So, as a holiday let property owner, you’re on Airbnb. You’re probably on Booking.com too. And love them or loathe them, you’re staying on them — because the exposure is worth it, even with their commission taking a large chunk out of your profits.
But here’s the thing. If you’re only listed with the “big boys”, whichever way you slice and dice your fee structure, the result is the same. Either you or your customers are paying out unnecessary, hefty fees, which ultimately means higher pricing and less income for everybody. We at Amori Travel believe there is a place for businesses of all sizes, all offering their own unique value, but Airbnb etc. don’t need to commandeer every booking, do they? Think about it this way. The commission you save from just one Airbnb booking could effectively fund your entire year with us!
If you’ve ever had repeat guests, and watched another few hundred pounds drift away in commission, whilst wishing you could offer better pricing, then maybe it’s time to pivot to direct bookings. It’s not just repeat guests either. We all know customers search for holiday lets through Facebook, Google, and word of mouth. Without a direct booking option, you’re either turning them away or sending them to a platform that takes a big cut — driving your prices higher. Nobody wants that, do they?
The big platforms can also be a little overbearing at times, can’t they. Your guests, your payments, your disputes — it must feel at times like they are the ones who are running your business, not you! A direct booking option gives you a safe place — one that can support your business and be an asset, working in synergy with other selling routes.
So why don’t more owners take direct bookings?
Running an independent website can be complicated and expensive, and gaining any decent organic visibility can be difficult. Even though you feel independent, that comes at a cost — both in ongoing time, money, and maintenance. Creating a website that looks appealing and is user‑friendly, learning how to edit, fixing things when they break — it’s an extra part‑time job most owners would rather not have, let alone having to pay a developer steep fees to come to the rescue when things go wrong. Bespoke options that are built for you can run into thousands. But is all that effort and hassle really necessary?
Look at it from another angle. Do your customers really want to spend an hour trawling through various website pages — or do they just want to see a simple page with high‑quality images and essential booking details, with a simple, secure booking procedure? Our direct booking portals provide everything your customer needs to make an informed choice. No faff, no trying to track down those elusive details on your website. It’s all there right in front of them.
We’re giving the “traditional” route for direct bookings a shake‑up!
Our new Connect and Fusion services provide a brand‑new way forward — a direct booking solution that eliminates the need for an independent website. And we think it’s a rather good one. Using these services means you have a professional booking portal for your property, using your own booking system — directly plugged into your listing. Guests can check availability and book directly with you. There’s no commission, and no platform hovering over your shoulder trying to tell you how to run your business.
Now your repeat guests, your social media followers, your Google enquiries — they all have somewhere to go that puts the bookings, the money, and, very importantly, control directly into your hands. It’s a simple solution and frees up owners to do what they do best — looking after their customers.
What makes our services different from anything else out there?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Most direct booking solutions such as Wix give you a website template and leave you to get on with it. Amori Connect and Amori Fusion do something no other platform does — we take your existing booking system, the one you’re already paying for and using, and embed it directly onto your listing page. Your availability, your pricing, your booking T&C’s — all working exactly as you set them up. Accessed through your dashboard, not one that is owned by the platform. All this is done for you, including adding your content.
So the issues regarding setting up and maintaining a website are eliminated. Your web portal provides the same function that an independent website does. You’re simply giving your existing booking system a professional home on the web — one that looks great, works on any device, and sends bookings straight to your door — with zero commission.
No other platform does this. Directories list you but can’t take bookings. (We have a directory service too by the way!) Website builders such as Wix can take bookings, but they can be complicated to set up and get looking decent — and then you still have to drive 100% of traffic to them yourself. You also have to pay for a domain name and learn how to connect that too. Amori Connect sits right in the gap between the two — and that gap is exactly where we think independent holiday‑let owners need to be.
No website to build. No developer to pay. No security updates or domain names to deal with. Just a clean, professional booking page that works.
What does it cost?
£12 per month, pay‑as‑you‑go. No contract — no tie‑in. If it’s not working for you, stop. Simple as that.
Compare that to standalone website costs, plus the ongoing maintenance headaches, which can be costly if things go wrong. Unlike a standalone website, your Amori listing sits within an established platform, benefitting from the Amori Travel domain authority. You will appear on all search results (you will not find performance-based algorithms that bury your listing here!) and have continual visibility in our beautiful At Leisure magazine — plus you’ll get a personalised web address, eliminating the need to buy and pay yearly for a domain name.
The honest truth.
We all know the big platforms aren’t going anywhere, and neither are their customers. But every guest who books through Airbnb instead of direct, means you and your customers are paying out quite a lot extra than perhaps you need to.
You don’t need to leave Airbnb. You just need a better solution that puts you in the driving seat a bit more often.
Does this perspective strike a chord? If so, let’s check you in — no minimum stay required!