OwnersDirect Premier Partner

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
ianh100
Posts: 598
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:37 pm
Location: Sherborne Dorset

OwnersDirect Premier Partner

Post by ianh100 »

We have just been invited to be a premier partner but need to accept their pledge. It is all very wooly but has phrases about offering the same pricing as other listing locations, I wonder if that is before or after they add the "service charge"

Anyone else signed up for this?

We have to sign up to:

Maintain detailed, up-to-date content on your property page, from your description to your photos
Add as many photos as possible to highlight all the unique aspects of your home, and make sure your photos are well-lit and high-resolution
Accurately list amenities available at your property
Do your best to achieve and maintain a property that travellers will find desirable


Best rental rates

Partners will offer fair and competitive pricing at all times, including when listing on other websites
Honour the total price shown to travellers at checkout


Secure and reliable bookings

Respond quickly to enquiries and booking requests
Keep all communications on the OwnersDirect platform to preserve records and protect against claims
Process all bookings through OwnersDirect checkout to ensure secure payments and receive protections like the Book with Confidence guarantee
Follow through on bookings, and avoid cancelling on your travellers
Keep your calendar up to date to make sure no one books dates that aren’t actually available


Trips that drive great feedback
Provide a quality, unique experience that leads to great traveller feedback and reviews
Guide travellers during their stay with clear, consistent information about your property
Giraffe
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by Giraffe »

And what do they offer in return???
The best things in life are free
AndrewH
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
Contact:

Post by AndrewH »

Giraffe wrote:And what do they offer in return???
I think the answer is nothing (on paper). If OD were to offer something they will have made a legal contract and both parties will be bound by whatever it is that each party promises to do.

I cannot see what advantage there is to an owner giving this undertaking, unless the words "Premier Partner" as shown against the property on the listing will encourage bookings, and I don't believe that would happen.

As it stands at present, Premier Partners are not legally obligated to OD to perform any of that undertaking.
Peggymac
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:24 pm
Location: France
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Post by Peggymac »

@ianh100 The service charge is their business, our prices are the same on our website as HA and TA, it's just cheaper via our website because there is no service charge.

Benefits... It seems that they offer a "badge" for your listing that "gives travellers confidence" and the possibility to have a better conversation with a prospective client before they book as a Premier Partner is "trusted" (nice to know that we're trusted now :roll: ). We just got invited too so don't feel too special as they also allow us riff raff in :D I just did their survey and I got the feeling it was one of those questionnaires that has built in checks and it felt a bit like more of a test than a questionnaire. Maybe I'm just paranoid?

If joining it bumps us up the listings another notch then why not join, I don't see it pushing us down. We already do all the things that they want of us, just as long as we aren't required to do Instant Booking because HA just can't calculate our prices for less than a week.

Our take on the HA world is that we used to have 4 subscription adverts because we have 2 properties on the same site and needed to hit the OD AND Abritel market (before OD properties got passed on to the rest of the HA network) - total cost around 1000 €. We also offer PayPal on our own booking site (losing 3.4% off each booking) so the HA 9% is really only 5.6% for us. We would also expect return customers to book direct next time and more than half of our clients are returners so that 5.6% becomes less. So, to summarise, for a mid-range rental like us their new world is just about OK (for now) and it got so tedious figuring out ways to convince prospective clients to go the extra mile and put our gite name into the internet (I'm amazed that so few did). We now play the game by their rules a bit more and get more bookings as a result so why not accept the invite?

I can see why the owners that have rentals that are multi thousand euros per week in the high season have a problem with the way things are going with HA. After all, 9% of 3000 € is a lot more than our 9% of 1000 €. I would have the same problem.

For us the new HA world seems to work (as I said, for now), we won't rely on it which is why we have a 62 page website that responds to a lot of different google queries to pull people in and also acts as a sort of tourist office site for our area. We also go the extra mile like a lot of other owners to get people to return - that's really where we save on advertising. We also don't open up our HA/TA calendars for the very high season until all our returners have had a chance to book so we don't pay the HA/TA booking cost on a lot of the high season.
Peggy and Lionel

Always do Cooking, Bed Making and Website design with Love and the rest will follow.
www.casteldecantobre.co.uk
www.casteldecantobre.fr
www.facebook.com/CastelDeCantobre
ianh100
Posts: 598
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:37 pm
Location: Sherborne Dorset

Post by ianh100 »

Thanks Peggymac,

I got the same survey and just completed it, as you say it felt like some sort of psychometric test. My problem was I disliked most of their suggestions.

I see no issue with accepting the premier status. They seem to be moving to a daily pricing model with a discount a bit like Airbnb. I have this on one property but the old style on the other, very odd as they are part of a single multi unit listing.

They are all trying to push for "instant booking", I was looking at Airbnb and I think they changed the filters to default to instant book only.
AndrewH
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Location: Kefalonia, Greece
Contact:

Post by AndrewH »

I doubt that I shall ever be invited to be a premier partner and, reading comments above, I think I would decline anyway, which would probably put me in the wrong with OD from the start.

The questionnaire certainly does sound like a psychometric test. Partly, I suspect to assess a customer's personality as to whether he/she is the kind of person likely to tow the line - their line. And partly to test the water and gauge the likely reaction to more changes they would like to make to their business model - instant booking only, for example.
Peggymac
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:24 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Peggymac »

And partly to test the water and gauge the likely reaction to more changes they would like to make to their business model - instant booking only, for example.
Yes, that was a distinct possibility, but as with ianh100 I didn't like any of the scenarios they proposed. I said no to all instant booking options and anything to do with ABB.
Towing the line has already been established by the ratio of bookings to enquiries. I have a feeling that that ratio is key to getting a listing higher up the property list as we seem to be in the top 5 for our area most of the time, unlike my neighbour who tries all sorts of subversive things - I found his properties at around 170 out of about 210. Last year we were around the 30 mark.
Peggy and Lionel

Always do Cooking, Bed Making and Website design with Love and the rest will follow.
www.casteldecantobre.co.uk
www.casteldecantobre.fr
www.facebook.com/CastelDeCantobre
rosebud
Posts: 625
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

No invitation to be a Premier Partner for me!
FelicityA
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Location: Cotswolds
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Post by FelicityA »

I think you have to have taken 10 direct bookings to qualify, Rosebud. I am just quoting what I have read on the saynotovrbo facebook page.
AndrewH
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Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Post by AndrewH »

Peggymac wrote:
And partly to test the water and gauge the likely reaction to more changes they would like to make to their business model - instant booking only, for example.
Yes, that was a distinct possibility, but as with ianh100 I didn't like any of the scenarios they proposed. I said no to all instant booking options and anything to do with ABB.
Towing the line has already been established by the ratio of bookings to enquiries. I have a feeling that that ratio is key to getting a listing higher up the property list as we seem to be in the top 5 for our area most of the time, unlike my neighbour who tries all sorts of subversive things - I found his properties at around 170 out of about 210. Last year we were around the 30 mark.
Yes, I see. A large number of enquiries translating into an equally large number of bookings get you high up the list. Even more enquiries turning into bookings gets you further rungs up the ladder. Failure in this means your listing is simply fodder to pad out their unnaturally too broadly located list of properties on making a search.

Well, I am in the business of renting out my holiday property (and doing OK) and I am not in this business in order to play their insidious game. I have had enough of Owners Direct and I will be gone in June.
Peggymac
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:24 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Peggymac »

Yes, I see. A large number of enquiries translating into an equally large number of bookings get you high up the list. Even more enquiries turning into bookings gets you further rungs up the ladder. Failure in this means your listing is simply fodder to pad out their unnaturally too broadly located list of properties on making a search.
Unfortunately yes, last year we were fodder. For now they are the only ones that seem to come up with the goods for us (apart from our own website). TA has fallen off the planet, and any new kids on the block have done zero. Obviously we haven't tried anywhere near them all but how long do you keep trying, especially if they want you to pay for the privilege?

We'll probably be fodder again next year when they change their minds (or computer algorithm) about us.
Peggy and Lionel

Always do Cooking, Bed Making and Website design with Love and the rest will follow.
www.casteldecantobre.co.uk
www.casteldecantobre.fr
www.facebook.com/CastelDeCantobre
rosebud
Posts: 625
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

Many thanks Felicity A.

Assume those 10 direct bookings are required in the last 12 months?

I've had 8 in the last 12 months. 9 in the previous 12 months. 14 in the year before that...
FelicityA
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Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:54 pm
Location: Cotswolds
Contact:

Post by FelicityA »

rosebud wrote:Many thanks Felicity A.

Assume those 10 direct bookings are required in the last 12 months?

I've had 8 in the last 12 months. 9 in the previous 12 months. 14 in the year before that...
Probably, Rosebud. I don’t know the rules as I still have no service charge applied so am bottom of the pile. You need to ask their rules.....and, given past form, then they will change them anyway half way through the game.
declanja
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:59 pm
Location: Nice France
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Post by declanja »

I am a member of this exclusive club, having been admitted last week. Looking at their website, I now have a little tab with "popular", on the side of my ad. About 12-15% of other properties in Nice also have this tab and most seem high in the ranking on a search. I have always played by the rules whether HA, Airbnb, TA or Booking.com. HA has not worked well for me in the past year but had two inquires since I got "popular", neither booked!
I was looking over my records recently and saw where I paid £1000 (€1300)for my listing with HA in 2015. My peak season charge is €850 so it was almost two weeks peak income. I am paying much less now, I think about €300 but customers are paying a service charge andI am getting less bookings. Swings and roundabouts!
Declan
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