Does anyone do this?
1) Increase the cost of booking via Airbnb or VRBO (my two outside platforms) by 7% over my direct ownerrez booking rate through the price adjustment feature in OwnerRez API integrations.
2) This now makes booking on my direct site 7% cheaper (actually 7% + the 7-14% by also not charging any VRBO? AirBNB serve fees). Include cancellation insurance (7% my expense) option with all direct bookings through ownerrez.
3) Let people know through my website and elsewhere, such as in the feedback columns in AirBnB and VRBO that they can book direct next time and not only get cancellation insurance for the same price (important these days) but save off the 3rd party booking fee of 7-14%. with a net savings. Or they can just pocket the cancellation insurance cost and save 14-21%- but will face very strict/ no refund in case of Covid-19 cancellation policies because they waived the insurance and agreed to my cancellation terms.
The point for me is I hate the cancellation policy of Air BnB that allows people to cancel up to 14 days before arriving. It costs me a lot of time and money.
If people cancel with the travel insurance offered through ownerrez/ lynnbrook, I believe I still get paid (can someone verify this?), and not only that, I can re-book those same dates again, thereby making double.
It's a win win for the guest, for me, but maybe not for Airbnb or the insurance company.
Thoughts?
Thanks, Todd
Right now, we have more strict policy with VRBO, a 30 day no questions with AirBNB. I typically refund though. I am out 3%, but I have not had a date not re-book, often the same day, yet. Now, we may have a long road ahead, and some folks have more total annual spend, and concern that I do.
It may be worth setting a strategy that way you have described above, curious what difference the difference would make though, what % of cancellations are you seeing? What is your high season? Mine is now, not much unknown. We crushed July, we just can't go back in time to March/April.
