Let’s begin with the fundamentals First, what exactly is a direct booking? There may be some misunderstanding among newly acquired vacation rental owners & serviced accommodation owners in the UK regarding the components of a direct booking. Professionals will tell you at the outset of every business that “you need a website,” but if your product is a vacation rental, what purpose does a direct booking serve?
Direct booking serves as a platform for listing descriptions, and property photographs, and a reservation booking engine for visitors & guests to book. Without the assistance of a third-party listing site, you can introduce guests to your property through your booking site, persuade them to make a reservation, and safely secure their reservation. What precisely goes into a website for direct bookings, then? You are free to customize it! You can arrange content however you’d like with customizable tabs if you use the correct website builder. The following general data can be obtained on websites for direct bookings:
- Blogs
- About Us
- Testimonials
- Book now options
- Photo and video gallery
- Pricing
Direct booking benefits
Service fees on online booking platforms might deduct up to 20% of your total revenue. That service charge likewise increases the nightly pricing for your guests. That is the clearest justification for favoring direct reservations. There’s also a bigger concern: if you rely just on OTAs for bookings, you give up some control over your company due to their policy and algorithm modifications. The benefits of direct repeat bookings include:
- Increase your direct booking performance percentage
- Allow you to ditch Airbnb dependency
- reduce third-party channel and booking fees
- Build your brand and reputation
Let’s jump to the topic of How to get more direct bookings On your serviced Accommodation in the UK.
Strategies for Increasing Direct Bookings
- Start a website
Developing a website for your Serviced Accommodation & Short-term Rental is the first step toward increasing direct reservations. Provide a way for consumers to make direct reservations with you and include all the information that is available on your property listings on the online travel agency OTAs.
- Promote in Social Media Platforms
Social media is an excellent tool for establishing and growing your brand as well as connections with previous and future visitors. Based on the demographics of your guests, decide which channels to devote time and energy to, and run social media ads to increase the number of direct reservations. To simplify the process, make sure to include calls to action (CTAs) on your social media profiles that point to your booking engine. Create hashtags and designate locations to promote the sharing of social media material and entice visitors to take and share pictures of their experiences. After that, you can repost visitor-posted content. Encourage and interact with your online community, and from time to time, extend special deals or bundles to your followers.
- Email marketing
Utilize technology for short-term rentals to obtain email addresses from visitors, then add those addresses to campaigns using Mailchimp or other email marketing programs. An effective email marketing plan will automatically send emails, saving you the trouble of sending them, but it will also make it simple to see who has clicked through and made a reservation as a result.
- Offer Incentives and packages
Offer special deals, rebates, or benefits to visitors who make direct reservations via your website. This could include savings for making reservations in advance, free upgrades, freebies, or loyalty benefits.
- Utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
To increase your website’s exposure and position in search results, optimize it for search engines. Make use of location- and property-related keywords and phrases, and update your website often with new information.
- Create Bonds with Visitors
To encourage loyalty, deliver great customer service, and customize the visitor experience. Invite visitors to sign up for your loyalty club or mailing list to receive special deals and promotions.
Common Reasons for Guest Disengagement:
- Poor Customer Experiences
- Lack of Cleanliness
- Inability to Compete with OTAs
- Absence of an Optimized Direct Booking Website
Book a call now with our team we will help you to get more Direct Bookings and All the services regarding Serviced Accommodation.
How to get more direct bookings without losing Airbnb or Booking.com customers?
The OTAs, including Booking.com and Airbnb, revolutionized the hospitality sector. For both hosts and visitors, they streamlined and expedited the entire booking process. But there’s a cost associated with this. Owners of vacation rentals pay a commission of 15% to 25%. Furthermore, the majority of OTAs typically don’t give the rental owners access to sensitive visitor information so they can’t get in touch with them later. That’s the reason why a lot of vacation rental owners are spending a lot of money and effort to increase direct bookings. Additionally, even while clients may use OTAs for research, many would rather speak with the rental or hotel directly after making a decision. Here are 5 simple steps on how to significantly increase direct bookings even without getting your website.
- Promote your rental on social media.
- Add a link to your bio page.
- Present direct reservations as the ideal choice.
- Add a review on your link page
- Communicate your Guest
By following these tips and tailoring your descriptions to the UK market, you can attract more guests, increase bookings, and maximize your rental income.
We are a leading provider of serviced accommodation and apartments, operating in various markets worldwide, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Dubai, Spain, Portugal, and many others. We are passionate about helping travelers find their perfect vacation rentals and offer a wealth of resources and expertise to ensure a seamless experience.
Watch this video to learn more about How to Find Profitable Airbnb Co-Hosting Clients in the UK.
If you have any questions regarding Serviced Accommodations and Airbnb co-hosting in the UK, book a call with our team.
