Will you renew your listing on OD?

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

Will you renew your listing on OD?

Yes
9
18%
No
30
61%
Unsure
10
20%
 
Total votes: 49

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apexblue
Posts: 2249
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:58 pm
Location: UK

Will you renew your listing on OD?

Post by apexblue »

Will you renew your listing on OD?
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....

The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
Sam V
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Location: Villa in Gale, Algarve, Portugal. At home in Fetcham, Surrey, UK
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Post by Sam V »

Ill need to do the maths based on the total number of this year's bookings and the commission I would have otherwise paid' ad if bookings are down on last year. My renewal isn't until end of April next year.
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ianh100
Posts: 598
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:37 pm
Location: Sherborne Dorset

Post by ianh100 »

I just voted no but have just renewed for the following year, i am getting so few bookings from OD that it is not good value but I do think I get a number of bookings that find me there and then search and book direct.

As they are now stripping out all contact details I think I would switch to a commission model next year.

Such a shame that HL and OD have killed what was a good model only a couple of years ago.
Giraffe
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by Giraffe »

Currently on subscription until February. If no contact details are available until after a booking, then I will switch to commission. Don't like their business ethics, but will remain in the hope that they give me visibility.

On current level of bookings it will cost me less but my visitors a lot more - that's if OD manage to get me any bookings. Not a bite in the last 3 months!
The best things in life are free
The Olive Grove
Posts: 750
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:19 pm

Post by The Olive Grove »

I just renewed our subscription in May. Unfortunately all of our bookings have come from there, and if I had been on pay per booking it would have cost me more, so unless things change it looks like we will have to stay with them for now. Don't like the way they are going though.

I voted unsure.
declanja
Posts: 513
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:59 pm
Location: Nice France
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Post by declanja »

My subscription is due in August so I will need to do the maths. HA had always worked well for me but this year it is producing much fewer inquires but a high percentage of instant bookings. TA is not working for me this year and Airbnb has improved. So overall I am disappointed with HA's performance. Declan
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Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

I have two subs, one runs out in June 18, the other in October 18. It will be interesting to see what happens and if they lose visibility, but until now they have bought in a huge amount of business. I would have to assess at the time whether it's worth staying on a subscription or going on commission. So far other commission listings bring very little in the way of enquiries or bookings. I have plenty of time to watch how it pans out and won't be surprised to see that one of my listings will be one of the very last to remain on a subscription basis without online anything enabled. It may self fulfil in terms of business nose diving as it drops down the ranks, time will tell.
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Having grudgingly renewed fairly recently without OB, I know all I've really done is delay the inevitable, so it's a no from me.
Clearly the ultimate push is for 100% commission listings and the control of terms, cashflow, booking acceptance, pricing, search manipulation etc that comes with it. I simply cannot operate under those conditions & feel the current pressures are merely an indicator of much worse to come.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Jenster
Posts: 454
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:24 am
Location: Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Jenster »

Like others I will have to do the maths, but atm contemplating going commission to remain visible while working hard on direct bookings through FB ads etc.

Does anyone know if the guest service fee is the same for both commission and subscription?
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AngloDutch
Posts: 727
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2014 10:25 pm
Location: Netherlands

Post by AngloDutch »

We took up the special renewal offer at the end of February (posted on LMH) and renewed our OD subscription listing until 1st January 2019.
The bookings that we're now getting through OD are double that of any year previously (on OD since 2005), although we'll have to see what happens now that we will be unable to communicate with the guests directly.
So, yes, we are with OD for another year and a half and will no doubt relist with them in 2019 (and VR, which is a commission listing, because the bookings coming through that US site are much less than they used to be).
sandyandy
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:45 pm
Location: Pembrokeshire Coast

Post by sandyandy »

No, I am cancelling when my renewal is due in September and will be listing elsewhere instead. I had a phone call from Owners Direct asking what I thought of the changes. I bet they wish they hadn't asked...! :roll:
it will all come out in the wash
Quiterio
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:20 pm
Location: Cadiz Province, Spain
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Post by Quiterio »

I'm another reluctant 'yes'. We took a break from HA (I assume you're including HA, as they're all part of the same empire) last year, to see what would happen if we went with AirBnb and a raft of small players. And the simple answer was .... nothing.

I wish we could shout more loudly, perhaps telling all our customers to tell their friends not to use these rip-off web sites. I've written an article for our local ex-pat magazine. But it feels like it will never be enough.

All these doom and gloom reports about OD losing business ...and yet - plenty of travellers happy to pay the premium.

I also wonder if we are a very small vocal minority. What percentage of renters do we laymyhatters actually representative?
AndrewH
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Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Post by AndrewH »

AngloDutch wrote:...The bookings that we're now getting through OD are double that of any year previously (on OD since 2005)...
Why do you think this is, AngloDutch? Your results through OD certainly seem to buck the general downward trend. There may be special factors at play.
rosebud
Posts: 625
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

I would like to leave as i don't like the way they have changed at all...

However I will see how things pan out (renewal not due until next year) as unfortunately OD/HA have been and still are my very best source of bookings from a listing site.

Some guests find me on OD then contact me direct - whether they will track me down in the future remains to be seen.

Have even had a couple of OD/HA bookings in the last few weeks - one last minute and one for next March...
Jenster
Posts: 454
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:24 am
Location: Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Jenster »

Quiterio wrote:I'm another reluctant 'yes'. We took a break from HA (I assume you're including HA, as they're all part of the same empire) last year, to see what would happen if we went with AirBnb and a raft of small players. And the simple answer was .... nothing.

I wish we could shout more loudly, perhaps telling all our customers to tell their friends not to use these rip-off web sites. I've written an article for our local ex-pat magazine. But it feels like it will never be enough.

All these doom and gloom reports about OD losing business ...and yet - plenty of travellers happy to pay the premium.

I also wonder if we are a very small vocal minority. What percentage of renters do we laymyhatters actually representative?
I'm not sure if we are a minority but there are certainly a lot of owners and guests who are happy to work with the OD system as it is now. People are still using them, as demonstrated by Rosebud and AngloDutch. Only this week I have had two OD guests ignore my option to pay by bank transfer for a discount, and happily paid the higher price by credit card. And I had an owner in my FB Cornwall accommodation group say she would not book guests outside of OD as she 'wanted the protection they offer'.
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