How to Acquire Trust To Encourage Direct Bookings

In this article, I will cover another tidbit gleaned from Mark Simpsons newest book "BookDirect Blueprint". 

There are a couple of strategies one can use in order to score direct bookings.

You can decrease prices on your website and have them lower than advertised on the OTA's. (Online Travel Agencies).The guest would pay less but the host would net more since the fees associated with OTA's would be irrelevant.

Another way would be to offer amenities free of charge that would otherwise cost the guests if they would book via OTA's (To learn more about charging customers for amenities, check out my articles about Mount and Dack).

However, there is still one hurdle to overcome when trying to woo guests to book direct on your website.

TRUST.

Guests may still rather pay more or/and not get free amenities for peace of mind associated with booking with OTAs. For example, Airbnb will place a guest in a similar home should they experience a last-minute cancellation from the host or if the advertised space is not as advertised. 

However, when people book direct, they are at the mercy of the host to play nice and have their expected comfort level guaranteed. They can land at their destination and find out that the 5-star reviews and amazing photos they saw were a scam and there is no property to speak of. 

This is where I-PRAC can help.

According to their website:

"I-PRAC gives property owners and rental agencies an opportunity to demonstrate their credentials to travelers by completing an in-depth verification process. Working with government agencies worldwide, I-PRAC conducts comprehensive checks on rental agencies and property hosts, using sophisticated verification techniques that are unavailable to travelers. These checks include, but are not limited to the following:

• Passport verification
• Proof of property ownership
• Proof of address
• Proof of bank account registration
• Proof of company incorporation
• Verification of personal contact information
• Verification of property listings, photos and reviews

When a property owner or agency is approved, they can add an ‘I-PRAC Approved’ logo to their website and property listings. All logos include the member’s unique ID number that can be verified through the I-PRAC member ID search.

£199.50 is what it will cost you as a homeowner and 2.5 times that amount for a rental agency.

They will require a passport as well as photos from the house as well as utility bills to ensure that the one applying for the certification is truly the owner.

This is another way to differentiate yourself from the competition and up your game for direct bookings.