How to book directly and save money, travel safer, and add more vacation dollars to your experiences! Booking a vacation through an online travel aggregator platform (the OTA's), you are DEFINITELY paying retail. These platforms charge service fees that bite into your vacation pocket book.

We are tickled that you are here! 

Strap in, this is going to be a Wild Ride (or double your money back)!

With a lot of love, duct tape, grit and old gum, we erected us a spank brand new Direct Booking Site for (wait for it) you! This direct booking initiative at House of Verrett Beach Villa-Ventura is emerging as a new disruptive force and the new trend for hoteliers like us and poised to be the game changer in our short term beach vacation rental market & travel industry.

This amazing adventure allows you, our most important guest, the freedom and control to book villas & suites directly through our website, and at steeper discounts than the Online Travel Aggregators (OTA’s-VRBO/Expedia, AirBNB, Booking.com, Agoda, and others) and is a mad departure from the, “. . . trust us, we are AirBNB” house of smoke and mirrors.

Well, isn’t it safer to book on the Online Travel Aggregators?

Many people unknowingly turn to online booking sites like the above OTA’s, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Kayak, and others; thinking that they will be safer. This is just not the case. You are playing russian roulette and are far more likely to have a bad experience sooner rather than later.

Here are three reasons why you should avoid online booking sites:

1) You have no idea who you’re dealing with.

When you book through an online booking site, you’re dealing with a faceless corporation. You have no idea who is actually running the show. Ever tried to deal with customer service on a date change?

2) There’s no customer service.

If something goes wrong with your booking, good luck getting anyone on the phone to help you fix it. Online booking sites are notorious for terrible customer service.

3) You could be risking your personal information.

You could be risking your personal information when you book a stay at AirBNB & other platforms. The popularized vacation rental aggregators have been the target of several cyber attacks, and guests’ credit card and personal information have been compromised.

For a deeper dive, visit this Sun article:  FROZEN OUT Airbnb users complain of accounts being ‘hacked’ saying they’ve been charged thousands and had bookings cancelled

it’s important to check your credit card statements and watch for any suspicious activity. If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it to your bank or credit card company immediately.

Booking.com by it’s very nature, doesn’t create profiles for it’s buying guests. This leads to bad actors using stolen credit card information to grift unsuspecting hosts on the platform as, well as money, trust, & time lost by the host as well as the unsuspecting credit card holder.

The OTA’s work on volume, so they don’t spend the time nor introspection to root out bad actors, nor work with law enforcement to investigate the attacks and identify those responsible. Protection of their reputations becomes more important than your family’s safety.

In the meantime, guests are advised to exercise caution when booking a stay on these platforms.

For a deeper dive on these scams, please see Allie Conti’s article on VICE: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

Good Boogly Woogly that was scary! OK, How Much Can I Save Booking Direct?

We appreciate you reading this far, The question that you really should be asking is, What am I losing?

If you look at your last stay with AirBNB, VRBO, Booking.com and others, you will find that you have been paying hidden ‘service fees.’

What is this service fee?

When you book a vacation rental through an online platform (the OTA’s), you are DEFINITELY not getting the best deal. These platforms charge service fees that can add up:

  • AirBNB: 14% to 30%
  • VRBO: 8% to 15%
  • Booking.com: 15% to 40%

To add insult to injury (and this is the dirty little secret), when the OTA’s squeeze hosts-hosts raise the per night room costs, increasing cleaning fees, adding/increasing pet fees & deposits, adding linen & resort fees (are you getting the picture) thus passing on the fees to you, our guests.

This means you unknowingly pay more per night by booking on the OTA platform. Also, we must agree to hold pricing and amenities parity, meaning we are barred not to offer early check-ins/late check-outs, side offers, services and incentives.

They may also limit your options when it comes to booking a specific property-the deeper the commission they (the OTAs) make from the host, and the steeper the discount the host is willing to offer, the better the ranking of the listing on the platform.

It is a vicious spiral down the rabbit hole.

For an even deeper dive on the above, please see Amar Hussain’s article: Vrbo vs. Airbnb for Guests & Hosts [Comparing Fees, Listings, Cancellation Policies]

So, take home message-consider booking directly with the owners of your favorite AirBNB rentals and working with them to book directly.  Also, we would be tickled to have you contact us directly. This way you avoid service fees, hidden costs, and have more control over which property you choose, better pricing, and more amenities. 

Next time you’re planning a vacation, remember to ask yourself: What am I really losing by booking through an online platform?

The answer may surprise you.

Booking Directly: The Benefits are Twofold:

First, it cuts out the middleman, which saves you money. Second, it allows us to build a direct relationship with our guests, which can result in your vacation money going to your vacation-more memories and a better overall experience.

ALSO, and this is a BIG also, we offer many VIP, FREQUENT FLYER & INSIDER promotions and what’s more, book direct and you’ll enjoy the best rates for our luxury vacation properties & beach villas GUARANTEED! 

Please text ‘LOYAL” to 888-505-LOYAL (888-505-5692) and see for yourself.

via GIPHY

This is a win-win for both you the guests, and us as the hotelier!

We think that this is a direct booking trend is going to be a game changer in this industry.

Stay tuned to see how this unfolds!

I will get us popcorn,

Tevis