It’s been a couple of months since #BookDirect Day, and the momentum is still high. More and more regional sites are being launched, and I see the results of owners creating their own websites and throwing off the OTA bonds. And they are seeing success.

We also heard from Amy Hinote in an excellent blog post on VRM Intel that

“….industry experts are maintaining that the “top of the funnel”—which for us commoners means the widest market point where customers find vacation rentals—is closed, arguing that Airbnb, Expedia/HomeAway, Booking, and TripAdvisor (in that order, at least today) have shut innovation down with monumental barriers to entry for newcomers. And those industry experts advise property managers to stop fighting it.”

This type of comment is more likely to fire up owners and managers to pursue independence rather than beat them into submission, and in today’s episode, I turned to Joe Godar of ivacationonline for his views on the current state of the industry and the direct booking movement in particular.

Joe shares:

• How to set up an umbrella of marketing
• The importance of diversifying
• Why many owners need a wake-up call
• Why we should embrace our marketing tools and learn them inside and out
• Knowing whether you are putting a roadblock in your booking process or are opening the gates
• How he can understand why the OTAs do what they do and why owners need to step up their game in order to thrive outside their control
• How the pushback will create its own niche cottage industry
• Why regional sites need your patronage and support