Central Edinburgh, next to the university and with a view of the castle and a nearby park.
The outside looked like an old English mansion, but inside it was modern and cosy. I never understood UK's obsession with indoor carpets, but this place had stairs so soft I could've slept on them...
Pibomarco, I agree that booking platforms are growing and will never go away, because they do serve bookers very well.
However, I say that taking bookings on your own website is more profitable because then you retain CONTROL - over the booking process, over customer emails, over cookies, over extra services.
Even if you discount the price on your own website, you should be able to make it up by offering extra services directly - or using ads & email to encourage repeat visits.
How to get more website visitors is another question.
Like you're saying savvy travelers are likely to search for your website to get a better deal. But there's so many ways to build traffic to reach a broader target market. We need to make it easy for people to find us.
Here are some ways to build traffic:
Creating a helpful collection of articles about the surrounding area and things to do. This is SEO work, but more than that it's about building a relationship with people who visit your website.
Adwords. PPC ads. Hosts that do not make this profitable lack the digital marketing knowledge to make it work. Instead of paying a $3 commission to a platform, you could pay $15 to get a booking directly on your website. At first glance it seems expensive. But the advantage is that it's extremely scaleable, you retain control, and can increase your margins more easily with extra offers.
Partner up with local tours, events and activities. Let them offer value to their customers by giving away discount codes for booking accommodation with you. Also, sell their services on your website for a commission.
I'm just spitting ideas here.
How do the margins for bookings from your Wix website compare to BCD?
I've hosted 100 guests on AirBnB in my guesthouse this year, but it's more of a side thing. Webdesign is my main gig.
Just signed up for booking.com today.
EDIT: Oh, I almost forgot. I also ran a company in 2015 for a while in Edinburgh managing people's apartments and finding them guests. Had a £1000/night apartment for a while for which I received 20% commission.
@Pibomarco,
Out of interest, which booking engine do you use on your own website?
I prefer wooden floors with nice rugs. So much easier to keep clean.
@Fluff,
It was a beauty.
Central Edinburgh, next to the university and with a view of the castle and a nearby park.
The outside looked like an old English mansion, but inside it was modern and cosy. I never understood UK's obsession with indoor carpets, but this place had stairs so soft I could've slept on them...
Hi Leandri,
Thanks! I expected some sort of Facebook-like notification system. But yes, I see that my inbox is filling up...
See you around
Pibomarco, I agree that booking platforms are growing and will never go away, because they do serve bookers very well.
However, I say that taking bookings on your own website is more profitable because then you retain CONTROL - over the booking process, over customer emails, over cookies, over extra services.
Even if you discount the price on your own website, you should be able to make it up by offering extra services directly - or using ads & email to encourage repeat visits.
How to get more website visitors is another question.
Like you're saying savvy travelers are likely to search for your website to get a better deal. But there's so many ways to build traffic to reach a broader target market. We need to make it easy for people to find us.
Here are some ways to build traffic:
I'm just spitting ideas here.
How do the margins for bookings from your Wix website compare to BCD?
This prominent box hides its elusive little secrets from me.
Hi fluff,
I've hosted 100 guests on AirBnB in my guesthouse this year, but it's more of a side thing. Webdesign is my main gig.
Just signed up for booking.com today.
EDIT: Oh, I almost forgot. I also ran a company in 2015 for a while in Edinburgh managing people's apartments and finding them guests. Had a £1000/night apartment for a while for which I received 20% commission.
Perhaps you'll have to give it a try, Kurt, and report back.