Imagine being able to captivate guests from around the world with the sheer allure of your vacation rental's location. What if you could weave the unique charm, cultural richness, and natural wonders of your area into an irresistible narrative that resonates deeply with travelers seeking authentic experiences? This episode unveils the secrets to doing just that, empowering you to harness the power of your locale and skyrocket your direct bookings.

With practical insights from seasoned industry experts, you'll discover how to uncover the distinct selling points of your destination. From quirky local trivia and traditions to breathtaking landscapes and hidden gems, learn to craft a compelling story that transports potential guests to your doorstep before they even arrive. Prepare to be inspired by real-world examples of hosts and managers who have mastered the art of leveraging their location's appeal through engaging websites, captivating social media content, and the magic of storytelling.

It isn't about hot tubs or fire pits or a house that lives. This is about the unique experience your guests will have when they stay with you. - Jenn Boyles

In this podcast episode, I was joined by Annette Arsenault, owner and manager of Quayside Quidi Vidi Vacation Rental in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and Kendra Badoe, vacation rental property manager at Suite Harmony in Ontario.

Connect with Annette Arsenault and Kendra Badoe:

• Annette Arsenault, Quayside Quidi Vidi Vacation Rental, Newfoundland: https://quaysidequidividi.com/
• Kendra Badoe, Suite Harmony, Ontario: https://www.suiteharmony.ca/

Here's what you can expect to gain from this episode:

• Strategies for identifying and showcasing the unique allure of your area
• Tips for crafting an online presence that resonates with your target audience
• Insights into leveraging local blogs, social media reels, and community-building tactics
• The numerous benefits of cultivating direct bookings, including increased control, personalized guest interactions, and exclusive rewards for loyal customers

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Direct Booking Success

00:01:11 - The Canadian Advantage

00:05:21 - Leveraging Your Location

00:11:06 - Importance of Direct Bookings

FREE GUIDE: 10 Ways to Drive Guests to your Website instead of Airbnb: https://directbookingsuccess.com/10-ways-to-drive-guests-to-your-website-instead-of-airbnb/

Show notes are available at: https://directbookingsuccess.com/podcast/

Follow Jenn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directbookingsuccess

Join Jenn’s free Facebook group – the Marketing Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/strmarketinghub

Have you ever wondered why more people aren't coming to your area for their vacation? Maybe you wonder why they aren't coming at all. This is what I'm going to be diving into in this episode. I'm going to help you find out what you can do to help increase your direct bookings.

You are listening to the Direct Booking Success Podcast, bringing you all the information you need for your short term rental to stand out from the crowd. I'm your host, Jenn Boyles. As an owner and manager myself, I know how hard it can be to navigate the hospitality industry. I'm here to help so you too can have direct booking success.

00:06:20 - Annette Arsenault

Hi everyone. My name is Annette and I own a vacation rental property in St. John, Newfoundland, Labrador. We are Canada's most easterly province and actually Canada's newest province, having joined 75 years ago. So we're celebrating that special milestone this year. My home is called Quayside Quidi Vidi. It is located right in the city of St. John's, but you wouldn't know it because when you step foot in our village, it really feels like its own separate community with its own culture, geography and way of life, really. So the best thing I would say about our neck of the woods is our people. We love welcoming tourists from near and far. We love to share our culture, our sense of humor, our sense of adventure with anyone that comes to visit us on the island. It really is a special feeling that you get when you walk off the plane and you see the welcoming smile and you feel right at home.

Hi everyone, my name is Kendra Beidou. I run Suite Harmony. We're a vacation rental management company that takes care of properties that I own and manage in Eastern Ontario with a particular focus on the Calabogie area. And when we say, why Calabogie? And what's the best thing about Calabogie? Well, Calabogie is absolutely stunning. It has tall pines and pristine lakes and it just feels like you're in a postcard all year round. There's something for everyone to do in the warmer months there, swimming and boating and fishing on the lake and all kinds of community activities. And then when it gets cold in the winter, we have the highest downhill ski hill in all of Ontario, which is said something because it draws people in for skiing. And then there's snowmobiling and even just cozying up by the fire. In the wintertime it's a draw all year round, and in the fall, all of the trees just turn into this gorgeous, gorgeous, colorful landscape escape that just attracts people at that time, too. So that's one of the best things about Calabogie. When you look at why people come to visit, they come because of those things. They come because they're wanting to enjoy all of those activities and all of the amenities that we have at our properties. We have some large capacity spaces that really encourage family reunions and wellness retreats and workshops and group getaways and so on. But then we also have some smaller spaces that attract solo travelers or couples looking for a romantic getaway and small families looking to enjoy.

So quality time, thanks Annette and Kendra for helping out. Now, can you tell me how you use your location and why guests are coming there in your marketing?

We use the location in a number of ways for marketing, the first being on our website, we highlight where we are and what this region has to offer. I also have a blog on our website. It's got a variety of blogs about things to do in the winter, things to do with kids, family friendly activities, things you didn't know about Quayside Quidi Vidi and now you do. We use that a lot in terms of encouraging folks to learn more about the region and also on social media. We know a lot of reels and posts about the area and all there is to do here.

When we look at how we're going to market, how we're going to tell people about what we offer, we often think about how close we are to all of these amenities, the ski hill, the lake, and so on. How close are the properties to all of these things that people can do and enjoy in and around the Calabogie area? And how can people enjoy the space? And often people who've never heard about Calabogie before discover it because they're looking for a place that offers the activities or amenities that we provide. And then by highlighting those features, we attract guests who work seeking those experiences and learn about Calabogie. Visit Calabogie maybe for the first time.

Thank you. Some great ideas there about how you too can use your location in your marketing. So, Annette and Kendra, can you please tell me what direct booking success means to you?

In terms of what direct booking success means to me? Well, it means having better control over my business. It means interacting with customers in a way that is flexible and direct, not having all conversations, being mindful, monitored by a third party platform, not having the guest be charged outrageous fees, and developing that relationship between the host and the guest. It really means a lot to me to be able to cultivate that relationship and to hear that the guests have had fantastic experiences. Best place they've ever stayed. Definitely recommend it to their friends. I just can't tell you how that warms my heart and makes me want to keep on hosting. So we're currently at 50% direct booking, which is a great increase over last year. We were only at around 20% direct when we were being managed through a property manager. So when I took over this year, my real focus was making sure that I build an online presence, that I have a website that provides all the information that guests might need and that really highlights the beauty of our province, the uniqueness of the experience that guests will have when they come and makes it easy for people to make that reservation.

Direct booking is really, really important because we've got the Airbnbs, the VRBOs of the world, and those are good and important, too. But we want to be able to have access to our guests, to be able to give them a more personalized experience, a customized experience, and be able to interact with them freely. And that's something that we can do best when we're dealing with people through a direct booking. And then there's also the opportunity to kind of give people a better price and so on. I love being able to build and to reward our repeat guests. We have a lot of people who come back year on year, and we want to make sure that we're able to foster that sense of loyalty. And that's much easier to do when it's a direct bubble. Then when we're dealing with the restraint that some of the platforms might have love to keep independent from relying solely on any one platform. It gives us more control over our business.

Annette and Kendra, thank you so much for sharing what you're doing. I will add links to your websites in the show notes, and if you have a story that you'd like to share on the direct booking success podcast, head to Instagram. Follow me @directbookingsuccess and send me a DM. And if you're listening or watching this episode and you think somebody else would be interested, send them a link in the next episode. We're going to help you with what to ask when you're looking at adding a new piece of software into your short term rental business. Too often I see people asking in Airbnb Facebook groups what software others are using, only to get bombarded with very opinionated responses, which really doesn't help them make a decision. So my guest John Stokinger and I will be sharing what you should be asking instead. Until then, please go out and take action for your own direct booking success.

Hey, thanks for listening to the Direct Booking Success Podcast. For more information about this episode and others, head to the website directbookingsuccess.com podcast. See you next time.