How many of you are building your own websites

Most Popular Reply

Mike V.
Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
6y

I have every single Airbnb Guests email address. A few days before checkin I send them a text saying’

“Hi XXX, I’m trying to send you some additional information about the rental but Airbnb’s email filter seems to be blocking it. Would you mind sharing your email address with me so that I can try sending it direct? I’m sorry for the inconvenience!”

Never had a complaint or issue.

2Reply
See this reply in the discussion

21 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Ujwal Velagapudi
    Investor/Agent/Entrepreneur · Dallas, TX · Member since 2016 · 464 posts · 564 votes
    6y

    I don't have any short term rentals, but I do agree with a lot of the people from the article. It definitely is good to start one if there isn't one already to get other leads, even with the added extra effort. But there is a reason why we (guests & hosts) all flock to ABB. I think it will be very tough to get similar traffic flow, filter dozens of listings, and have the comfort of the terms (more favorable towards guests) without that centralized platform. 

    0Reply
  • Michael Greenberg
    Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 533 posts · 433 votes
    6y

    Have one, but it doesn't receive bookings unless they are return guests. It would be a VERY expensive endeavor to compete, likely beyond the financial means of most STR operators.

    0Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y
    I have a site out there with nothing on it. I just haven't taken the time to work on it. 
    I have to disagree that it is very expensive. It can be, but doesn't have to be. Wordpress has all the tools you need to create a top notch website. Tons of addon's, plugin's and themes. Many for free.
    1Reply
  • John Lewis
    Rental Property Investor · La Place, LA · Member since 2014 · 109 posts · 82 votes
    6y

    I've built my own site and since I'm in such a specialized niche I'm able to get a lot of people to visit it by using facebook groups to promote it. I rent mostly to traveling blue collar workers btw.

    0Reply
  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    6y

    VRBO and Airbnb pay for national advertising to bring in renters. I use both, Craigslist.

    I have some return direct book people. I just accept a check for these people or paypal or Zelle.

    I am turning away people so I don't need the extra hassle of a personal website.

    0Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    6y

    Built one last year to complement airbnb/vrbo. Used owner-rez synced to airbnb and vrbo. Even redirected some of the inquiries received from airbnb/vrbo to book there. But what a mess. Not worth the time of building, marketing, maintaining, updating all the changes with airbnb/vrbo. Doesn't solve the problem of cancellations/chargebacks which are just transferred from airbnb/vrbo to a direct dealing with the banks or with Paypal.

    Having a plan B which is LTR, (that almost any other STR owner has), I decided to switch to LTR. Still one unit left in STR as of now. It has the highest return. We'll see after covid era if things get back.

    Reading today that airbnb fired 25% workforce, I think it was the right decision.

    0Reply
  • Bill Cereske
    Investor · South Lake Tahoe, CA · Member since 2017 · 78 posts · 42 votes
    6y
    I set up a free site with my registrar. It's very simple, with a couple of photographs, a link to the management company web page and a link to the property Facebook page.  I made up some cards directing people to tahoeacres.com, which makes it easy for folks to find.
    0Reply
  • Lisa Graesser
    Rental Property Investor · The Villages, FL · Member since 2017 · 341 posts · 398 votes
    6y

    I started one on WordPress but abandoned it, I found Houfy.com which is free for guests and owners, I can just add the link to inquiries where they can either book with credit card, check or venmo. This has eliminated my need for a website. I haven't gotten an organic booking off of Houfy yet because it is so new, but I refer all inquires there to book because it includes my rental agreement and payment options, so it has all I need outside of VRBO. I have never listed on Airbnb and I am so hesitant to do so because of all the negative owner responses. I do have an older rental audience so Zillow and VRBO seem to be the most comfortable for them. But I am tempted to list on Airbnb to see if I get any booking from there.

    1Reply
  • Brian G.
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Michael Greenberg how do you harvest guests personal emails for future marketing/direct bookings when ABB does not give that to you? I like that VRBO does!

    0Reply
  • Cliff H.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 610 posts · 486 votes
    6y

    Hey @Anand S. you bring up an important, often overlooked point:

    Owning a direct booking website is not intended to out-AirBnB AirBnB, it’s to allow a direct channel where you can own the relationship with your customer without an intermediary telling you how, when, and for what rate you continue that relationship. 

    The value of AirBnB’s review system is vastly overrated. Figure out your basic screening questions, require formal proof of ID, and have direct bookers sign a formal rental agreement. If that sounds like a lot of work, keeping paying AirBnB their 10% surcharge and allow them to obscure the contact info for your guests. There’s no universally right or wrong answer, just what works best for you and to what degree you are comfortable renting your customers from the established booking sites. 

    I've built STR site with WordPress with simple calendar plugins that sync availability, but have increasingly been just leveraging built in website builders in a channel manager like Porter. One of the unexpected nice benefits of that is that it allows me to prompt any/all guests to complete a check-in form that includes entering their email address, something I would never get through AirBnB because they have a vested interest in keeping guests and owners dependent on their platform.  

    None of that is unique to Porter. Others like Lodgify or Hostfully offer similar customizable direct booking capability that syncs pricing and availability across all your channels, you’ll just pay 4-10x as much for some slicker looking web designs. 

    Now if only someone on the forums here has a way to integrate the guest email into a formal CRM so that I can follow-up with guests directly while following applicable SPAM laws requiring formal opt-in. Any ideas?

    0Reply
  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    6y

    @Cliff H.

    You’ve hit the nail on the head when you mentioned guests email addresses. AirBNB doesn’t allow hosts to have the guests email addresses because AirBNB considers the guests their customers, not the host’s customers. When you’re the 800 pound gorilla in the zoo you can make one sided rules. If AirBNB were a franchise instead of a platform, they would be in violation of numerous franchising laws and regulations.

    Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Mike V.
    Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
    6y

    I have every single Airbnb Guests email address. A few days before checkin I send them a text saying’

    “Hi XXX, I’m trying to send you some additional information about the rental but Airbnb’s email filter seems to be blocking it. Would you mind sharing your email address with me so that I can try sending it direct? I’m sorry for the inconvenience!”

    Never had a complaint or issue.

    2Reply
  • Rachel Stewart
    Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 9 votes
    6y

    I do web site development as a side gig, but more from a design and UI/UX perspective because now a days it's so easy for people to set up their own, I usually start with a free 20 minute walk through on how to use Wordpress or WIX so people know how easy it is to do themselves. 

    For most clients I tell people your website should be a branding tool not your client management tool, your lead generation, your photo repository etc. If you're big enough you need to really build your own management system you should be at the size you can pay consultants $150/hr to build it.  

    There are a lot of plug-ins for both wordpress and WIX that do bookings but I don't know if I'd recommend really trying to bypass the big dogs. 

    Is your end goal to have their emails in a CRM? Have you looked into https://www.guesty.com/ Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but looks like it could be an option. 

    0Reply
  • Paul Sandhu
    Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @John Lewis:

    I've built my own site and since I'm in such a specialized niche I'm able to get a lot of people to visit it by using facebook groups to promote it. I rent mostly to traveling blue collar workers btw.

    I'm like him.  Exactly like him.  We've probably rented to the same people 

    1Reply
  • Cliff H.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 610 posts · 486 votes
    6y

    @Mike V. thanks for the insight. How are you are soliciting the required SMS opt-in to auto-text guests on their booking? Once you have guests’ emails, are you entering them into a a CRM manually or just using them for emailing them throughout their stay? 

    Reference: FCC rules ban text messages sent to a mobile phone using an autodialer unless you previously gave consent to receive the message or the message is sent for emergency purposes.

    0Reply
  • Mike V.
    Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
    6y

    @Cliff H. I’m not using an auto dialer. I’m using their phone number provided by Airbnb. I copy the same message I send to a previous guest and paste it to a new text with their number. This takes me all of 10 seconds and There’s no laws or even Airbnb policies im violating.

    Once they provide it, I put it in my software for future communications but use Airbnb to communicate with as needed. Sometimes we proceed via text with questions if they initiate it but I try to keep most communication through Airbnb when possible.

    This allows ME to own their relationship going forward and I send an automated email message thanking them for their stay and referring them to my website for future stays to avoid booking fees.

    I also have my website URL (minus the .com) in the FIRST sentence of my listing descriptions so about 20% of my Airbnb traffic is smart enough to search it and book direct. This has really been useful with the current situation were in as Airbnb is completely out of the equation for those guests.

    0Reply
  • Cliff H.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 610 posts · 486 votes
    6y

    Thanks for clarifying @Mike V. I’m hoping for an automated way I can integrate guests’ email into CRM myself, which for now I suppose I’m OK copy-pasting like you’re doing while I wait for greater integration from the Porter team. 

    The legal requirements around the TCPA can be challenging to decipher and I suppose I have always taken the conservative approach myself and emailed guests first letting them know if there are any texts I’ll be sending to allow them a chance to decline or clarify any preference in channels. Reading the letter of the law I should probably have some form of standard opt-in as well, but as you indicate it’s been working OK so far and we’re still a ways out from phones having a default filter on unknown phone numbers (which I’d expect will become defaults in the next year or two). 

    In the meantime, the National Apartment Association has some decent recommendations around the laws that are helpful: 

    While you do not need written consent to send a resident an informational text, we strongly recommend that you obtain written consent for both informational and marketing texts for several reasons. Informational texts require prior express consent, whereas marketing texts require prior express written consent. The key point is that both require prior express consent, and the only difference is that marketing texts require written consent. If challenged, you bear the burden of proving that a resident consented to receiving informational texts. Written consent leaves no doubt that the resident consented.

    Source: https://www.naahq.org/news-pub...

    0Reply
  • Anand S.
    OP
    Plantation, FL · Member since 2009 · 329 posts · 119 votes
    6y

    I do what Mike does. It's an automated message I send every guest a week before they check in. I then email them a welcome packet in PDF. I never call or text them. Just message via the app. 

    0Reply
  • Anand S.
    OP
    Plantation, FL · Member since 2009 · 329 posts · 119 votes
    6y

    @Mike V. I like your idea of putting your URL minus the .com in your description. I don't know how many times folks have asked for discounts equal to the overhead ABB tacks on to the top of my rate. Had they booked directly we would've both been happy. Will do this once my site is up and running. 

    0Reply
  • Joseph Bafia
    Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2019 · 314 posts · 281 votes
    6y

    I went the route of creating a lodgify website which allows you to build a complete booking platform with calendar, payments, communication, etc.  Cost was about $360/year and benefit was no fees paid to them and you keep it all.  I spent some money promoting on instagram & FB and still had it listed with VRBO.  In 1 full year, I got 0 deals from Lodgify.  cancelled after the one year.  VRBO does much better for me and it keeps me very booked.  Worth the fees in my opinion and my market.

    0Reply
  • Bryan S.
    Member since 2011 · 92 posts · 40 votes
    3y

    Recently Hospitable rolled out their direct booking site. It could use some polish, but it’s free and functional and syncs perfectly to their systems 

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free