insurance and amenities without losing that revenue to the OTA’s.
You market items to them regarding their current stay, such as bike rentals or shows and events.
You inform them of special situations or important things to remember about their stay.
You have direct contact with them throughout their entire booking journey, stay and beyond, and guests appreciate this.
You get to promote the best of your company and the idea for guests to always come back and stay with you whenever they travel to your region.
You create a lasting relationship and one where both parties win!
All of the above increases your company's value through the added net revenue that come from direct bookings.
But the eternal question is how to get the direct bookings on your site? Besides doing all the normal things getting guests to your website through marketing, social media, billboard effect etc. you need to convert them during the booking inquiry.
This is where Direct Booking Tools comes into play for you! Once guests are on your site you want to ensure they book directly. With Direct Booking Tools first ever price comparison tool for vacation rentals, that is exactly what will happen. With our tool on your site, you can show guests (and back up your claim) a Best Price Guarantee! This is all done in real time and there is no other product or service in the vacation rental market that has this dramatic impact on the conversion of your guest and making them your clients for life! Direct Booking Tools is your answer for converting bookings and backing it up with analytics that will help you understand your market even better than you do now. Let Direct Booking Tools be a partner and double your direct bookings with you.