Getting found
How to get more holiday let bookings
The agencies take a big cut, and guests who love your place return. Win more direct bookings by showcasing the property and owning your repeat guests. Here is how.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Get more holiday let bookings
Where more holiday let bookings come from
More holiday let bookings, and more valuable ones, come from showcasing the property, winning repeat guests, and being found off the commission-charging platforms. The agencies and platforms take a large cut of every week, so a booking through them earns you less, and guests who love a holiday often return year after year. Getting more valuable bookings, then, means showing your property and setting so guests want it, letting past guests rebook with you directly, and being findable when guests search. The let that shows itself well and owns its repeat guests keeps the commission the agency would take. And because many guests find a property on a platform then look up its own site before booking, a site that showcases your property captures those guests directly. Growth here is about selling the getaway, owning the guest relationship, and being found, so you fill your weeks while keeping the commission.
That property-and-repeat character is the key. Guests buy the place and often return, so everything is about showcasing the property and turning guests into repeat direct bookers.
Showcase the property and win repeat guests
The most powerful lever is turning one-off guests into repeat direct bookers, because guests who love a holiday return, and the agency takes its cut every time. So showcasing the property beautifully, with photos of the place inside and out and its setting, wins the guest a bland listing would not, and giving past guests an easy way to rebook direct, perhaps with a returning-guest welcome, keeps that repeat booking off the agency and saves the commission year after year. Selling the location matters too, because guests are choosing where to spend their holiday, so showing what is nearby, the beaches, walks, attractions, helps them picture their trip and choose your property as the base. So showcasing the property and its setting, and owning the guests who return, is the heart of getting more valuable bookings, because it wins the booking and keeps it yours.
Be found and take the booking direct
Showcasing the property only wins bookings if guests reach your site, so being found is the other half. Guests search for holiday cottages or places to stay in the area they want to visit, and many who find you on a platform then look up your own site, so a site that ranks for local holiday accommodation searches and showcases your property captures those guests directly. Every guest you win to a direct booking is a week that keeps the agency’s cut, so being findable, and giving guests a reason and an easy way to book with you, shifts bookings onto your own channel. Getting more holiday let bookings comes down to showcasing the property and setting, winning repeat guests, being found, and taking bookings direct, and a beautiful, findable, easy-to-book site does all of it, which is how a holiday let fills its weeks while keeping the commission.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a holiday let site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
How do holiday lets get more bookings?
By showcasing the property, winning repeat guests, and being found off the platforms. Agencies take a cut of every week, so getting more valuable bookings means showing your property and setting so guests want it, letting past guests rebook direct, and being findable. The let that shows itself well and owns its repeat guests keeps the commission the agency would take.
What is the single best way to get more holiday let bookings?
Turn one-off guests into repeat direct bookers. Because guests who love a holiday often return, and the agency takes a cut every time, giving past guests a way to rebook with you directly is the most valuable thing you can do. Owning your repeat guests, alongside showcasing the property and being findable, is the highest-value lever.
How does showcasing the property win bookings?
Because a guest choosing a holiday is buying the place and the setting, so beautiful photos of the property, inside and out, and its surroundings make them want to stay. A site that shows your property at its best captures the guest a bland agency listing would not, because it sells the getaway they are imagining, which is what wins the booking.
How do I win repeat direct bookings?
By making it easy for past guests to find you and rebook direct, and giving them a reason to. A guest who loved their stay will happily return, so a site they can book on directly, perhaps with a returning-guest welcome, keeps that booking off the agency and saves the commission. Owning the guest relationship turns a one-off holiday into repeat direct bookings year after year.
How does showing the local area help me get more bookings?
Because guests are choosing a place to spend their holiday, so showing what is nearby, the beaches, walks, attractions, countryside, helps them picture their trip and choose your property as the base. A site that sells the location as well as the property wins guests planning a getaway, because you are answering what their whole holiday will be like, not just where they will sleep.
How do guests find a holiday let online?
They search for holiday cottages or places to stay in the area they want to visit, and many who find you on a platform then look up your own site. A site that ranks for local holiday accommodation searches and showcases your property captures those guests directly, so being found, and giving them a reason to book with you, is how you win bookings that keep the commission.
Do I need to pay for ads to get more holiday let bookings?
Not necessarily. Guests search for holiday accommodation and check a property's own site before booking, so ranking for local searches with a beautiful, easy-to-book site can win direct bookings without paid ads, each saving the agency's cut. Ads can add reach, but your own site does the core work of showcasing the property and owning repeat guests. Build it first.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a holiday let site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read Get found on Google, see the full pricing, or get in touch.