Direct Bookings for your Short-Term Rental Business

Why Direct Bookings put your firmly back in the Driving Seat of your Short-Term Rental Business

This article is written by Sarah Orchard, owner of The Hudnalls Hideout and CEO of Get Fully Booked. Sarah works closely with several Boutique Luxury Retreats owners through her well-known monthly marketing club for holiday let owners. She’ll also be hosting a quarterly themed Ask Me Anything session exclusively for Boutique Luxury Retreats owners – watch this space!

Why Direct Bookings put your firmly back in the Driving Seat of your Short-Term Rental Business…

Property Managers, holiday let and glamping business owners are increasingly recognising the incredible benefits of taking direct bookings rather than relying on the giant online travel agents (OTAs), like Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com.

Speaking as an Owner to other Owners

At my luxury treehouse business, The Hudnalls Hideout, we’ve been 100% direct bookings since we launched in February 2020 and it’s had a huge impact on our business. In this post, I’m sharing three key reasons why you should focus on direct bookings – and how it can make a massive difference to your short term rental business.

Regain Control Over Your Business

One of the biggest perks of being a small business owner is calling the shots. But when you list your property on an Online Travel Agency (OTA), you hand over control – often without even realising it.

OTAs prioritize their brand over yours. Ever noticed how Airbnb has become a generic term for short-term rentals?

Guests may refer to your property as “an Airbnb,” rather than recognising your unique brand. This means your hard work in crafting a memorable guest experience gets lost under their umbrella.

Plus, OTAs dictate pricing, website content, and even guest communication. Many have dynamic pricing tools that can adjust your rates based on their own metrics – not necessarily what’s best for your business. Even worse, they own the guest relationship by keeping email addresses hidden, making it harder for you to build long-term guest loyalty.

By focusing on direct bookings, you take back the power. You control your pricing, your branding, and – most importantly – your guest relationships.

Increase Your Visibility and Get Seen

Many property owners don’t realise that OTAs compete against them in the Google search results.

Ever searched for your own business online, only to find an OTA listing popping up before your website?

That’s because many OTAs bid on your brand name in Google Ads, effectively hijacking your visibility. Some even keep your listing live after you stop using their platform, redirecting potential guests to your direct competitors instead!

In contrast, a well-optimised direct booking website and paid directory listings, like Boutique Luxury Retreats, helps you build your brand’s presence. Unlike OTAs, directory listing sites (like Boutique Luxury Retreats!) can actually boost your SEO rather than competing with it. If you’re not sure about the difference between the two, check out Episode 17 of my Get Fully Booked podcast, where I chat with an expert on this topic.

More Profit in Your Pocket (the best place for it!)

At the end of the day, your goal is to make a profit – and direct bookings help you keep more of your hard-earned money.

How much will you save?

Most OTAs charge commission fees of 15-25% (or more), meaning a significant chunk of your revenue goes straight into their pockets. When I ran the numbers for The Hudnalls Hideout, I realised that if we had used an agent, we would have paid over £100,000 in commissions in our first 5 years! Imagine what you could do with that money instead – improve your property, outsource tasks like cleaning, or invest in better marketing to attract even more direct bookings. Even pay yourself a proper wage and take a much-deserved holiday!

If you’re still relying heavily on OTAs, I encourage you to start shifting your focus towards direct bookings.

Not sure where to start?

Take my free Direct Booking Roadmap Quiz to see where you stand and get personalised tips on growing your direct bookings.

My Final Thoughts…

Taking direct bookings isn’t just about cutting out the middleman – it’s about taking control of your business, building your brand, and increasing your profitability.

About the Author

Sarah Orchard is an award-winning marketing strategist, best-selling author, podcaster, and fellow host, who helps Airbnb hosts, holiday cottage and glampsite owners master their marketing to maximise their commission-free direct bookings.

Sarah provides marketing support through affordable online training courses, a monthly marketing club membership, and 1:1 marketing strategy and advice sessions.

She is the co-owner of award-winning The Hudnalls Hideout treehouse and has saved over £100,000 in agent commission with 100% direct bookings in the first 5 years. The Hideout is one of the UK’s most sought-after treehouses.