Notes on booking direct.
What it costs to be introduced to your own guests, what a calendar can and cannot promise, and what a stranger needs before they will send you money.
The calendar is the whole job
Most hosting problems are recoverable. Selling the same week twice is the one that costs you a guest, a refund, and a review you cannot undo.
Operations2 min read
Your cheapest booking is the guest who already stayed
Finding a new guest costs money every single time. Someone who already liked your place costs an email, assuming you kept their address.
Marketing2 min read
The page a guest needs before they trust you
Booking direct asks a stranger to send money to a site they have never heard of. Here is what has to be on the page before they will.
Guest experience2 min read
What a booking platform actually costs you
Commission is the visible number. The larger cost is that the guest belongs to the platform rather than to you, and that one compounds.
Revenue & pricing2 min read
Why guests book direct when you let them
Guests are not loyal to booking platforms. They are loyal to a place they liked. Most have simply never been offered a way to come back.
Direct booking2 min read
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