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 are 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 results in higher pricing/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 – not if you use Amori Connect. Think of it this way, just a single booking sent through Amori Connect could pay for itself for a whole year in saved fees, compared to Airbnb.
If you’ve ever had repeat guests, regretfully watched another few hundred pounds drift away in commission, and wished you could offer them better pricing – then 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, word of mouth. They message owners directly asking about availability. 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 own 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?
Having a standalone website can be complicated and expensive. 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, and would also rather not have to pay a developer steep fees to have to come to the rescue. Bespoke options that are built for you can run into thousands. But is all that effort and hassle really necessary? Do your customers really want to spend an hour trawling through your various website pages that you’ve spent hours painstakingly creating – or do they just want to see high quality images, the amenities, read reviews – and have a simple, secure booking procedure? Your Amori Connect booking portal provides everything your customer needs. 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 shakeup!
Amori Connect provides a brand new way forward. A direct booking solution for airbnb hosts and holiday let owners. And we think it’s a rather good one. Our service gives you a professional booking portal for your property, using your own booking system. It’s directly plugged in to your listing. Guests can check availability and book directly with you — no commission, no middleman, 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 Amori Connect different from anything else out there?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Most direct booking solutions give you a website template and leave you to get on with it. Amori Connect does 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 rules – all working exactly as you set them up. Accessed through your dashboard, not one that is owned by the platform.
Using Amori Connect means the issues regarding setting up and maintaining a website are eliminated. We provide everything you need. 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. Website builders take bookings, can be complicated to get 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?
From £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 when things go wrong. Unlike a standalone website, your Amori listing sits within an established platform with its own audience, benefitting from the Amori Travel domain authority. You will appear on search results and be continuously advertised 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
The big platforms aren’t going anywhere and neither are their customers. But every guest who books through Airbnb instead of direct is you or your customers handing over commission you simply didn’t need to pay.
You don’t need to leave Airbnb. You just need a better solution. A a simple, professional place for direct bookings. That solution is Amori Connect.
Sound good? Get in touch — no minimum stay required!