Benefits of building a direct vacation rental website
From saving on commission fees to building a stronger relationship with guests, there are many reasons why you should focus on getting direct bookings.
1. Increase brand recognition
When you list your property on a third-party site, you don’t have complete control over how your brand is presented. Brand elements like your logo, color scheme, fonts, and tagline are often lost in the shuffle.
A direct booking website gives you full control over how your brand is presented and allows you to create a consistent look and feel across all touch points. You can tell your story, show off your unique personality, and build trust with potential guests. All of which are essential for converting lookers into bookers.
2. Ease of use
A simple vacation rental website design with easy navigation attracts potential guests
The booking process should be easy for both you and the guest. A direct booking website allows you to design a booking flow optimized for conversions. You can upsell guests on add-ons, capture important information like contact details and dietary restrictions, and take payments without ever leaving your site.
A good booking flow not only makes it easy for guests to book but also helps you close more sales and avoid potential problems down the road.
3. 1:1 Personalized guest communication
Personalization is key to standing out in a crowded marketplace. When you list your property on a third-party site, you compete with hundreds or thousands of other listings. It can be hard to break through the noise and connect with potential guests on a personal level.
A direct booking website gives you complete control over how and when guests receive important information. You can set up automated email or SMS messages to be sent at key points in the booking process, such as when a reservation is made, confirmed, or canceled. This helps reduce no-shows, last-minute cancellations, and other potential problems.
4. Increased revenue for hosts and lower prices for guests
You’re typically charged a commission fee per booking when you list your property on a third-party site. That’s a significant chunk of money that could go into your pocket instead.
A direct booking website allows you to keep 100% of the revenue from each booking so you can maximize short-term rental profits. You can also offer discounts and promotions to guests who book directly, making your property more attractive and increasing your chances of getting a reservation.
4 Ways to create a vacation rental website
Creating a website from scratch can be a daunting and expensive task—you’ll likely need to hire someone to create the site for you. But a website builder can make it easy and affordable to create a professional-looking website in just a few hours.
Here are a few options to consider:
- Generic website builder
- Short-term rental website builder
- Custom-made by developer or designer
- Outsource to a short term rental service solution (Jetstream)
Generic website builder
A generic website builder, like Wix or Squarespace, offers pre-built website templates that can be customized to fit your needs. You can add or remove pages, change the layout of your site, upload photos, and videos, and use their ready-to-use builders.
Generic website builders are easy to use and don’t require any technical expertise. They’re also relatively affordable. The downside of using a generic website builder is that you won’t be able to take advantage of all the features that are specific to vacation rentals. For example, you won’t be able to add a booking engine or set up automated messages.
Short-term rental website builder
Vacation rental website builders typically offer all the features you need to run your business, from a listing management system to a booking engine and payment processing. You can customize the look and feel of your site, ready-to-use vacation rental website templates, install diverse add-ons, plugins, and collect guest reviews.
The downside of using a vacation rental website builder is that they can be more expensive than generic website builders. You’ll also need to ensure that your chosen platform integrates with the other systems you use, such as your PMS or channel manager. And if you already have an existing website, migrating your content to a new platform can be time-consuming and challenging.
Custom made by developer or designer
If you want complete control over your website and don’t mind spending a bit more money, you can always have a custom site built by a developer or designer. This way, you’ll be able to create a unique website that perfectly reflects your brand. Everything will be tailored to your needs, from the layout to the color scheme and the content.
The downside of having a custom website is that it can be very expensive. You’ll also need to find someone who can understand your vision and build a site that meets all your expectations. And if you want to make changes or add new features down the road, you’ll likely need to hire someone to do it for you.
Outsource to a short term rental service solution (Jetstream)
Jetstream helps build and optimize superfast mobile-enabled direct booking websites
If you don’t have the time or the money to design and build a beautiful website, you can always outsource the task to a short-term rental service solution like Jetstream. Jetstream builds superfast mobile-enabled direct booking websites for property managers—whether you manage multiple vacation rentals or just one unit.
And if you already have an existing website, Jetstream can help you migrate your content and listings to their platform. We’ll even take care of the design and setup for you, so you don’t have to lift a finger. With Jetstream, hospitality websites typically get refreshed or rebuilt every 3 to 6 years, so your site is constantly optimized for maximum direct bookings.
Increase your ROI with a professionally designed vacation rental website.
Jetstream helps you create a custom website optimized for bookings. We manage your website for you, so you can focus on other aspects of your business.
