What is #BookDirect?
Booking direct is when you make a reservation directly with a bed and breakfast, inn, hotel, or vacation rental instead of through online travel agents (OTAs), such as TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Booking.com. When you book direct with a property, it can mean additional fees, impersonal customer service, and long wait times when you need to cancel/change a booking. Innkeepers also pay large commissions that can range anywhere from 18%-30% and receive limited information about you, their guest.
As a traveler who chooses to #BookingDirect you can also receive additional benefits:
- Discounted rates
- Access to special offers and exclusive promotions
- More flexible cancellation policies
- Direct contact with the innkeeper who is your concierge. Before your stay your innkeeper/host can help with special diets, restaurant reservations/recommendations, late arrival details and more.
Are you booking direct?
Acorn Internet Services & Book Direct Education sponsored a Google Survey that went out to 1000 travelers. They asked: Are you booking Direct when you click on the blue BOOK A ROOM button in Google?
Seventy percent of guests thought that they WERE booking direct when they click the blue button. Many were amazed to know that they were booking with an online travel agent and not with the property.
How to know if you are booking direct.
When you search on Google, you will see an ad like this and if you click on the blue Check Availability button, you may think you are #BookingDirect.
The button will take you to a page with offers from third party booking sites that are limiting your options and probably not giving the best in services or rates. You are only booking direct if the property has an “Official Site” badge on their Google listing.
bnbfinder.com connects you directly with the B&B so when you click on any of the Book links on a listing, you are taken directly to the B&B’s website to #BookingDirect.
Book your next stay on bnbfinder.com, and click the “Book”. This will help you #BookDirect for your next getaway.
