You run a B&B. Your rooms are on one or two booking platforms. The bookings come in. Good.
Then the month ends, and you see how much of that money went to the platform.
This post is about the other way to get bookings: from your own website. It is not about leaving the platforms. It is about not depending on them for everything.
What a platform really costs you
A booking platform gives you something real. Guests find you there. Guests trust it. That is worth paying for.
But the price is more than the commission:
- You pay a share of every booking. The more you sell, the more you pay.
- The platform owns the relationship. The guest booked "on the platform", not with you. You often don't have their email to write to them later.
- The platform sets the rules. Cancellation terms, how you are ranked, what you can say. They can change them, and you adapt.
- Your listing sits next to others. The guest compares you with ten other places, often on price alone.
What you get from a direct booking
When a guest books on your own site:
- You keep the full amount. No commission on that booking.
- You know who they are, and they know it was you. You can send a warm welcome and tell them about the area before they arrive.
- You can invite them back. Guests who loved their stay often come again, and a direct line makes that easy.
- You tell your own story: your rooms, your breakfast, your hosts. Not a grid of photos in a list.
You don't have to choose
Most B&Bs should keep the platforms. They bring guests who would never have found you.
A simple way to think about it:
- Platforms are for being found by new guests.
- Your own site is where you want guests to book once they know you. That includes guests who found you on a platform, guests who return, and guests who heard about you from a friend.
Many guests look you up on Google before they book anyway. If your own site is there, clear and quick, some of them will book with you instead.
How to start, in small steps
- Make it easy to book. A clear "Book" button on every page. Not hidden in a menu. If a guest has to hunt for it, they go back to the platform.
- Give a reason to book direct. Your best price, a small perk like a late check-out or a welcome drink, or flexible terms. Only offer what you can really give. Check the rules of your platform contract, as some limit how you can advertise prices.
- Make the site fast on a phone. Most guests browse on their phone. A slow site loses them. See how to improve website speed and our mobile guide.
- Be found. Keep your Google Business Profile up to date, with your own website link and the same details everywhere. See Google Business Profile: the complete guide.
- Ask for the booking, and say thank you. After a stay, a short mail to thank the guest and invite them back is the cheapest marketing a B&B has. Keep it personal, and only mail guests who agreed to it.
What if I get few visitors?
Direct booking only works if guests visit your site. If you get few visitors, start with being found: why your website is not showing up on Google is a good place to begin.
A realistic goal
You will not replace the platforms overnight, and you don't need to. The goal is a little more of your bookings coming direct, every season. Each of those bookings is money that stays with you, and a guest you know.
Questions about your own situation? Talk to us →