Getting More Direct Bookings

We asked vacation rental hosts where their bookings come from:

Only 30% of bookings came directly from the customer, meaning that for at least 70% of their bookings, hosts have to pay a fee or percentage to third party sites like Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com. 

65% of those same hosts said they wished more of their bookings came directly from the guest. When we were first starting out with our rental, we felt the same way! We wanted more direct bookings, but obviously couldn't advertise our own website on our third party listings and communication with guests was very limited through those apps as well. 

Here are 3 things you can do to receive more direct bookings for your vacation rental. 

1) Create a website for your rental.

There are many platforms where you can build your own website pretty easily. Lodgify, and One Roof Top, for example, specialize in affordable build-it-yourself vacation rental sites. Alternatively, you can pay a local developer to create a site for you.

Be sure to use high quality and professional images on your website and invest in SEO (search engine optimization) so visitors will find your site when they search "{city name} vacation rental."

2) Give your rental a unique and catchy name.

Name your rental something that is easy for guests to search after they see your posting on third party sites so they can find your website. For example, if you are the host of a loft in Vancouver, BC, a name like "The Funky Vancouver Loft" would be appropriate. (As opposed to something generic such as "The Loft".)

Be sure to list this name on your third party site listing several times (in the title, description, etc.) Odds are, your guest is also looking to book directly and will search for your personal website!

3) Build an email list.

Collect emails from previous guests, or those interested in booking your rental. When you have availabilities or would like to offer a special deal, send out an email to your list!