Lesson · 2 min
How to Get More Direct Bookings for Your Vacation Rental
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How to get more direct bookings for your vacation rental in five steps: your own booking website, Google Vacation Rentals, your home's name, your own guest list and your link everywhere.
Airbnb's help page says most hosts pay a 15.5% host service fee. A direct booking happens on your own website, with no platform in the middle and no host fee. In two minutes Hal Whitlock walks through the one Airbnb rule to respect first, then five steps that bring guests to your own site, with Airbnb's and Google's own help pages on screen.
In this video
Chapters
- 0:00Direct bookings, the 15.5% fee and Airbnb's one rule
- 0:23Step 1: a direct booking website with live prices
- 0:36Step 2: Google Vacation Rentals and free booking links
- 0:57Step 3: own your home's name
- 1:12Step 4: build your own guest list
- 1:27Step 5: your link everywhere, beside Airbnb
- 1:43Recap: the five steps
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The Five Steps
- Your own website, with live prices and a book button that keeps the guest on your site. If the button sends people back to Airbnb, it is a brochure, not a booking site.
- Get listed on Google. Google's help page says rental listings appear alongside organic search results, and its free booking links send travelers to book on your own website with no fee for Google-generated bookings.
- Ask your property management software whether it connects to Google. Google lists connectivity partners, among them Guesty, Hostaway and OwnerRez.
- Own your name. Give the home a real name and use it on your site, your Instagram and your emails, so a search for it brings up your website first.
- Keep the guests who book direct. With their permission they join your own list, and one good email a month keeps your home on their mind for the next trip. Then put your website link in your Instagram bio, every post and every email.
Word for word
Transcript
From the English captions on YouTube.
0:00 Direct bookings, the 15.5% fee and Airbnb's one rule
Most hosts now pay Airbnb 15.5%. Here’s how to get bookings that skip that fee. A direct booking happens on your own website. No platform in the middle, and no host fee. One rule first: Airbnb forbids moving its guests off Airbnb. Direct guests have to find you on your own.
0:23 Step 1: a direct booking website with live prices
Step one: your own website, with live prices and a book button that stays on your site. If that button sends people back to Airbnb, it isn’t a booking site. It’s a brochure.
0:36 Step 2: Google Vacation Rentals and free booking links
Step two: Google Vacation Rentals. Your home can appear right in Google search, with your prices. Google’s free booking links send travelers to book on your own website, and Google charges no fee. Ask your property management software whether it connects to Google Vacation Rentals.
0:57 Step 3: own your home's name
Step three: own your name. When a guest searches your home’s name, your website should come up first. Give the home a real name, and use it everywhere: your site, your Instagram, your emails.
1:12 Step 4: build your own guest list
Step four: keep the guests who book direct. With their permission, they join your own guest list. That list is yours. One good email a month keeps your home on their mind for the next trip.
1:27 Step 5: your link everywhere, beside Airbnb
Step five: put your website link everywhere you’re seen. Your Instagram bio, every post, every email. None of this replaces Airbnb on day one. Airbnb still brings guests. Direct bookings grow beside it.
1:43 Recap: the five steps
So: a real website, Google Vacation Rentals, your own name, your own list, and your link everywhere. Building direct booking websites is what we do at Cavmir. Cavmir.com.
Questions
Questions Owners Ask
Can I send my Airbnb guests to my own website?
No. Airbnb's Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy forbids moving current, future or repeat bookings off Airbnb.
Can I add Airbnb guests to my email list?
No. The same policy lists using guest contact details for marketing, or signing guests up for a contact list, as not allowed. Build the list from guests who booked direct.
Does Google charge for these bookings?
Google's help page says there are no fees for Google-generated referrals or bookings through its free booking links.
Should I leave Airbnb?
Not on day one. Airbnb still brings guests; direct bookings grow beside it.
CavmirTV
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