Dave Goodfellow says new property operators should start with OTAs to get guests, then convert them to direct bookings by offering a discount when they arrive. OTAs charge more, so direct bookings are more profitable.
One tip that I'd give to people. When you're starting, use the OTAs to get your foot in the door and then just speak to your customer who's at your property. Speak to them, ask them very simple questions. Our ota, the way that we have our listings set up is they're more expensive on the OTAs than they are on our direct booking website. We offer them a discount to come back to us. We always, if they're coming back, turn an OTA customer into our own customer. That's the big, probably the biggest way to get direct bookings, in my opinion.
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