Travel platforms bring guests you would not otherwise reach, and charge for it twice: the commission, and the fact that the guest becomes theirs, not yours.
Booking platforms are not the enemy. They put a small property in front of travellers who would never find it otherwise, and for a new property that reach is worth paying for. The problem is what happens to the guest afterwards. They booked through the platform, so the platform has their email, their preferences and their loyalty. When they return to the city, they return to the platform, and you pay the commission again on a guest you already earned. Direct booking is how you keep the second visit. ## Why guests book direct when they do Not patriotism, and rarely price alone. People book direct when the direct option is obviously better and visibly safe: - The rate is the same or better, and that is stated plainly - Availability is real, not an enquiry form that takes a day to answer - The photos are better and more honest than the platform's - Something is included that the platform cannot offer: late checkout, breakfast, airport pickup, a room preference That last one is the lever most properties never pull. You control it entirely and the platform cannot match it. ## Photography is the product Nobody books a room from a description. The gallery is the decision, and it needs to show what a guest actually wants to know: what the room really looks like, the bathroom, the view, the breakfast, the pool if you have one, and the entrance so they recognise it when they arrive. Shoot every room type. A guest comparing two properties will choose the one they could picture themselves in. ## Availability or nothing An enquiry form is not a booking. If a guest has to send a message and wait, they will book the platform where they can confirm in ninety seconds and then sleep. If you cannot run live availability yet, at least be honest and fast: say you respond within an hour, and then actually do. ## One property or several If you run several properties under one brand, the group site and the property sites do different jobs. The group site builds the brand and helps someone choose between locations. Each property needs its own page or site with its own gallery, its own facilities and its own booking path, because a guest deciding on one location does not want to wade through the others. ## The things that decide a booking and cost nothing to state Check-in and check-out times. Whether there is parking. Whether the power supply is backed up. Whether the wifi actually works for a video call. Whether children are welcome. Whether the restaurant serves dinner. Each one is a question somebody would otherwise ask by phone, or quietly decide against you on. ## The realistic goal You are not going to leave the platforms, and you should not try. The goal is a steady share of bookings coming direct, especially from returning guests and from people who found you on a platform and then checked your own site before booking. That share is the most profitable business you have, and it only exists if your own site is good enough to earn it.