I had a pre-existing business before ABB came along so it was good for me as extra source for filling up my leftovers from prior customers but what i did a couple of times was (since I didnât have as much activity as others) create a split rental with the first 4 days of my standard weekly rental being direct with me and the last 3 days being done via ABB which gave me a chance to get extra reviews here yet not cause the guest that much in additional fees. That also meant when guest left, I could leave review for them which could benefit them with future hosts IF they were good guests, and/or provide a bit of the âhost guaranteeâ coverage though i wasnât that concerned about that aspect.
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@Don_Burns, one thing to consider about owning the booking process is how it also allows you to own the process/experience.
While I (like you) appreciate AirBnB/HomeAway/etc as an initial lead-management system, my end game absolutely is getting repeat customers setup to book with me directly on a site and overhead cost that I control.
Even more important than the fact that this allows you to pass savings on to your repeat customers, it also allows you to control the most important thing: your own data and customer information.
If I have met my customers once, I want them them back again. I want to offer them anniversary, birthday, or âloyalty programâ discounts. I want to know what kind of beer or stay theyâre looking for so that I can make that stay the most memorable moment for them the next time they come to stay with me. Certainly that can come up in person over a meeting or guestbook, but I can also ask that information in the booking process and ensure thereâs options for add-on experiences that I control and manage.
AirBnBâs done a great job in expanding the idea beyond space rentals to travel experiences, but so long as they remain the middle-man in the process theyâre keeping every one of their hosts in the passenger seat and keeping any/all margins on those add-ons for themselves.
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Airbnb does not " has its home-coverage insurance. BIG mistake if you think it does!!!
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How do you do this? What are the reactions from guests? Are they coming in via ABB and you offer to reduce their costs?
I have both rack cards like this and business cards (both printed by VistaPrint, which does high quality cards inexpensively). They have different purposes. If the OP belongs to his local con/viz organization (which he should) they will place cards in their racks at their local visitor center or office, as well as the local airport/bus/transit stations. In addition, many other high visitor traffic areas and destinations often have card racks.
I also hand out about 3000 business cards (I got the folding ones so I could put more info about my tours on the inside) per year.
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- Worked with guest to get them to do it 2) They were ok with it as i absorbed the minimal $25-ish booking fee as cost of business in trade for getting a review on ABB which hopefully would lead to future business that way 3) Obviously Iâm not going to fully answer that on a public forum but I will say that once or twice when a customer initially contacted me on ABB and then finds me directly also by their OWN research (NOT me telling them), and objects to the high fees once they realize the costs/difference, I feel obligated to ABB to give them something and as they have provided me really no extra service for a 7 day rental vs a 3 day one, I think itâs fair to all involved. I will NOT bypass ABB totally when customer makes FIRST message contact via that site but â however, if guest FIRST calls/emails me directly and says they saw my ABB listing and then used that info to find me elsewhere on Net, I donât feel similarly obligated to ABB.
If someone like me books a room for one night and pays ABB maybe $7-10 in fees, I and host get NO more service from them if i stayed two nights and paid twice that in fees, right? They got us together, they provided communication, they provided payment processing, they provided review process, etc. but all those are same no matter the length of stay.
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I think itâs great you created your own website, and I can tell you are passionate about your business. But, if you are going to direct your guests to another listing site - it may as well be one that does not charge guests booking fees! Your repeat guests already trust you. I see on your site you direct guests to ABB or TripAdvisor. You can replace those links with a link to your Houfy listing instead.
Itâs free to list your property. Itâs also integrated with Stripe and Square. So credit card acceptance costs you no more than you are already paying ABB and TA. The difference is that you will receive the money directly into your bank account right after the guest books, not after they check in. And Houfy does not insert itself into your money transactions. Thatâs between you and the guest. Your damage deposit is between you and your guest.
I understand that for now you are comfortable with ABB and maybe a last minute cancellation does not impact your bottom line very much, so you are not the least concerned if one of your guestâs uses the extenuating circumstances policy. But I would never send my guest back to a site knowing I could lose all the $$$ for that booking if they get sick and can show a Drs note.
When you import your listing into Houfy, you can also import all reviews from ABB or VRBO. Then you can sync those reviews as new reviews arrive and they will appear on your Houfy listing. The reviews do say which site they came from. People who book you on Houfy can leave a review directly on Houfy.
You can also sync your Houfy calendars with ABB and other calendars.
And you mentioned your website has weblinks to local attractions. Did you know that Houfy is a social site for travelers and you can create many guides of local things to do, wineries, hiking, restaurants, etc.? You can link them from your website or even embed all of your guides directly into your website. Once you write local guides on Houfy - letâs say a traveler comes across the site and is thinking about visiting the wineries in Murphys, CA, but theyâre not actually decided where to vacation yet. In one area of the site they can type in murphyâs California and your guides can show up. The traveler clicks on your winery guides and starts reading the info you wrote. They can save this info to their favorites for future reading material. And your listing can be embedded into every single piece of local info you write.
So even someone in the research stage will know of your place to stay in the future. They can easily share your local info from Houfy directly to their friends on their social sites. They can also âfollowâ you on Houfy and receive any new posts you make in their Houfy newsfeed. Most of my guests have recently been joining Houfy to âfollowâ me on there. These guests have for the most part come through an OTA. But now they know they can book me with no fees next time. And long after they leaveâŚthey are still reading about my local posts of the area. What better way to keep the guest thinking about your area.
One suggestion for your Facebook page. Have you thought of adding a âlearn moreâ or âbook nowâ button? Keep the send message button if they have a question, but add one of the blue contact buttons. If someone is on your FB page, then they can click that button and be linked directly to your Houfy listing. Of course you could also direct them to ABB or TA too if thatâs your preference.
Here are the free embed tools that Houfy allows people to use on their own websites. You of course need to have your property on Houfy in order for this to work on your Meadowslair site. I am not sure if they are compatible with every single website but I used some on my wordpress site, so def. worth a try or PM me if you have any issues.
You just copy/paste the embeds onto your website. You can add your propertyâs availability calendar, a seasonal rates table, up to date reviews, and a quote tool where guest enters dates and number of guests. When you need to update for example your holiday rates on your Houfy listing, it will reflect those changes on your website within seconds.
Here is an example of a Houfy member who has the quote tool, seasonal rates table, and calendar embedded. If you click on the his reviews tab you can see how he has also embedded his reviews. https://bearhavencabins.com/inquire-and-book/
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Here is a getting started guide on Houfy if you are interested in importing your listing. It takes less than 10 seconds to import the majority of it. Then just finish up your rates, etc. Then connect your bank account with Stripe/Square, etc.
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This insurance is NOT what you think. Please search this forum for more details about Airbnbâs âInsuranceâ.
Also, your regular home insurance may not only not cover the Airbnb but could possibly cancel your insurance if you tried to file a claim. I use proper insurance which is 2x the cost of my regular home owners insurance but now Iâm covered.
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Of the 20 bookings we have had, since my wife and I started our two-bedroom Airbnb nine months ago, only one couple has returned for a second stay. I assume we will get more return visitors during the warmer seasons. All have left positive guest reviews and we currently have a 4.9-star rating.
When our guests check-in, I ask how they learned of our guestroom rental. They reply, they type "Airbnb Murphys California" in the Google search box.
Most travelers are unaware of other online guestroom booking companies, such as Houfy. Airbnb has greater name recognition and better Internet search-engine browsing results. Itâs like me saying several years ago in my work office, âI need to make a "Xerox copy,â instead of âphotocopy.â Brand-names stick in peopleâs minds.
Again, our Airbnb home is in a semi-remote Northern California mountain community. I would not be as worried to switch from Airbnb to Houfy, if we were in San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Hollywood, or any other major California tourist city.
P.S.: I misspoke in my original posting on this thread that Airbnb will cover all home insurance. I meant it will cover some damage from a guestâs stay.
Also, THANKS to everyone who wrote long and detailed replies to offer their suggestions!
Definitely do not switch companies at all! Use Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and whatever other sites to get bookings. Itâs not an all or nothing process.
I was just saying if guests stumbled across my website or FB business page, repeat guest, referral, etc (instead of directly on the OTA first), found my rack card in a winery, real estate office, etc. âŚI would send them to book through me directly OR through a site that doesnât charge them booking fees, and a site that will not override my cancellation policies.
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I have never heard of Houfy and wondering (havenât looked at their site as on iPad now) how they make money if thereâs no fees? Seems that itâs working for you so that was one thing I didnât see on your very detailed posts.
There are a couple of threads about Houfy on this site. A recent thread is
Topic: Meet the Company taking on Airbnbânews article
https://airhostsforum.com/t/meet-the-company-taking-on-airbnb-news-article/30325?u=annet3176
The thread started off as something else then wandered into âHoufy-landâ
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In the future the site will definitely be monetized. The owner of Houfy has tossed some ideas around. Some owners have suggested certain optional services they would be happy to pay for - maybe ads, etc. But, charging owners to have their property on the site will always be free and no commission, etc. And guests will not be charged service fees.
Do join the Say Yes to Houfy group to learn more about it. Or better yet, import your listing and play around. You can always delete it.
BTW - Houfy is only being shared by word of mouth right now.
Glad to hear you have found the cards useful for your marketing. Whatâs the conversion rate like ? @NordlingHouse.
Here in the UK we have to pay to display information in our Tourist Information Centres, tourist attractions and transport centres, so that would add to the cost of using cards as a marketing activity.
Wow 3000 business cards a year - I am not even sure I know that many people to give cards out to 
We order many thousands of pounds worth of print every year and found Vistaprint quality variable both in terms of colour and the finish. It sounds like they provide a better service where you are based.
@pleasantforestshores There is some disagreement on whether or not Houfy will start charging commissions or guest fees in the future. They claim that âlistings will be free forever.â But listing on Airbnb and other OTAs is also free. Hosts/guests only pay when a booking occurs. I havenât found any claim on Houfyâs web site that they will never start charging commissions/guest fees. So tread carefully before giving yet another company access to your private data.
All you have to do is click on the Getting Started guide above that I directed you to in a previous thread and it says owners will never be charged commissions.
Better yet, why not join the Say Yes to Houfy FB group and ask the owner directly yourself. Then you can get it in writing for yourself directly from the owner of Houfy. His name is Thijs Aaftink.
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