Direct bookings or platforms: what changes for a farm stay
Platforms bring guests, but they keep a commission and the relationship with the customer. How a direct request works and when it makes sense to use both.
If you run a farm stay or a B&B, you are almost certainly already on one or more booking platforms. They bring visibility, that is true. But every booking has a cost, and it is not only the one you see on the invoice. Let's look at what changes if some of your guests write to you directly.
What platforms give you
They have huge numbers of visitors, and people looking for a room open them first. For a new or little-known business they can be a good way to get noticed. There is no point in demonising them.
What they cost you
On every booking they keep a commission. The price guests pay and what you receive are not the same. On top of that, the relationship with the guest goes through them: they give you the data they want, in the way they want, and they set the rules.
What changes with a direct request
On your own website the guest finds the rooms with photos, amenities and a "from" price, reads about the experiences and the area, and sends you an availability request. The request comes to you, with no intermediaries and no commission.
You can reply as you like: suggest a different room, a longer stay, one more experience. You talk to a person, not to a system.
A website in your guests' language
Many guests at a farm stay come from abroad. That is why our farm stay website has Italian and English as standard. If you need other languages, such as German or French, they can be added for €140 per language.
What if I already have a booking system?
No problem. The website can be linked to your booking engine, if you have one. Anyone who wants to book straight away can do so there, and anyone who prefers to write to you has the enquiry form.
You don't have to choose: you need a website of your own
The choice is not "platforms yes or no". The point is to have a home of your own: a place where someone who has already found you, perhaps on a platform, can search for your name and contact you directly.
A guest who has stayed with you and wants to come back looks you up on Google. If they only find the platform listing, the booking goes through it again. If they find your website, it comes to you.
How much it costs
The website for farm stays, B&Bs and holiday homes costs €790 one-off, with Italian and English included. From year 2 you only pay the domain renewal. The first draft arrives in 48 hours and you only pay if you like it.
Where to start
Have a look at the farm stay demo and ask yourself: are my rooms described well? Does a guest see straight away how to write to me? If the answer is no, fill in the Get started form and we will call you back.