Need Some Suggestions for Creating My Own Direct Booking Site

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Need Some Suggestions for Creating My Own Direct Booking Site

James R.
Investor · Member since 2015 · 222 posts · 173 votes

Hello Everyone. I currently have a STR, for which I would like to create a direct booking site. What are the pros and cons and if y'all can share with me some recommendations. Thanks in advance.

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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
2y

Hey @James R., like @John Underwood said, Houfy can provide you with everything you need for a stand alone site but I don't believe that it allows you to have your own links like a .com address.

If you want that, then you can figure out an address for your site and look at Wordpress as a way to build it up. There are lots of widgets and plug in's for STRs available along with a lot of very nice themes. A lot of that is free.

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    2y

    Why not just use something like Houfy?

    3Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    2y

    Hey @James R., like @John Underwood said, Houfy can provide you with everything you need for a stand alone site but I don't believe that it allows you to have your own links like a .com address.

    If you want that, then you can figure out an address for your site and look at Wordpress as a way to build it up. There are lots of widgets and plug in's for STRs available along with a lot of very nice themes. A lot of that is free.

    5Reply
  • James R.
    OP
    Investor · Member since 2015 · 222 posts · 173 votes
    2y
    Quote from @John Underwood:

    Why not just use something like Houfy?


     I will check it out.  Thanks! 

    0Reply
  • Collin HaysBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    2y

    VacationRentalDesk.com.

    It's a property management and direct booking website all in one.  

    You'll need to secure your domain name at somewhere like GoDaddy, and then point to it through VacationRentalDesk.  You'll just pick your template site from their offerings and populate everything.  You can do it all in about 2 hours.

    I did this in the beginning of my property management company and it worked great until we got to around a dozen cabins.  At that point we needed something more robust.

    [email protected]806-672-7102
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  • Matt Mertz
    Leander TX · Member since 2020 · 179 posts · 150 votes
    2y

    There are PMS software that will host direct booking sites as part of their service.  We use OwnerRez.

    You can also go with a fully custom provider like Boostly but I'd recommend piggy backing on your PMS to get a "free" website so you can get a feel for it first.  Boostly says they can get you to 65% direct booking but it costs 5k - 6k plus $95/mo.  Get your feet wet before you jump into that.

    0Reply
  • Kate Stoermer
    Real Estate Consultant · Ann Arbor, MI · Member since 2023 · 85 posts · 93 votes
    2y

    How are you doing on Airbnb and VRBO? How are your conversion rates? The OTA have huge marketing budgets and get warm leads looking at your listing from day one. Make sure you are optimized there first, then branch out. DB is a long game. It takes alot to build up enough of a presence online via a DB site, so it works great to market to guests who have already stayed. Some folks will only book via the OTA based on a belief they have more protection, even if they've stayed w you before.  As for the tech side, I used Guesty for Hosts, which is pretty good and offers website functionality but no booking widget so you cant build your own like on wordpress if you wanted. I recently moved to Ownerrez; OR's integrated rental agreement w signature is the bomb, you can use their integrated website or booking widget to build out your own DB site.

    1Reply
  • Lisa Graesser
    Rental Property Investor · The Villages, FL · Member since 2017 · 341 posts · 397 votes
    2y

    I third... Houfy! I use it like others use a personal website. Great alternative. They take care of all the web stuff and I direct inquires and previous guest to my link.

    1Reply
  • John Mason
    Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 351 votes
    2y

    https://use.lodgify.com/vacation-rental-website-builder/?utm...

    1Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    2y

    We use Bizcor but likely I think they are for larger portfolio sizes and may not be cost effective for just one unit.

    Having a direct booking site is a great idea.  Now more than ever guests are price sensitive and aware they can save by booking direct.  Taking the bookings directly can net you more money, take power away from the platforms to issue refunds, and protect you from other platform issues.

    Once you are set up with the site I recommend making a new forum post about ideas how to increase your conversions.  I will share a few tips then :)

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
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  • John Mason
    Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 351 votes
    2y

    https://www.the48dots.com/the-new-home-times/building-a-vaca...

    0Reply
  • John Mason
    Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 351 votes
    2y

    https://www.wixcreate.com/post/wix-website-design-for-vacati...

    0Reply
  • John Mason
    Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 351 votes
    2y

    For domain name  you can see this and get ideas

    https://www.lodgify.com/blog/vacation-rental-domain-name/

    0Reply
  • Mindy Nicol
    Realtor · St Augustine, FL · Member since 2023 · 111 posts · 87 votes
    2y

    Hi James, I am super happy with the Lodgify platform and am using it for co-hosting clients as well. I have built a lot of websites in prior careers but what you will need is a way to show the availability calendar to sync with all your other platforms and the ability to take direct transactions through Stripe or Square.  To get a regular wordpress site to do this would be very expensive but the cheapest solution which still looks great is through a booking platform like Lodgify or similar.

    Mindy

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