Direct bookings: benefits, pitfalls and the right approach

Many owners dream of it: guests who book directly with them, with no platform in between. No platform fees, a personal connection and guests who come back every year. It sounds simple, but direct bookings also bring responsibilities that a platform takes off your hands today.

In this article you can weigh the advantages against the disadvantages. You will also read how to build repeat guests without breaking the platforms' rules, and when direct bookings make sense for you.

What direct bookings give you

The first advantage is the relationship. A guest who books directly with you knows you and your property. A bond forms that goes beyond a single stay. Such guests often treat the property with more care and communicate directly if something comes up.

The second advantage is returning guests. A family that comes in the same week every year gives you certainty about your calendar. You no longer need to sell those weeks.

The third advantage is financial. With a direct booking, you pay no service fees or commission to a platform. What the guest pays goes straight to you.

Finally, you have more freedom. You set your own terms, your cancellation policy and the way you communicate.

What you take on

Against those advantages stands work that the platform saves you today. If you accept direct bookings, you have to do that work yourself.

Payments. You need a secure way to receive money. A bank transfer is simple, but it needs follow-up. A payment system is more convenient, but it also has costs. You have to check yourself that payments have arrived before check-in.

Contracts and terms. With a platform, their terms apply. With a direct booking, you have to put clear agreements in writing yourself: price, dates, cancellation, house rules, liability. Ideally, have that text checked by someone with legal knowledge.

Deposit. If you want a deposit, you have to collect it, hold it and pay it back yourself. If there is damage, you have to reach an agreement with the guest yourself.

No platform protection. Platforms have arrangements for damage, cancellations and disputes. With a direct booking, that protection disappears. If something goes wrong, you are on your own.

Marketing. Guests do not find you by themselves. You need a website or another way to be visible. That takes time, and often money too.

Privacy. Anyone who stores guest data must respect the GDPR. That means: only keeping data you really need, storing it securely, not keeping it longer than necessary and asking guests for explicit consent before you send them a newsletter, for example.

Also think about your obligations. In Flanders, your registration number from Toerisme Vlaanderen (Visit Flanders' tourism authority) must appear in every listing, including on your own website. Tourist tax is a local matter. Ask your municipality what you have to do yourself for direct bookings.

Respecting the platforms' rules

This is where owners often go wrong. A guest who books through a platform is that platform's customer for that stay. The major platforms prohibit in their terms any attempt to lure such a guest away to a booking outside the platform.

In practice, this means:

• do not send a platform guest a link to your own website in the messages
• do not ask for payment outside the platform for a booking that came in through the platform
• do not put contact details or discount codes in the messages to make a next booking directly
• do not offer a discount to cancel an existing booking and rebook directly

Anyone who does so anyway risks having their listing suspended or removed. That costs more than you gain from a few direct bookings. Read the terms of every platform you are active on and stick to them.

Building repeat guests within the rules

There are fair ways to build a bond with guests. The best one is simple: provide a stay that people remember. A clean property, a warm welcome and quick replies make guests want to come back.

Beyond that, make it easy to find you again, without actively luring guests away. A property with its own name and a recognisable style sticks in the mind better. You are of course free to help guests who later look you up themselves and contact you directly.

You can also be visible outside the platforms. Your own website, a social media page or word of mouth among friends and acquaintances attract guests who have never booked with you through a platform. The platform rules do not apply to such new guests.

Keep the quality the same, however the guest books. A direct guest expects the same care as a platform guest.

When direct bookings make sense

Direct bookings suit owners with a property that has its own audience above all. Think of a large house for families who come back every year, or an exceptional place that people seek out themselves. They also suit owners who have time for administration and payments, or who already have a network.

For many owners, a mix works best. The platforms provide visibility and protection. A limited number of direct bookings from repeat guests fills in the rest. That way you spread your risk without having to carry everything yourself.

If you are just starting out, or have little time, the platforms are often the safest route. Direct bookings grow naturally as you gain more satisfied guests.

A deliberate choice

Direct bookings are not free money. They bring something in, but they also require work, knowledge and good administration. Anyone who handles them well and respects the platforms' rules builds a steady group of guests step by step.

YourDomi sets prices daily based on market data, communicates with guests 7 days a week and sends you a monthly overview for each property. If you would like to know which mix of channels suits your property, request a personal proposal.