So are you one of the owners whose that’s still in two minds as to whether you should invest in your own holiday rental website or perhaps you should revamp your present website that hasn’t been updated since the 5 years, and it replicates an image of 1990’s.
Regardless of the style, if your website is just there on the internet without generating you any new bookings, the likelihood is that any of the bookings you do receive are coming from somewhere else – which ultimately means a lack of control. And most of the holiday rental websites fall into one of two categories; a completely untapped opportunity or a mismanaged online asset.
Question & Actions
What percentage of your bookings is actually direct?
(Excluding repeat guests or off the street tourists)
Is it – 30%?20%? 10%? Less?
In today’s cut-throat competitive era, as a holiday rental owner your average direct bookings should be at least 15% or an optimal 30-40%.
There is a clear view that in the last couple of years there have been growing numbers of customer prefer in per-booking and it is important to be aware of and take into consideration.
Peer-to-Peer bookings
The old model travel agency is dying as people are tired and sick of paying high agency commissions.
Special thanks to the internet, “holidaymakers”is now empowered to take control and organize their own vacations directly themselves, so peer-to-peer booking for holiday rental owners has become a massive game changer.
Think about it, why on earth would a holiday maker pay 15-25% or more for any accommodation via an agency, when they can just go onto the internet, Google the property name and contact the owner directly, saving them a pot-load of cash?
Most online booking portals have this issue. Guests regularly search for properties on the site, check the availability, copy and paste the property name into Google, and “hey presto,” find the property owner’s website/details and make reservations with them directly.
Food for thought
If any prospective guest would Google for your property right now, what would they find?
Is your current website professional, credible, trustworthy and appealing to make a direct booking? Is your website optimized or they would have to struggle to find it and make a booking?
At the end of the day, your potential guests are out there, they are online, but to attract them, control is key but you can help by rolling out the red carpet.
Booking Agencies & Listing Agencies
After every season owners collect a huge amount of profits and commonly spend a large chunk of that money on paying listing agency commission. And every year, those same owners tend to do this as booking agencies are demanding their prices match the owner’s direct price. So a large number of owners at the end of it don’t even have a marketing budget to play with because the commission paid to book agencies has already drained it.
Don’t get me wrong
Booking and listing agencies definitely have their place, but, you should not pass the control and the fate of your holiday rental business into the hands of booking or holiday listing agent, and I’m guessing they don’t care about your business the same way you do.
Let’s be honest, to them, you’re just another listing, just another number. And every year, like it or not, these online agencies are working tirelessly to add more listing. The agency, then takes your money, charge their commission, but give no guarantees.
“Observe the masses and do the opposite” – James Cann
So instead of possibly doing the same advertising like what everybody else is doing, how about you diversify and include something a touch different? How about you perhaps focus on building your own online vacation rental website, or your own holiday rental dynamic website that puts you in control so that your property actually stands out in the crowd rather than blending in?
Advertising with agencies is a cost – it will obviously cost you financially. So, putting your money into your own website, on the other hand, is an investment that will pay for itself. As there are no agency commissions to be paid and all the online traffic you generate is yours– so it simply makes sense to create your own holiday rental website.
Need some help?
If you want to build your own holiday rental website or require some help with your existing vacation rental website and your online marketing endeavors then contact us and we will get back to you within 12 hours.
