The guest who looked you up, then went back to Booking.com
A couple planning a walking weekend finds your B&B on Booking.com. They like the photos. Before booking, they search your name to see if you have a website, because they have heard it can be better to book direct. They find it. The homepage is lovely, but the only way to book is a contact form that says you will reply with availability. It is Sunday evening. They go back to Booking.com and book there, and you pay commission on a guest who wanted to book with you.
Another couple finds your booking page, but it opens a separate site that looks nothing like yours, asks them to create an account, and takes eight screens on a phone. Halfway through, they give up.
Why direct booking fails at small B&Bs
OTAs spend enormous effort making booking quick and certain. A B&B website is usually built to look nice and give information, with booking bolted on later.
- No live availability, so guests have to email and wait.
- A booking button that goes to a clunky third-party page.
- Prices on your site that differ from the OTA without explanation.
- No clear reason to book direct, such as the best rate, the best room choice or an easier cancellation.
- A slow site that does not work well on a phone, where most guests search.
Guests who look you up are telling you they would book direct. The website just does not let them.
What each lost direct booking costs you
Commission, first of all, on a booking that could have been yours. Then the guest relationship: OTA bookings often come with a masked email address, so it is harder to stay in touch and invite them back. And some control: OTA terms and guest expectations shape how you handle cancellations and payments.
None of this means Booking.com is bad for you. For many B&Bs it brings guests who would never have found them. The problem is paying for guests who had already found you.
How we build a direct booking path on your website
- We look at what your booking system already offers. Many, such as Freetobook, eviivo and Little Hotelier, have a booking engine that can be set up to look and work much better than it does.
- Live availability and prices are shown on your own website, room by room, so a guest sees at once what is free for their dates.
- Booking takes as few steps as possible on a phone: dates, room, details, deposit or card guarantee.
- Deposits are taken through a payment provider such as Stripe or through your booking system, and go to you.
- Your site says clearly why booking direct is good for the guest, in terms you are happy to honour, such as choosing a specific room or an easier cancellation.
- Availability stays in step with Booking.com and any other channels through your booking system or channel manager, so you do not double book.
| Step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Guest checks dates | Emails and waits | Sees live availability on your site |
| Guest chooses a room | Unclear which rooms are free | Rooms with photos and prices for those dates |
| Guest pays | Bank transfer after an email | Deposit by card, confirmation straight away |
| You | Enter the booking in the diary | Booking appears in your system |
Where a setting in your current booking system solves most of the problem, we will do that rather than build something new.
What changes at your end
Guests who look you up can book on the spot, at any time of day, with a deposit taken and a confirmation sent. You see the booking in your system the next time you look, the same as an OTA booking but without the commission.
You will still get Booking.com bookings, and many of them will be guests who would never have found you otherwise. The difference is that guests who wanted to book direct can.
Signs guests cannot book direct easily
- Your website asks guests to email for availability.
- Your booking page is slow or awkward on a phone.
- Guests tell you they found you on Booking.com and then looked you up.
- Most of your bookings come through OTAs even from repeat visitors.
- You are not sure how your direct booking page looks to a guest.