Holiday Lettings or Homeaway?

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Cotto
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:35 pm
Location: Tuscany

Post by Cotto »

We are on HA/HL/AirBnB..., we get new guests mostly from HA or directly from our website. We get nothing (1 booking in the last 4 years) from AirBnB. HL/TA used to perform very well a few years ago, now it gives an average of 3-4 booking per year.
The problem with HA are their double fees and loss of a direct contact. We are still on subscription model but they nonetheless charge both the guests and us.

Our cottage is set in the countryside. AirBnb performs well for properties set in a crowded city, with low prices. People looking for just a bed to sleep as an alternative to an hotel, will go to Airbnb or Booking. Typically 2-3 nights stays.
While we accept 5 nights stays only during low season. Otherwise is a full week. Our guests are usually over 55 years old and each year we have several guests staying 2 weeks or more. The usual tourists that use Airbnb are simply not our target. They do have different expectations and holidays.

Cheap and small apartments set in a main city can (and do) rent very well with just Airbnb.
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