Commission on booking for guest house/hotels in Europe?
Discussion
We are setting up a website where we will recommend places to stay in certain parts of Europe for people looking to take weekend/week breaks. We can approach the hotels/guest houses/camp sites in the area and negotiate a commission but are not sure how this will work in practice in terms of logging who books what after being on our site.
So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
If you were going to go as far as offering the service to providers who are not already part of a travel network you would need to give them access to a very simple booking system even if its just to say they have availability or not. You then need to set up call tracking which and listen to each call until completion or use a 3rd party call centre on a fixed fee to take the booking.
Its all pretty easy to set up but its a very competitive niche
Its all pretty easy to set up but its a very competitive niche
Frimley111R said:
We are setting up a website where we will recommend places to stay in certain parts of Europe for people looking to take weekend/week breaks. We can approach the hotels/guest houses/camp sites in the area and negotiate a commission but are not sure how this will work in practice in terms of logging who books what after being on our site.
So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
If you don't already know the answer to this it sounds like you're in over your head to be honest, and not really in a good position to have any chance of success here. So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
KFC said:
Frimley111R said:
We are setting up a website where we will recommend places to stay in certain parts of Europe for people looking to take weekend/week breaks. We can approach the hotels/guest houses/camp sites in the area and negotiate a commission but are not sure how this will work in practice in terms of logging who books what after being on our site.
So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
If you don't already know the answer to this it sounds like you're in over your head to be honest, and not really in a good position to have any chance of success here. So, for example a person could see a place they like on our site and then call or email or go to their specific site to book. We can track people if they go directly from our site but not if they email directly or call them. The most I can see us doing is making very strong CTAs (Call To Actions) to encourage them to book by clicking a link(s) on our site rather than going directly.
Is there anything else we could do?
You recommend a villa, etc for me to stay at for £1k a week (inc your commission), then I go direct and find out that its only £900 a week minus your commission... Or I go direct and see it at £1k a week minus your commission.
Which one will I do?
Go with an unknown entity (yourself) or go direct with the other company?
What you going to do? Its not like your a recruiter and I dont know where Im going, I will know everything that I need, then can book direct.
The only way you could tempt me is to have the deal on your site at £100-200 cheaper than going direct, so you would need to squeeze the end company down to £700-800 and then take a £100 commission for doing so.
Hope you like lots of cold calling hotels.
KFC said:
If you don't already know the answer to this it sounds like you're in over your head to be honest, and not really in a good position to have any chance of success here.
You're probably right. It does sound like rocket science and like anyone else who asks a question, as I don't already know the answer it must be way beyond my capabilities. Keep posts like that in your head and save us the bother of wasting our time with them.Du1point8 said:
The only way you could tempt me is to have the deal on your site at £100-200 cheaper than going direct, so you would need to squeeze the end company down to £700-800 and then take a £100 commission for doing so.
Its not. I am simply going to get an agency commission on each sale from the hotels so that my prices are the same as the hotel. My challenge is making sure that all bookings I refer are recorded. Online this is easy but offline more of a challenge.Frimley111R said:
Du1point8 said:
The only way you could tempt me is to have the deal on your site at £100-200 cheaper than going direct, so you would need to squeeze the end company down to £700-800 and then take a £100 commission for doing so.
Its not. I am simply going to get an agency commission on each sale from the hotels so that my prices are the same as the hotel. My challenge is making sure that all bookings I refer are recorded. Online this is easy but offline more of a challenge.I would rather deal with the actual hotel/etc than a middle man if the prices are the same.
Im assuming you are just looking for hotels/etc that have little web presence as how are you going to tell if I look at Hotel A on your site, but its already on another site and I was just checking which is cheapest, and then go direct as none of you are... yet you are going to claim that the booking was a referal off you and claim the commission?
How will you know if I went because I saw it on yours or was reviewing yours to find out if you were cheaper?
How are you going to compete with established companies that do this if the price is going to be the same as what going direct is?
Du1point8 said:
Nope... Still dont see the benefit of me booking via you over seeing the place and booking direct. You offer me no saving at all.
I would rather deal with the actual hotel/etc than a middle man if the prices are the same.
Im assuming you are just looking for hotels/etc that have little web presence as how are you going to tell if I look at Hotel A on your site, but its already on another site and I was just checking which is cheapest, and then go direct as none of you are... yet you are going to claim that the booking was a referal off you and claim the commission?
How will you know if I went because I saw it on yours or was reviewing yours to find out if you were cheaper?
How are you going to compete with established companies that do this if the price is going to be the same as what going direct is?
You are completely wrong with this line of thought - many people won't do any sort of deep comparison... they'll see a product and be happy with the price and they will purchase it. They're not going to know/care its listed on other sites at the same price.I would rather deal with the actual hotel/etc than a middle man if the prices are the same.
Im assuming you are just looking for hotels/etc that have little web presence as how are you going to tell if I look at Hotel A on your site, but its already on another site and I was just checking which is cheapest, and then go direct as none of you are... yet you are going to claim that the booking was a referal off you and claim the commission?
How will you know if I went because I saw it on yours or was reviewing yours to find out if you were cheaper?
How are you going to compete with established companies that do this if the price is going to be the same as what going direct is?
Affiliate marketing (which is what this is) is a multi-billion $ industry. I've made a lot of money advertising things on websites that weren't unique, or even interesting. And priced at exactly the same price as everywhere else.
Frimley111R said:
You're probably right. It does sound like rocket science and like anyone else who asks a question, as I don't already know the answer it must be way beyond my capabilities. Keep posts like that in your head and save us the bother of wasting our time with them.
I'm not saying it to try and wind you up or just to cause a reaction... just trying to say perhaps you need a reality check as to what you're trying to do here. The type of site you're proposing building is getting harder and harder to do, and the funds and skills required to pull it off are also rapidly increasing. Get it wrong and you're going to lose the thick end of £50k... or if you're not planning on putting in £50k then you're under funded and you're going to lose whatever does go in.
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