A lot of people are looking online for ways to save money when they travel. But are those mega search sites really as good as they claim to be? Now there’s a new way that you can enjoy a vacation and save money – by booking direct.
What Exactly is Booking Direct?
Usually vacation rentals are managed by independent owners and operators of properties, or property managers. Recently, there’s been a big growth in the travel and listing sites that are putting themselves in between guests and managers.
This isn’t being done to improve the guest’s travel experience. They’re marketing their sites aggressively so they make money.
If you’re able to save some money by booking direct, you should do it. It’s a better option.
Is Booking Direct Cheaper?
Booking directly with Naples Florida Vacation Homes is cheaper in a number of ways. One main reason you’ll save money is by avoiding additional fees added by other sites.
1. Service fees. These will be directly billed to you along with any type of rent that you’re going to pay. Based on the site that you are using, you can usually see them by clicking on “View Details.” The rate will run between 5-15 percent.
2. High commissions or listing fees for every listing. These range from 5-20 percent. Many times these types of commissions mean that the home’s rent has to go up to cover this additional cost.
Each time you book through a travel site, smartphone app or listing site, you are going to increase your costs, which means that you’ll have less money to spend on your vacation.
Does Booking Direct have any other benefits?
Of course! Below are some of the other benefits that you’re going to enjoy when you book direct.
1. Listing sites don’t always have the very best prices. Often they will have rates that they’re only updating daily, and any last-minute offers aren’t reflected. Or there’s a higher price because the listing cost is being covered. Plus there’s that annoying service fee. After all of this, you might be paying the rate you’d normally pay rather than having a discount.
2. A lot of the better properties aren’t always on those sites. Because of high listing costs, a lot of properties that already do well don’t bother with listing on them.
3. You’re going to be in direct contact with the manager while you’re booking. Listing sites require that the managers are only communicating with guests through their system. They hide the contact information and remove the important information from the messages, such as links. If you’re interested in saving money and avoiding paying a service fee, they’re going to lose the money. They only want to make sure that you’re booking through the site so they profit from you.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Booking Direct is a great choice when you want to save money on travel. Check it out and see what it has to offer. You may just find a whole new way to travel and save money!