Kickback for referrals and bookings with fellow owners?

[cambalala]

Hi All.

Not sure if I was being too cheeky or not. What do you think?
I had a query for 2 weeks in December. (However I'm fully booked for these 2 weeks.) - So I contacted a fellow owner in the same resort.
They have the 2 weeks open, and I've been communicating with the enquirer to the point that they want to confirm a booking with the fellow owner. (Basically I sold 2 weeks for him.) Am I being cheeky asking the other owner if we should look at some kind of finders fee when referring to each other?
Or should I rather suggest they pass any "already booked" queries that they get on to me?

I have not yet given the guest the contact details of the other owner.

Not sure how to handle this one.
Cheers.
Ray.

[Hells Bells]

I do this with my apartment manager, she takes a booking for me I give her 5%, and if I do the same for her, I get 5%.

[Margaret]

We have also set up a 10% commission either way with a British owned B&B in the village. Nothing has actually happened so far!

[alifrank1]

I tried a reciprocal agreement with someone who has the identical apartment to mine (but hers is very basic). I gave her a number of enquiries and bookings but never had any back or even an offer of a percentage or a bottle of cava

I don't bother now as my apartment is always full but hers is still empty a lot of the time

[cambalala]

Ok. So I'm not being too cheeky then
The problem is that after I suggested it 2 days ago I have not had a response.... and now the guest is obviously waiting for me to pass the info on to them.

Do I pass the info in and how the other owner does the honourable thing or wait and risk loosing the booking?

[Margaret]

I think you may have to pass on one enquiry 'free' to get the ball rolling. Your fellow owner may think you are just trying to get enquiries out of him. It won't hurt to pass one over yourself to show good faith.

[cambalala]

I have already told them that I have someone keen to book. I think I'll pass the details on in anycase and see what happens.

[cambalala]

I've done it now. I hope all goes well.

[A-two]

Check your local laws before starting something like that. In some parts of the world, kickbacks are illegal. In the US for example, only licensed agents can accept money for negotiating a rental on someone else's property.

[Richard D]

I think referring guests on to other properties for cash is always a bit risky - it can work well or not depending on the natures of the owner and property you're sending the inquiries on to - I mean, if forwarding enquiries, you really have to trust the other owner to be honest about whether the person booked or not. Going the whole way and actually taking a booking for someone else and receiving the guests' money to take a commission is really risky because if the guest has a problem with the other property then you could get the hassle as it was you who took their money !

Because of a the lack of any better ideas, I set up a reciprocal link system with some other similar properties in the area (from our availability page). This works well and I can see that we get a lot of traffic from the other sites.

(I'm sure like many LMH subscribers) I wish I could figure out a way to cash in on the hundreds of visitors each month who look at our availability page and then clear off elsewhere because we're full

[Giddy Goat]

You're right! Your suggestion of reciprocal links seems the best way forward for owners with similar properties in the same area Richard.

[Martha]

We send enquiries out to a list of local owners if we're full - I don't ask for commission as it's just easier not to - too much of a can of worms. I've had a couple of bookings from the list, as well as sending some to it.

[Mountain Goat]

I wish I could figure out a way to cash in on the hundreds of visitors each month who look at our availability page and then clear off elsewhere because we're full

Not have an availability page? When you reply to their enquiry, have an opt out option on your email in case they don't want to hear from you again and then blast them all with a newsletter at the start of the new booking season?

MG

[cambalala]

well it appears that the other home owner was not keen because they just ignored my email.

Also I referred the guest to them as I didnt want them to loose a 2 week booking and have not heard back from them also.

[Giddy Goat]

Makes you wonder sometimes why you bother doesn't it! I'd say only one in three or four whom I help in this way ever write back and thank me.