Listen to the podcast episode
Or listen now on Apple iTunes or Spotify.
Key Takeaways
The Book Direct Movement Will Grow Among Professional Hosts: Hobbyist hosts are less likely to embrace direct booking strategies as they focus primarily on platforms like Airbnb. Professional hosts and companies are better positioned to benefit from the book direct movement as they can invest in marketing and infrastructure like PMS and branded websites.
The Quality of Properties Matters as Much as Marketing: A poorly maintained or mismatched property undermines your brand and direct booking efforts, no matter how good your marketing is. Align your properties with your target audience and ensure a consistent guest experience across all listings to build a loyal customer base.
Educating Guests About Direct Booking Benefits is Crucial: Highlighting perks like early check-in, better amenities, and personalized service can be more compelling than focusing solely on cost savings. Use messaging that simplifies the value proposition to guests. Avoid overwhelming or confusing them with too much information.
Airbnb’s Brand Dominance Remains a Key Challenge: Airbnb has become synonymous with vacation rentals, with many guests bypassing search engines altogether to book directly on their app. While this creates a competitive hurdle, hosts can leverage their presence on platforms like Airbnb to subtly guide guests toward direct bookings.
Off-Platform Strategies Can Still Work: Educate guests on the benefits of direct bookings within the constraints of OTA rules. Techniques like branding your listing, offering differentiated perks, and using distinct policies for direct bookings can create a long-term shift.
Book Direct Battles Can Be Won Even If the War is Challenging: Hosts should focus on what they can control, such as building a strong website, investing in digital marketing, and nurturing guest relationships. Even if the overall market trends toward OTAs, individual success with direct bookings is achievable through targeted efforts.
New OTAs Need a Unique Niche to Succeed: Emerging marketplaces will struggle unless they serve a specific niche (e.g., pet-friendly stays, LGBTQ+ travel, solo travelers). Broad, catch-all platforms are unlikely to compete effectively with giants like Airbnb or Vrbo.
Focus on Your Core Market Before Expanding: Many hosts attempt to expand to secondary markets too early, often before fully capitalizing on their primary market. Maximizing potential in one location before scaling ensures better operational control and stronger brand loyalty.
Direct Booking Fees Can Fuel Marketing Budgets: A modest service fee (e.g., 8%) on direct bookings provides resources to reinvest in marketing, making it a viable strategy to compete with OTA advertising budgets.
Collaborative Efforts Can Strengthen the Movement: Professional hosts working together—via shared knowledge, co-op marketing, or group education—can amplify the impact of the book’s direct movement. Grassroots efforts to educate guests collectively will help offset OTA dominance.
What We Cover In This Episode
Welcome to our first-ever guest BONUS episode! We’re joined by Boostly CEO Mark Simpson from his home in the UK to talk all things “Book Direct” movement: where it’s going, what’s working well, what we need to leave behind, and a lot more.
A special thanks to Mark for reaching out and joining us.
