More direct bookings alongside Airbnb

Why direct

A direct booking saves 15 percent or more, gives you the guest details and lets you set your own terms. You do not need to cancel Airbnb: use it for new guests and let returning guests book with you.

A site that books

A site without a calendar and price is a brochure. Put the calendar and total price on every page and let the guest pay with iDEAL. A guest who has to email for a price books somewhere else.

Regulars

After every stay, send an email with a discount code for next time, valid for a direct booking. Put the link to your site on your business card in the house and in your welcome folder.

Ask for a review on your own site. Reviews with stars in Google make your site findable and credible.

Getting found

Make sure every page has a good title and description, that your home is on Google Business Profile, and that your address and prices are on your site as structured data. Write a page about the area: that is what people search for.

List your home on the Houslr marketplace; those per-place pages get found on “holiday home in …”.

Worked example

If you rent out one € 400 weekend a month directly instead of through Airbnb, that saves € 60 a month. That is more than the Houslr subscription. Everything above that is profit.