Barriers to change

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

What is stopping you leaving HomeAway/TripAdvisor?

Cost of alternatives
0
No votes
Time and effort to place new adverts
2
8%
Effort finding good alternatives
0
No votes
No confidence alternatives will generate any bookings
21
88%
Technical quality of alternatives
1
4%
 
Total votes: 24

Nigel Goodwin
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Bree wrote: You have done a great job on your website Nigel .
Thanks. I did a lot of work earlier in the year on map-based search, and making it efficient for a large numbers of properties. This brought signifiant challenges which were overcome, which will bring longer term benefits.

I have about a 5 year plan before I expect any return on my investment in time and cash.

It is a delicate balancing act - increase number of properties, improve social marking, generate revenue, obtaining investment funding, improve filters, integrate with booking systems, build affiliate relationships, support owners, build infrastructure to handle volume - it can't all be done in the first year.

At least my cost base is low - I pay a monthly fee for a server, plus my own time.

As indicated by the poll, social marketing is my immediate focus.
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

Currently, I wouldn't mention HA and TA in the same breath. TA (through HolidayLettings) allows a subscription advert with unfettered access for the owner to talk direct to the guest. In other words, it's like the way OD used to operate.

I know it's going to change within the next 2 years. But for now, TA is working great (who needs grammar?) and OD is contributing relatively little.

So, we stay on TA with some enthusiasm. But we fear for the future that it will become a clone of HA. We stay with OD too but on a pay-per-booking basis so that it costs us nothing.

The only smaller site that has given significant bookings for us is groupaccommodation.com. That only works with the bigger property though. We continue to list on any new listing sites that look promising. I really hope that Nigel's site takes off, but the last time I tried it (as a guest) the search dialog was hard to find and having found it, it seemed to ignore the placename!
Cheers, Ben
www . scotland-cottage.com www . scottish-cottage.com


Visiting Glenrothes? It's one of your Fife-a-day
Quiterio
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Location: Cadiz Province, Spain
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Post by Quiterio »

Probably, like most, I'm reluctant to change, because guess where the majority of our bookings come from?

But, like Joanna, guest reviews are also a factor for us. Quite hard to dump the glowing reports that have built up over the years. Could there be some way of transferring them seamlessly, the same as you do with your direct debits when you move your bank account?
rosebud
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

I list on a number of sites - all liked to Ical except one - and have my own website..

I am pleased to say that my own site brings in more bookings than any other source. Although bookings have dropped through OD/HA, they continue to provide the second best results.

I had a flurry of bookings through Air B'nb late last year but these have dried up..

HL commission based & the Cottage Guide bring occasional bookings. I dropped another small subscription based site recently, with regret, after 4 years as I had just one short booking in the last 12 months.

I am on 2 free sites which have brought no results..

Ideally I would rely on my own web site (& repeat guests) and forget about listing sites ..
Yorkshire Lass
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Post by Yorkshire Lass »

Interested to see Ben's comments about the benefits of The TA/HL subscription but I wondered if you are aware that from the end of January if you accept online bookings through them you will no longer receive immediate payment - from that point on they will be holding on to any money they receive on your behalf on bookings taken after that date until the guest has checked in. You will be able to opt out of online bookings but your listings will go to the very bottom of the list because really what they want to coerce you into is moving over to their commission system.
We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars

www.kingshousescarborough.com
www.facebook.com/scarboroughholidaycottage
www.sandsendpavilion.co.uk
Nigel Goodwin
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Location: Newquay Cornwall
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Yorkshire Lass wrote: if you accept online bookings through them you will no longer receive immediate payment
Yes. I gave up on HA/OD 9 months ago, but kept a subscription on TA/HL. My TA/HL subscription expired a few months ago, and I am not inclined to renew. I am also not inclined to have any OTA hold on to my money until the guest arrives - been there, done that, it ruins cash flow.

I hardly got anything from TA/HL last year anyway.

So now I am left with airbnb on 60 day payment terms, but I am also in process of selling 3 out of 4 of my properties, so my desparation to make a profit (or at least cover all my expenses) may diminish and I can concentrate on something which might actually make a profit - or at least enjoy my own holiday properties a bit more with myself and my family.
SPJ
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Post by SPJ »

I've not voted in the poll because there's a bit of each of those answers in my decision and also, like others, I think the rating and the reviews and the "endorsement" of OD/HA are important. I copy the guest comments onto my own website, but cannot give a "five out of five - exceptional" to myself!

OD/HA gives me a presence in the market that I cannot find elsewhere so far - I just cannot be faffed with the social media stuff. So after much agonising and VERY reluctantly I'm going to renew in February AND sign up to online booking. I already have most of this summer booked with repeats /referrals so the OD/HA listing for me is about being found by NEW guests for next year (most will be looking in September this year for next summer's peak time) and I'm hoping they will only be a small proportion of my business and the majority will be repeats / referrals again and/or coming direct.

I also feel that I'm used to the HA/OD layout / system so it's really quick and easy for me to find what I want, to update text and photos and to use their calendar.

But then this is only marginal income for us - summer months, one gite, always a few days between guests. If this was a full-time business I'm sure I would have a very different view.
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