Why isn’t my holiday let website getting direct bookings?
Usually because guests can’t see availability and prices for their dates, can’t book and pay there and then, or can’t find your cancellation policy, so they go back to the platform they found you on. Give them live availability, a deposit taken at booking and clear terms, and give returning guests and local searches a reason to use it.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Holiday lets and B&Bs
- Problem
- Website not getting enquiries
- The fix
- Online Booking & Deposits, £1,800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to holiday lets and b&bs.
- Platforms make booking easy
- On Airbnb or Booking.com a guest picks dates and pays in a few taps. A site that asks them to email and wait feels like hard work.
- No live availability
- If your calendar isn’t on the site, or isn’t synced with the platforms, guests can’t trust it and you risk double bookings.
- Terms aren’t written down
- Guests want to know the deposit, when the balance is due and what happens if they cancel. On your own site you set these, so they have to be spelled out.
- Nobody is sent there
- Airbnb doesn’t allow hosts to ask its guests to book off the platform, so your site needs its own ways in: people who search your name, local searches, social media and word of mouth.
What to do, in order.
Try booking on your own site
On your phone, try to book a weekend. Count the steps and note where you’d give up.
Sync your calendars
Connect your site’s calendar with each platform you list on, so availability matches everywhere.
Write your own terms
Deposit, balance date, cancellation rules, pets and check-in times, on the site and in the confirmation. M1 doesn’t give legal advice on your terms.
Give direct bookers a reason
A welcome hamper, flexible arrival times or an early check-in, stated plainly on the site.
Add booking and deposits
Online Booking & Deposits puts booking on your current website, with deposits, reminders and your rules shown when guests book.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Online Booking & Deposits £1,800
Guests book and pay a deposit on your own site, with reminders and your cancellation rules shown at booking.
Bookings taken online, with a deposit paid up front.
- Foundation Build from £3,500
A new site with proper photos, what’s included and the local area, built around a clear booking route.
Show up locally, look the part.
- Website Chat Assistant £1,800
It answers questions about parking, dogs and check-in at any hour, then hands guests to you on WhatsApp.
Questions answered day and night, then passed to you on WhatsApp.
Want to check the rest of your business first? Take the free Scorecard: 12 questions, about 3 minutes.
Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Will my own website replace Airbnb or Booking.com?
Usually not, and it doesn’t need to. Platforms are good at finding new guests. Your own site is for returning guests, people who search your name and local searches, where paying commission makes less sense. See websites for holiday lets.
What does online booking cost to run?
Online Booking & Deposits is a fixed £1,800 to set up, paid half to start and half at launch. The booking tool’s monthly fee and the card fees on deposits are paid directly by you, and listed before you agree. See what’s included.
What should a holiday let website include?
Proper photos of every room, what’s included, the location and things to do nearby, prices for real dates, live availability, your terms and a secure way to pay. A chat assistant can answer questions about parking, dogs and check-in at any hour.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
From £200No VAT, one payment through Stripe
Not ready yet? Take the free Scorecard, 3 minutes.