Resources

Podcasts

VRS405 - Direct Booking Strategy & Tactics with Damian Sheridan & Deborah Labi

No items found.

The past 18 months have seen many highs and lows for property managers and independent hosts, but one constant has been the need to separate from the confines of the platforms and carve a path to direct bookings.

Not everyone will agree, but quite honestly this podcast is more likely to be heard by savvy independents than those who are happy to be controlled by behemoth corporations.

In this episode I am joined by the founder of the Book Direct Show - Damian Sheridan - and co-director, Deborah Labi, to talk about the BD movement and where it stands after a year and a half of lockdowns and restrictions.

Deborah has escaped from Australia and is in her happy place - Nice, France, while Damian called in from Spain.  With the Book Direct Show imminent, we discussed multiple aspects of the business as it’s seen from a direct booking perspective.

  • How the direct booking momentum has changed in the past year
  • Why offering a personalized and professional service will always win over corporate sameness
  • The top three reasons managers give for wanting to move more to a direct booking model
  • What barriers managers need to overcome to achieve success with direct booking
  • How OTA marketing dominance and spend can lead to unfair tactics, such as bidding on your brand
  • The importance of trust and reviews
  • Trust when booking on OTAs vs Direct
  • What hosts and managers can do to rise above the bulk of the inventory
  • Five things a manager can do today to move the needle towards more direct bookings.

The Book Direct Show runs online from 1 – 10 September 2021 and the London in-person event is on Monday 13th September.

Who's featured in this episode?

No items found.