Business

Does your Airbnb need its own website?

Direct booking requests are the first sign you do

Sound Familiar?

Pesky Problem

Repeat guests want to book directly with you.

Platforms like Airbnb and VRBO are built to connect you with new guests. They provide that foundational trust necessary for you to open your door to complete strangers and say, Come on in!

But once you’re established, some guests aren’t actually strangers anymore. They’re repeat visitors, families, couples, or business travelers you consistently welcome to town. And some of these guests are eager to sidestep the platform fees and additional logistical steps, and just book with you directly.

This pattern is especially prevalent in long-standing tourist communities. People were renting out cottages on Cape Cod each summer long before the internet ever got involved.

Let's Try This

Bite-Size Solution

It’s time to create your own website.

Let us be clear up front: the vast majority of hosts don’t need a dedicated website for their place. We’re big fans of simplicity. This more advanced strategy should only be considered once you’re happily (and profitably) running an Airbnb, satisfied with your current results, and looking to kick things up a notch.

But if you are considering investing the time (and sometimes money) into a custom site, direct booking requests are often one of the first signs that it’s time to level up. A custom site allows you to really establish your own unique brand, share your story, differentiate yourself from the local competition, and go deeper with potential and repeat guests.

Here’s a fantastic example. Take a look at Blue Harbor View, an adorable bungalow in the heart of Marquette, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. Susan happens to be both an Airbnb Superhost and a web designer, and the intersection of her two passions has culminated in an exemplary short term rental website.

Here is the Airbnb listing. And here is the website. Can you feel the difference? The personal connection is amplified and (conveniently) all the local competition falls away. Out of sight and out of mind.

5 Minutes

Here's Your First Step

Tally up your repeat guest requests.

First things first. Let’s see if this more advanced hosting strategy makes sense for you. (We definitely don’t want to build things people aren’t asking for!) Start by looking through your emails and app messages from guests. Tally up how many times guests were looking for a way to book directly with you.

Now do a little math, and see how much additional income you would have made if all of those reservations were made through you instead of through your typical platform, like Airbnb. If the final figure is substantial, it might be time to roll up your sleeves (or call someone like Susan!) and create a site just for you.

P.S. Do you already have a website? If so, show it off! We’d love to see it. Just email us your website. We’re always excited to see how hosts are using this strategy.

INSPIRED BY you

This week’s Big Heart Hosting post was inspired by Susan, an Airbnb Superhost in Marquette, Michigan, USA. Just click here to explore the full listing.

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