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Education

#BookDirect: Guest Education Day, February 7 — Let your guests know it pays to book direct, book smart, and book local.

#BookDirect: Guest Education Day, February 7 — Let your guests know it pays to book direct, book smart, and book local.
mm
Amy Hinote
January 14, 2018

With a multitude of new travelers searching for vacation rentals, vacation rental managers and homeowners are joining forces for one day with a singular message to let travelers know that there are many advantages to bypassing third-party channels to book directly with management companies and homeowners.

On February 7, on this inaugural non-branded Guest Education Day, managers and owners are encouraged to:

  • Ask employees to use the hashtag #bookdirect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to bring attention to the many advantages of booking  vacation rentals directly with the manager or homeowner instead of on third party channels.
  • Send out an email campaign to their past and prospective guests with a message about the value of booking direct, booking local, and booking smart.

It only take a about 1,200 #bookdirect tweets and retweets to trend, which will draw attention from the media about the value of booking direct and educate consumers about the hundreds of dollars they are unnecessarily paying in fees to third party channels.

Industry influencers will be supplementing the message with national media press releases and story lines.

Related: Vacation Rental Managers Share #BookDirect Messages

Here are some ideas for messaging:

  • Book direct and save: Did you know that Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway and TripAdvisor add hundreds of dollars of fees to your booking total?
  • When you book direct, you have direct contact with the manager or owner: When booking a vacation rental, peace of mind is important. Want to know if there is a grill, a kayak, 24/7 service, a grocery store close by? When you book direct, you can find out many of these important questions and more before you commit to booking.
  • The best price isn’t on the OTAs: Unlike hotels, OTAs and aggregators (like Airbnb, Expedia, Booking.com, VRBO.com, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, and FlipKey) don’t have the best price for travelers. In fact, you can save hundreds by booking direct and booking local.
  • Many of the best vacation rentals aren’t event listed on the major sites: Because of the cost of using the big sites, the best vacation homes with the highest demand cannot be found on the big websites. Along North Carolina’s beaches, alone, only 30 percent of the homes for rent can be found on the big websites. By limiting your search to the aggregating websites, you might be missing out on the best vacation home for your family or group.
  • Mangers and owners have intimate knowledge about the destination: They can direct you the best rental for your needs and send you to the best activities, restaurants, and area service providers.
  • If you have special needs, a manager or homeowner can help: Looking for help with your family’s special needs or help with pets? A manager or owner can work with you directly to help with any of your individual needs and give you these assurances before you commit to a booking.
  • During non-peak travel times, managers and owners have special offers available: From events and activities to special rates to onsite services, with direct communication with managers and owners, you get insider knowledge and the best offers.

While the vacation rental industry often pits managers and owners against each other, the fact is that there are both management companies and owners who strive every single day to provide amazing vacation rental experiences for guests. OTAs and third party sites have made recent changes to their business models that have been detrimental to both guests and vacation rental providers (including managers, owners, and hosts).

Coming together as an industry in this small way on this one day provides the industry with a valuable cooperative effort to push back on OTA changes and provide guests and media with much needed education about the industry.

Join vacation rental providers on February 7th using the hashtag #bookdirect to help educate guests on the advantages of booking directly with you.

Comment below with any suggestions about messaging and ideas.

Related Items#bookdirectbooking a vacation rentalFeaturedGuest Education Daymanagersownersshort-term rentaltraveler feesvacation rental
View Comments (33)

33 Comments

  1. Elaine Watt says:
    July 22, 2019 at 1:11 am

    The Holiday Let Success Podcast is supporting the #BookDirect movement – joins us each week on Twitter @holidayletpod & join our dedicated #TwitterChat – use #BookDirectHour to join in and in a concentrated effort each week, share our message! See you there! Elaine

    Reply
  2. Melissa says:
    February 4, 2019 at 8:54 am

    We are super excited to help spread the word! So many travelers do not even know they have a choice or that a fee exists. At NewYorkRentalRBO.com we are eager to do our part in helping to spread the word by email and social media.

    Reply
  3. Joe Mogensen says:
    March 20, 2018 at 3:06 pm

    Every monthly e-newsletter to our (15,000+) renter opt-ins includes a reminder on the importance of booking directly with owners or local property managers.

    Reply
  4. dana says:
    March 19, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    I am so frustrated with VRBO and the like so anything I can do to get away from them is helpful. What exactly is Book Direct? Is it a listing site for homeowners, a hashtag, an information promoter? I don’t have twitter, do I need it to participate?

    Reply
  5. Claudia Simmons says:
    February 7, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    Hi vrmintel,

    Gulf Coat Getaways have participated in the #bookdirect movement. Love the idea of educating guests about our industry. Thank you!

    https://m.facebook.com/pensacolagetaways/

    Reply
  6. julia says:
    February 7, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    I own just one luxury vacation rental home in the Seattle area and it is listed on VRBO and Airbnb. I can’t tell you the frustrations we have had with these platforms and not being able to know who is asking to book our home, no contact, state, etc. is just unbelievably insane. Clients get so irritated when they can’t contact us to ask questions and it goes on and on. I would love to have my own website but I worry that ranking on search will bury us so I feel compelled to use the vacation rental sites. I am all for this!

    Reply
    • russellt says:
      February 8, 2018 at 8:40 am

      Why not do both? They’re not mutually exclusive.

      &/or sign up with #bookdirect providers who DO publish your contact details!

      Reply
  7. Carla Lundy says:
    February 7, 2018 at 10:58 am

    Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Desiree Ratcliffe-Lattimore says:
    February 7, 2018 at 12:23 am

    We support #BookDirect today Wed 7 Feb 2018!

    Reply
  9. Jesse Martinek, (Founder & CEO) vacayrx.com says:
    February 6, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    Looking very much forward to this event! At Vacayrx we always provide contact information for owners/managers and allow direct communication between them and their prospective guests, Pre-Booking. Thrilled to see other platforms in agreement that this is the right way for the industry to proceed.

    Reply
    • Philip Haines says:
      February 7, 2018 at 1:55 am

      Great initiative. We’re promoting this from @visitexeter and @visitsouthdevon in the UK. Have already tweeted this morning @exeterselfcater

      Reply
  10. Ryan Mercer says:
    February 4, 2018 at 6:42 am

    I started a similar movement that we can utilize around the world all the time. BookDirectRewards.com

    It is simple, free and benefits the entire industry.

    Reply
  11. David Stansberry says:
    February 1, 2018 at 11:13 am

    Find Rentals will be in on this.
    For the past 16+ years we have educated the Traveler on all the benefits of Booking Direct with the Vacation Rental Manager. We never interfere in the booking process and never have any service or traveler fees or commissions. We always allow the traveler to book directly with the Vacation Rental Managers team and website. With over 400+ VRMs working with Find Rentals they see how we truly support the VRM industry by keeping their Brand in front of the traveler and always allowing them to book direct.

    Reply
  12. Michelle, TripsIn.com says:
    January 23, 2018 at 1:54 pm

    TripsIn.com will absolutely be on board February 7th. Great idea Amy & team! Our goal is just this, to help owners/property managers take back their vacation rentals and MANAGE their own leads. We are 100% a lead generation website based on educating the public to #BookDirect (#ScrewBookingFees). We are here to help support guest education and lead management. Looking forward to working together! – TripsIn.com

    Reply
  13. Aron Queg says:
    January 20, 2018 at 1:54 pm

    A matter of time…….travel agents were grossly overpaid, newspaper classified advertising and Yellow Pages never relevant or cost effective, Internet search placement hopelessly unaffordable, Visitor Bureaus corrupt, bloated, brick and mortared useless, OTA’s the premier gougers using unskilled/uncaring low ender pizza box laden cubicle slave labor ….

    So much time, money wasted on “others” to determine your economic futures….these parasites were never your friend.

    Reply
  14. Alan Hammond says:
    January 20, 2018 at 9:48 am

    One word – Brilliant!

    Reply
  15. Leslie says:
    January 19, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    We understand the importance of transparency between the guests and the professional hosts. Fetch My Guest has been providing this transparency for the past two years, independent of OTA’s or Property Management Systems. We believe the future is bright for our industry and guest education will lead the way. #bookdirect #saynotovrbo

    Reply
  16. Kyle says:
    January 17, 2018 at 5:15 pm

    Tripz.com is in full support of this! Travelers need to be aware of the added costs of “Service Fees” that they can easily avoid by booking direct. We focus on helping owners build their brand and make it clear to travelers its not a site they are booking with but a great local provider of vacation rentals. Service Fees and commissions simply drive up the cost of accommodations. We all need to work together to support what makes the vacation rental community so amazing!

    Great job Amy!!! We will be sure to spread the word to all of our travelers and support the initiative!

    #BookDirect

    Reply
  17. Rod Fitts says:
    January 17, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    What I see here that is so exciting to me is the coordination of multiple platforms towards a specific objective.This is key to everything from developing a brand for independent owners and managers to establishing standards of practice in the industry. They always say it is darkest before the dawn, this is a great step towards the daylight.

    Reply
  18. Igor Loragev says:
    January 17, 2018 at 9:50 am

    Great idea. I’m in. In fact, I was planning a press release about StaySavr/Homeaway in early Feb. Do you mind if I jump on your bandwagon and target it for 7 Feb using the #BookDirect hashtag?

    Reply
  19. La Maison & L'Atelier says:
    January 17, 2018 at 9:11 am

    Great initiative, I’ve shared this with my confreres in France!

    Reply
  20. Don says:
    January 17, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Excellent! We’ll definitely get the message out!

    Reply
  21. Gary Day says:
    January 17, 2018 at 8:22 am

    I am DEFINATELY in on this. I am so tired of all the big OTA’s and their rule changes. They keep taking a larger and larger chunk of our hard earned money. When my subscriptions to trip advisor and vacation rentals.com run out in March, I am done. Booking.com I have already shut down availability. I think what angers me the most besides the financials is the fact that they no longer allow the guest and the owner to talk before booking. That has to be the most unfair rule to both sides. Guests want to ask questions and I want to know who is staying in my cottages. I am not a big Twitter user so somebody please educate me on what I need to do. Thank you and thank you for starting this initiative to whomever did it.
    SunTiki cottages of Indian rocks Beach Florida

    Reply
  22. Marg Johnston says:
    January 17, 2018 at 7:47 am

    Thank you for the initiative..I have been in business 25 years and manage over 30 quality condos, villas and homes on beautiful Manasota Key in SW Florida. I advertised heavily with VRBO when they first started in business and was one of their strongest supporters….what has happened to this industry is basically a money grab by executives that have found a cash cow. They have no commitment to the travelling public and have turned the industry upside down. Can’t even begin to tell you how many guests have contacted me in desperation when they found out the VRBO property they reserved and paid for, was double booked and they were without a place to stay. The Homeaway guarantee was a joke..3 nights in a local motel and money back weeks down the road. But people are convinced that this is where you need to go to book a vacation rental. It is definitely time for property managers and owners alike to join forces and bring back customer service and some semblance of sanity and ethics to this industry . Any help you an provide is much appreciated!
    Marg Johnston
    Sunshine Vacation Rentals

    Reply
  23. Nick Marshall says:
    January 17, 2018 at 6:51 am

    Terrific initiative. I just hope more holiday home owners will stand on their own feet and begin the road to listing site independence by building their own website or joining with others in their region and building one together. It’s not hard to be independent.

    Alan Egan’s Vacation Soup is offering a free WordPress website template to help people to be become independent and become part of a large independent network.

    Of course, the catch is that it takes a bit of effort to be free and an understanding that this is a hospitality business. Relying on third parties and being restricted in the means of communication with our customers by the OTAs is a failure to understand what the business of hospitality really is.

    Hospitality implies a direct person to person approach which is being destroyed by the concept of scale.

    Reply
  24. Isabelle says:
    January 17, 2018 at 6:46 am

    Thank you so much Amy. That’s a wonderful initiative and great support. We are happy to share it and we will use #bookdirect on 7th of February.

    Reply
  25. Philip Haines says:
    January 17, 2018 at 6:02 am

    Great idea – we’ll promote #bookdirect in Devon, UK

    #exeterselfcatering #exeterservicedapartments

    Reply
  26. russellt says:
    January 17, 2018 at 2:09 am

    Great initiative. I hope it gains some traction. We use #bookdirect and #bookfeefree in all our outbound socmed communications. The market is slowly turning 🙂

    Reply
  27. DLC says:
    January 16, 2018 at 9:20 pm

    I don’t use twitter. Will my hashtags on Facebook count towards the numbers to trend?

    Reply
  28. Angelina says:
    January 16, 2018 at 3:06 pm

    I am very pleased with this initiative and will support you from the Netherlands. Will do my best to inform my network too!

    Warm regards, Angelina
    xohotels.com

    Reply
  29. Joanne Logie says:
    January 16, 2018 at 8:28 am

    Thanks Amy. This is a great article and very helpful. Our company New England Vacation Rentals just did a Book direct email blast to thousands of guests that have ever booked with us or even inquired. While we advertise on the large OTA websites-We always explain that the guest will pay higher fees on these sites and only our company New England Vacation Rentals can offer offer the lowest rates on the web if the book our professionally managed homes direct. Not only that…vacation homes are so different than booking a hotel room. Vacation Homes are unique and personal and someone sitting in a call center in another county could never assist the guest the way we can. We honestly feel Professional Rental Management companies will actually do very well as we are the ones that can offer the full package for the owner. We carefully market and vet the guest and then oversee and take care of the home before, during and after guest departure. We are the ones who have a full property management/maintenance team to be there 24/7 for our guests and owners. We are the ones who personally know each and every home that we manage and have strong relationships with our homeowners and guests. We also have super high tech reservation software that we can immediately market, book and manage a guest. Our owners love this. We really like like your idea of #bookdirect. We will use!! Thanks again–Joanne Logie Managing Partner of New England Vacation Rentals Inc.

    Reply
  30. Juri says:
    January 15, 2018 at 11:40 am

    Well great idea with this hashtags easy to track property owners:)

    Reply
    • Elaine Mose Stitcher says:
      February 2, 2018 at 3:15 pm

      Seaside Vacations on the ESVA is ON it :)!

      Reply

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Education
January 14, 2018
mm
Amy Hinote @vrmintel

Amy Hinote is the founder and editor-in-chief of VRM Intel Magazine, which provides news, information and resources for the professionally managed vacation rental industry. With a background in finance and over 15 years in the vacation rental industry, Hinote has worked with property management companies, technology companies, intermediaries and investors, and provides insider information about the growing vacation rental industry. She also founded the data company, now known as Key Data Dashboard, which provides aggregated market intelligence and reporting for vacation rental managers. Hinote resides between Alabama's Gulf Coast and Evanston, Illinois.

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