International #BookDirect Guest Education Day is 7th February 2024. Hospitality owners from around the world are coming together again to promote the #BookDirect message and explain to potential guests the advantages of booking directly with the owner, rather than through one of the huge Online Travel Agents (OTAs) such as Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb or Tripadvisor.
What’s the problem with big Online Travel Agents?
OTAs provide a quick, convenient search and booking service. They can become familiar and therefore habitual to use. They may also reward loyalty.
However, did you realise that they charge property owners up to 20% for every booking? On top of this, some add a substantial service fee for the guest to pay. Current examples – policies do change – are Airbnb, Homeaway and VRBO.
In total this could be 25% more in commissions and fees via an OTA rather than booking directly with the property.
Another concern is that some OTAs have recently been found to be misleading potential guests.
They’ve been exposed for giving inferior ranking in search results if the property has a cheaper price quoted elsewhere of if the owners aren’t paying extra fees to rank highly.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority says it has been investigating after it became concerned that OTAs were using pressure tactics and reported that “giving a false impression of a property’s popularity or not displaying the full cost of a property upfront could mislead people, stop them finding the best deal and potentially break consumer protection law”.
So why do we at Cotswolds Place use Online Travel Agents?
- OTAs have enormous advertising budgets and can therefore reach far more widely than we can on our own
- Some of our guests feel more reassured by booking through a large company
- Some travellers prefer to book all their accommodation through one site for convenience
Why should I Book Direct?
- Direct contact with us means you can ask any questions you may have before you book. We can tell you more about the apartment, village and area to be sure that this is the right property for your needs. Also seasonal variations and happenings.
- We may be able to offer certain extras to make your stay even more special eg early/late check-ins, pre-arranged supplies for your arrival
- You won’t find a lower price anywhere else
- OTAs don’t protect you any more than booking directly with us. In fact you’ll get a better customer service experience by booking direct as we’ll go above and beyond to make sure your stay is as wonderful as possible
- You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting an independent business
What can I do?
- Book direct for any accommodation you trust, whenever you can
- Encourage others to do likewise
- When you get a great experience by booking directly, tell the world!
- Share the message using the #BookDirect hashtag on social media
From time to time we publish offers that are only valid when you #BookDirect on our website.
To receive these, you can:
- Sign up to our Cotswolds Place email list
- Watch out for them on our Facebook page
- Keep in touch on Instagram
To directly book your stay at Cotswolds Place, click here!
Thank you for your time reading and supporting us with this.
Small businesses globally really do appreciate all the help they can get 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Julia and Tarkan xxx
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