After Owners Direct???

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
SPJ
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After Owners Direct???

Post by SPJ »

With the final nail in the coffin of "Owners Direct" being hammered in over the next few months I'm sure there will be some (many?) like me looking elsewhere for somewhere to list for next season and I wondered if we could group ideas/ suggestions / experiences all under this one banner?

No doubt there are those who will suggest going the social media route and that may be right for some, but I neither have the time nor the inclination to approach my marketing that way. My ideal would be an "Owners Direct as it used to be" clone. In the past they have brought me just the type of guest I'm looking for in the numbers I need.

Ahy suggestions anyone?
Nigel Goodwin
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

I think all I will say at this stage is that a 'OD as it used to be done clone' is either a long slow growing process, or else it needs many (hundreds) of millions of pounds/dollars/euros investment.

If you expect something new which will generate bookings for you similar to the level in the past from OD, with a subscription of under £50 per annum, within two years, you are going to be sadly disappointed.

It will happen, many are trying, but let us not be naive. A Facebook page may be useful for a niche market, but for 500,000 properties?

How do you think you can match the advertising budget of the major players without 500,000 properties?

If all members of LMH (which isn't going to happen) decided to pay £50 per property (which isn't going to happen) on supporting a single new listing site (which isn't going to happen), that will hardly be enough to support the infrastructure (server, developer) let alone a digital marketing executive, support executive and CEO.

I think my eyes are open, but sometimes i'm not so sure

:lol:
SPJ
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Post by SPJ »

I agree Nigel, but let's start somewhere.

And I'm realistic about what I will pay for a quality subscription. My last OD subscription was over £500. I'm looking at Sawdays, which is £600. I'd be interested to know from those who have used it is that level of subscription worth it?
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

As someone who inherently got all her bookings through OD I had a rethink last year.

1. I'd already created a website through PMP a few year ago (thanks to LMH members for spurring me on) and I'm getting bookings but these may well be redirected from OD.
2. Focused on our market. We seemed to attract mainly families so researched those sites dedicated to this market.
I went with one called Tots to Travel and have found them very professional;
- I get paid when they get paid.
- I market under another name so I can take bookings direct and price differently
- they take 20% commission
- they have social media presence and regular mail outs to clients
- start in October with them when I'd already taken 9 wks bookings but got another 5 via them.
3. Have just gone 'child friendly villas' after asking if they'd set up an Ibiza section.
- they are like OD and you pay a subscription.
- you deal direct with your enquirer
- they have social media presence and a regular newsletter to their clients
- been 4 wks, no enquiries yet
4. Will go with a very targeted company called Little Voyager next year. Based in Barcelona they handpick a small number of properties. They mainly deal with ex pats living in Barca, Germans, Dutch and Spanish.
- they charge 10% and you get paid direct, then pay them.
- you deal direct with clients once they connect them with you.
5. I'm in the process of signing myself up to as many child groups as pss on social media.
6. I created an instagram page - no bookings as yet, but early days.
7. I'm much more active on our FB page. - so far 3 bookings taken through that over 2 years.
8. Send an annual mail out to all past guests around March and an xmas card
9. Talking with a Dutch 'agent' as the number of Dutch visitors has increased dramatically in 2016/7. Maybe she can get me some business.

After all this I still need to stick with the big boys.
Now;
1. OD is dying on its feet. My hits have reduce from over 400 (last year up to July) to 50 this June.
2. HL/TA been with them for years and only had a handful of enquiries....usually last minute when people are desperate. They just don't work for me.
Future;
1. I'm looking at air bnb for last minutes as their cancellation policy worries the life out of me....plus they don't seem to be very flexible and payments are late.
2. Also looking at booking.com. I know, but it seems their cancellations are now more reasonable and they pay you early.
3. Also looking at Spain Holiday as I like the fact they're focusing on legal villas.

So that's me.

Looking forward to reading about others success (or failures)

Mousie
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

The smelly owner advertisement as published by Home Away: https://www.youtube.com/user/homeawayvacation

They don't have a clue. It smears the entire sector and the vast majority of owners. I think Owners Direct is history.

It stands as one of the most incompetent, insulting and damaging advertisements this sector has ever seen.
No web-site for now.
Advice about holiday letting
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Crikey! That's the first time I've seen the whole advert. I've only ever seen the much reduced and edited one. Did they rally show this in the UK? With words like vacation?

Yes OD is dying...though I noticed recently their search facility had been improved. Bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Mouse
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Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

At the moment there is no old OD style site that is likely to bring in enough bookings alone, but there are smaller sites that operate in a similar way (The Holiday Let, Independent Cottages), and lots of startups where it is free or cheap to list.

If you have the time and energy it may be worth listing on a few of these in the hope that one or more of them will grow enough to fill the gap left by old OD.

Personally, I have listed on any of these sites where it was free (Home Escape, Owner Holidays and others), and continue to list on TA and ABB although I get little from them. TA I find good for filling last minute cancellations. I am currently undecided whether to renew with OD when the time comes, it will depend on how many bookings I get from them between now and then.

In addition I have a website, Google my business listing and facebook page. I have online booking and payment on my website which I believe is a huge plus. I am experimenting with running a facebook ad once a month or so to drive website traffic. So far it's working and I've had some good bookings from this.

I know you said you hadn't the will for fb, but really setting up and running an ad now and again to direct people to your website is quite easy and I see far more results from this than from interactions on my page or in the various fb groups. It may be worth running some fb ads even if you don't want to bother so much with the interaction/engagement side of things, which I agree can be tiresome.
Nigel Goodwin
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Mouse, interesting you focus on when you get paid. I think this is very important. I gave up on HA, I am on TA with subscription, and also I am with airbnb on their 60 day cancellation policy, I have money in my account 2 days after the guest pays, which is 60 days before the stay. It seems to work well.

I tried a specialist agency, but we have very different interpretations of the wording of the agreement. I thought I was going to get paid a month in arrears after guest pays, they think they are going to pay me a month in arrear after the guest leaves.

So, check very, very carefully the wording in your agreements with these smaller agencies. Make sure what the termination of agreement says, check what happens if a guest makes a complaint, check the complaint resolution policy. I have experiences where the agency finds alternative accommodation and pays me nothing, a unilateral decision on their part, even with trivial complaints and I am on site.

Of course, some companies completey ignore what is clearly stated in a signed agreement....

[Let me go and upload some improvements to Owner Holidays, as I sit here sweating in London heat.....]
ManxRed1
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Post by ManxRed1 »

Another interesting feature of all this advertising by HA is the adverts they post on Facebook. Inevitably the first few comments are positive and complimentary, and then someone inevitably comes on, tells a horror story, and then everyone piles in with negative comments (I admit I am guilty of this too).

It cannot be doing them any good at all (I sincerely hope!).
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

has OD HL and Homeaway turned off the ability to comment/ask questions on their facebook pages? Used to rad them but can't seem to see them anymore!
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Jenster wrote:At the moment there is no old OD style site that is likely to bring in enough bookings alone, but there are smaller sites that operate in a similar way (The Holiday Let, Independent Cottages), and lots of startups where it is free or cheap to list.

If you have the time and energy it may be worth listing on a few of these in the hope that one or more of them will grow enough to fill the gap left by old OD.
I think that is an excellent reply to the original post Jenster. Reliance on one source is part of the reason they are able to exert such pressure on owners.
SPJ, the original OD grew from humble beginnings (I remember being the 12th Greek listing back in the day) so it would be foolish to assume that any new start up can simply slot into it's place given the spending strategies & manipulation of the global bullies - it just isn't going to happen (quickly) no matter how much owners want it to & the only way it will even happen at all is if support is given to the alternatives. Whether a free or paid listing they all need a decent property database to get started, & income, just like OD did once upon a time.

Mouse has generously provided the perfect example of adapting to survive/thrive, so for what it's worth:

1. Of the major players, I only have an OD subs listing left & it yields next to nothing other than an opportunity for people to stumble across me there & search me out, which they still do occasionally. Maybe they are wising up, one can only hope so.
I dropped HL/TA a few years ago when they started setting todays precedents & BC or ABB are most definitely not on my radar.

2. I take up free or promotional listings with legitimate newbies including Holiday Let, Simply Owners, Home Escape, Owner Holidays & a couple of others specific to our region. I accept that all of these are going to be slow burners but I have had the odd enquiry & it has definitely increased traffic to my own website so maybe one of those led to a booking - I don't know. I keep my fingers crossed for all of them.
I also get the odd booking via an informal tie in with a local wedding planning service.

3. Once prospective guests make it to our website, obviously I want to keep them there so I make sure it is regularly maintained, informative, has a concise calendar & clear contact options to encourage enquiries. I have online booking, credit card & other payment options as well as integration with my social media feeds. This year all of our bookings were made through our own website, regardless of initial source:wink: We had 1 US, 1 Germany, the rest UK & ROI & zero problems with processing.

4. Social media is an alien environment to me, but I stick at it regularly, if not frequently. I have had limited returns on facebook ads but possibly didn't utilise it as best I could & it clearly has a lot more potential. Other than that it offers another layer of credibility that I think is critical in todays marketplace.

5. I use MailChimp to send out an annual pre-season newsletter to my mailing list of previous enquirers. Separately I send a different version to previous guests, telling them of upgrades, local events & a subtle reminder that they qualify for a returnees discount. Some success, nothing spectacular & again something that I could probably make better use of.

6. We have a couple of new island specific mini agencies that have approached me informally for 2018. I've not had time nor inclination to look into it further & realistically it's not really for me. On the plus side at least there are some initiatives taking shape.

So far, we're ticking over but our season is getting shorter by the year, so we have less weeks to fill & I accept that it is not the case for many. If I'm able to maintain anywhere around our current occupation rate into next season or beyond I'll consider it a moderate success. If not I'll probably jack it in & pull out of rentals altogether. Life's too short.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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GRL
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Post by GRL »

ON their FB page click on posts in left hand column then you can read visitor posts
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

thanks but they are all adverts, are people not allowed to comment/complain anymore!!!
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GRL
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Post by GRL »

I can see them - top one from Caroline Allen. https://www.facebook.com/ownersdirect/posts_to_page/
The Olive Grove
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Post by The Olive Grove »

Does anyone use Booking.com?
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