Make More Money From Your Vacation Rental with a Direct Booking Website
The vacation rental industry is constantly evolving. In recent years, the growth rate has been astounding and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Lately, there have been a few newcomers to the scene that you may have heard of. Companies like VRBO and AirBnB seemed like a great way to take the hassle out of owning a vacation rental when they first stepped onto the scene.
However, with the rising fees associated with using these middle-man apps, more and more people are looking to use a direct booking website or property management company instead.
Take a look at some of these reasons why it’s more important than ever to utilize a direct booking website to make more money with your vacation rental.
Increase Your Profit for Each Booking
For the average vacation rental app, there is a service fee taken out of each reservation, starting at 3%. While that may not seem like a lot, when you add it up at the end of each year, you might be surprised at how much profit you’re losing out on.
Stop sharing your ROI with online travel agents (OTAs) and apps like AirBnB and increase profits from your investment.
Creating a Direct Booking Website Has Never Been Easier
Years ago, creating a website may have sounded like a complicated task. However, with the rise of website builders like Lodgify and Uplisting, the process of creating a user-friendly website is simple and cost-effective.
You don’t have to be tech-savvy to set up your own website anymore and guests will appreciate the absence of pricey fees charged to them when they book directly through your site.
Guests Will Want to Skip the Fees and Book Direct
Big OTAs like AirBnB and VRBO are beginning to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths with the constant rise of fees being charged at checkout.
For many of these sites, the service fees for guests can range from 6-12%. If a guest is looking at booking a stay in a more expensive rental, that can be a lot of money.
If guests are informed about the option to book direct with the host and skip the unnecessary fees, they’ll be more inclined to take that route.
You Control the Guest Experience
Having a direct booking website will not only save you money and allow you to earn more profit, but it will also give you control over your brand and the guest experience.
By being able to control the customer service experience and build a stronger brand for your properties, you will establish customer trust and credibility which can lead to future bookings with returning guests.
Market to Previous and Future Guests
A direct booking website allows you to set up analytic tools to determine how you can better market your properties to reach a broader audience.
You’ll also be able to easily build an email list of past guests through which you can market directly to them and book more stays with them in the future.
Earn More Money From Your Vacation Rental
By now you may be convinced that you want to start making more profit with your vacation rental property. So where do you begin?
If creating your own direct booking website seems like a daunting task, you can always utilize a vacation rental management company to take care of the direct booking for you.
With a management company, instead of paying flat service fees, you’ll pay for services that will improve the overall experience for you and your guests like cleaning, concierge, and more.
Most property management companies offer direct booking in addition to these helpful services. So ditch those OTAs and get your guests booking direct today!
