With OTA commission rates jumping from 10% to a hefty 15-30%, it’s clear why property managers should focus on generating direct bookings with a direct booking website. Why let a significant portion of your hard-earned revenue slip away to OTAs when it could boost your bottom line instead?
But let’s face it — getting guests to book directly and repeatedly is easier said than done. It takes more than a memorable stay to encourage guests to come back. You need a well-rounded strategy that goes beyond excellent service to build long-term relationships and drive repeat bookings.
In this post, we’ll walk through five practical ways to turn first-time guests into loyal repeat guests.
1. Build and Optimize your Website to Attract Users
While an attractive design grabs attention, a poor user experience will drive guests away. So prioritize user flows, fast load times, and an easy booking process over just aesthetics.
To optimize your website:
- Make it fully mobile-responsive: About one-third (32%) of hotel bookings are made through a mobile device, so ensure your website is mobile-compatible.
- Ensure clear, intuitive navigation: Your website should have a simple, logical menu structure and easy booking options.
- Streamline the booking process: Simplify the booking process to a few required steps to increase conversions.
- Incorporate interactive galleries or virtual tours: Give guests a real sense of your property. Use photos that connect emotionally with guests—like families enjoying their stay or friends having fun—rather than just empty rooms or facilities.
Before a customer hits the ‘book’ button, they need to be captivated by your property. A virtual tour makes that difference. They get an immersive experience of the property, bringing them one step closer to booking your property.
Here’s a great example of how a virtual tour can elevate the guest experience: The Curtis Hotel Virtual Tour.
Finally, optimize your direct booking website for search engines:
- Encourage guests to leave reviews on platforms like Google and Trustpilot to boost local SEO.
- Showcase social proof through customer testimonials and reviews.
- Implement proper meta titles, descriptions, and keywords (e.g., ‘a weekend-getaway near [city]’) to improve visibility.
2. Highlight the Benefits of Direct Booking to Users
Users prefer booking properties via direct booking websites over OTAs when the benefits are highlighted in key areas like the homepage, booking page, and pop-ups.
- Highlight “Best Rates Guaranteed” on the booking page to assure guests they’ll pay less without third-party fees.
- Use pop-ups or banners for limited-time offers only available through direct booking.
- Mention personalized services in guest reviews and testimonials, showing the value of direct interaction.
Note: Showcase trust by using trust badges like “Secure Booking” or “No Hidden Fees” on the booking page.
3. Offer a Memorable Guest Experience
Users begin trusting your property the second they choose to book vacation rentals through your direct booking website. For a smooth guest experience, keep these pointers in mind:
- To protect user data, make the website secure through SSL. You don’t want your user information to fall into the wrong hands, causing your guests to lose trust.
- Don’t redirect users to multiple URLs to protect their privacy and keep their user experience smooth.
- Showcase vital social proofing across social media to build credibility.
- Leverage PriceLabs’ Market Dashboard to learn about the amenities guests prefer in your market. You can offer some of these amenities as incentives to those who book your rental directly. Understanding guest preferences and providing the right amenities enhances their stay and overall satisfaction.
Bonus read: How Vacation Rental Owners are using Marketing Dashboards?
4. Go Beyond OTAs to Increase Social Presence
Social media is your gateway to building authentic, direct connections with your audience. Here’s how to maximize its potential:
- Share behind-the-scenes content: Give your followers a chance to peek into your daily operations, employee stories, etc. so they feel included.
- Show real-time guest experiences: Post user-generated content like guest pictures and videos and showcase real-time guest experiences.
- Run exclusive social media promotions: Such promotions and contests boost customer engagement. For example, Melia Hotels International saw a 15% increase in social media followers within six months after incorporating an interactive social media campaign.
- Engage with your customers: Consistently interact with customers to create a loyal community that feels personally connected to your brand. Conduct polls and Q&As on social media and encourage user-generated content.
5. Build Good Relationships with Previous Guests
Implement these few proven strategies to ensure guests return to your property year-on-year.
- Keep guests engaged year-round by sharing personalized email updates—whether it’s a sneak peek into your holiday decorations, summer prep, or exclusive info about upcoming local events they won’t want to miss.
- Sending personalized messages for birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays creates a memorable, personal connection that turns guests into repeat customers.
- Take advantage of automated email reminders! Whether families are returning for summer vacations or business guests are attending annual conferences, timely reminders make rebooking effortless.
- Encourage direct bookings through your direct booking website for vacation rentals by offering special incentives. Consider tailored deals or exclusive arrival gifts like a complimentary Champagne welcome. Reward guests for successful referrals with extra perks, turning their loyalty into your advantage.
Wrapping It Up
Building a direct booking website for vacation rentals that encourages repeat guests isn’t just about getting bookings—it’s about creating a seamless, memorable experience that turns first-time visitors into loyal, returning customers. From optimizing your website for user experience and search engines to engaging with guests year-round through social media and personalized emails, every effort helps foster a lasting connection. By offering customized perks and a stellar guest experience, you can turn your direct booking website into a go-to platform for your guests.
About PriceLabs
PriceLabs is a revenue management solution for the short-term rental and hospitality industry. It was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. Our platform helps individual hosts and hospitality professionals optimize pricing and revenue management, adapting to changing market trends and occupancy levels.
With dynamic pricing, automation rules, and customizations, we manage pricing and minimum-stay restrictions for any portfolio size. Prices are automatically uploaded to preferred channels such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and 110+ property management and channel integrations.
Every day, we price over 400,000+ listings globally across 150+ countries, offering world-class tools like the Base Price Help and Minimum Stay Recommendation Engine. Choose PriceLabs to increase revenue and streamline pricing and revenue management. Sign up for a free trial at pricelabs.co today.