February 1st 2023 is Book Direct day! This is the day when holiday accommodation owners like myself and from all over the world try to raise awareness about the benefits of booking holidays direct with accommodation owners rather than through an OTA.
Why? Because you the guest, are paying more than you need to for your holiday and that’s the bottom line.
What’s an OTA?
Before we get into that let’s look at some terminology. What actually is an OTA? The acronym stands for online travel agent and includes companies like Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO.
There are also channel managers such as Sykes and cottages.com. Finally, there are listing companies such as independent cottages and Simply owners.
How do they work?
The way they work are all slightly different but essentially the OTA’s charge you a significant percentage over the accommodation owners price. They also charge the owner, so the owner has to increase their price to cover the fee.
Channel managers in the main will charge the owners a significant percentage of what you pay for your holiday. This could be up to 25% of the value and then they add VAT on top of that. They take the booking and then deduct their fee from what they pay to the owner.
Listing companies, as a rule take an annual subscription fee from the owners and then direct the holiday maker to the owners own website.
Why do people use OTA’s?
Reason They have a search facility
Response So does the Internet, marketplace and many websites such as Go North Wales
Reason You can read the reviews
Response Yes and that is a great idea, read the reviews but then book direct
Reason Because they are well known
Response They are and that gives a sense of security, but you pay heavily for that and there are other ways to check out the holiday.
What are the benefits? Why book direct?
Obviously the biggie is that you will save money, in some cases a considerable amount. Here’s an example. I had some guests stay for 6 nights in the shepherd’s hut last June. Airbnb charged them £107.75 more than I was asking. That’s an extra £17.96 each night! That money would have paid for several meals out for my guest and his girlfriend. (In total Airbnb made £130.65 on that stay because they also charged me £22.90).
Apart from the money, why should I book direct?
Well if you book direct with the owner, you have more flexibility, you can ask for longer or shorter stays, different check in times etc. It is easier to amend a booking if you need to.
The price will always be better when booking directly with the owners and you may find they have special offers or have a loyalty scheme for returning guests.
You can ask questions, what’s included, what isn’t, will there be towels? How far is it really to the closest beach? Can you walk to a pub?
Hosts can provide recommendations about places to visit and where to eat out. Where the closest shop is and the best location to catch the sunset. They have the detailed knowledge about the area and also know what their previous guests enjoyed most.
For Peace of mind
Give the owner a ring, have a chat with them, you will soon get a feeling for who they are. They probably have a Facebook page and they might have a website. You may find their property as a Google listing. Read the reviews and ask about payment methods. If you pay by credit card you will have payment protection.
Do a little research, book direct and save yourself those huge commission fees. Finally let me thank you in advance for doing your bit to support independent holiday home owners in their efforts to continue to provide high quality holiday homes for your enjoyment
Cerys
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