2nd Annual #BookDirect Guest Education Day Set for February 6 — Let your guests know it pays to book direct, book smart, and book local

The Second Annual #BookDirect Guest Education Day, recurring on the first Wednesday in February, is set for February 6, 2019. With a multitude of new travelers searching for vacation rentals, vacation rental managers and homeowners will join forces for one day with a singular message to let travelers know that there are many advantages to bypassing third-party channels and booking directly with management companies and homeowners.

On February 6th’s Second Annual Guest Education Day, managers and owners are encouraged 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.
• Work with local and feeder-market media sources to educate consumers about the best ways to book a vacation rental.
• Encourage local destination marketing organizations (i.e. CVBs, chambers, and state tourism organizations) to join in promoting their direct connections to lodging providers.

Last year, the inaugural #BookDirect Guest Education Day reached an estimated 3.5 million travelers with direct email campaigns and had a social reach of over 24 million consumers.

Some of last year’s messaging included:

• When travelers book on large vacation rental websites like Airbnb, VRBO.com, and TripAdvisor, they are paying substantial fees to use these sites.
• Many of the best vacation homes are not listed on these websites.
• Managers and homeowners know the properties and the area better than anyone, can better match travelers to homes, and can help plan a better vacation experience.
• Travelers can find out about special offers that can’t be found on the big websites.
• Managers and owners can better help guests optimize dates and budgets to fit their needs.
• Travelers with special needs and requests can work directly with owners and managers in a much more personal way to create a guaranteed amazing vacation for their family or group.

2018 #BookDirect email examples

Check out Outer Banks Blue’s video from 2018.

There is power in numbers, so join us as we provide valuable education to guests and promote the industry to a broad range of vacation rental travelers.