Filling Calendar Gaps with a Unique Auction Style Service

Welcome back to the Boostly Podcast, the podcast that gives you the tools, the tactics, the training, and most importantly, the confidence so you can go out there and get more direct bookings. This miniseries on the Boostly podcast focuses on services and people that you need to be aware of as a host. And today we're diving into something a bit different, something which is going to help you as a host, potentially fill some of your calendar and really just find out about this service. So we've got a special guest. We've got Emma Johnson from, she's the founder from Bidden Stay. Thank you for joining us, Emma.

Hi, Liam. Hi, everybody.

So, Emma, fill us in. What is Bidden Stay?

So Bidden Stay, there's two elements to it actually, and the main element being its unique ability to auction off last minute accommodation. So the host sets a silent reserve which is automatically calculated. So they might say they want to reduce the price by a percentage throughout that month and that can be on a sliding scale. And then that becomes a silent reserve. A guest comes along and all they have to do is beat that silent reserve. As long as they beat that silent reserve, they get the booking. So the host increases their occupancy and their revenue, they get a booking that they might otherwise have not got. And then the other side to the business is really promoting that direct booking process where we're trying to encourage people to explore areas by foot and by bike and by using other activities. We're going to bring in surfing and golfing and that kind of thing. We want to link guests directly with hosts who can push those kind of activities. We want to reduce that supply chain, which is what Bitly is all about as well.

That direct booking, 100% something which is close to our hearts. And anything where we can draw people's attention to our calendars and potentially get bookings is a great way of doing so. And often we're talking about reaching out to local people within the community or services where you can make it more of an experience where people can come and stay. And of course, that sounds like that aligns really well with, with Bid and Stay. So before we dive more into Bidden Stay, what is your history? What is the reason that Bid and Stay has been founded?

Okay, so I actually came into it. We converted the farm into holiday accommodation. And I would sit there thinking, that place is empty and that place is empty this weekend. How can I get them there at the very last minute? Because weather looks good, sun shining, I'd rather have people in there than it's empty. Making no money. So it's. I'm a runner and actually I was out running in the morning and I thought, I just need to be able to auction this off and have a place to auction it. So I actually started auctioning it on ebay, but going on social media and letting my network know that we'd got some accommodation going to the last minute on ebay and actually took a couple of bookings through that.

Nice.

Something for this. I think there's a market for this. So, yeah, that was. That was one way. And yeah, so that's. That's kind of how it came about. It wasn't until the pandemic when I threw myself at it and I thought, you know what? I'm going to do a raise. We're going to build this. Let's see if we can make it happen.

Nice. Nice. And, you know, as you first introduced me to the idea, I was thinking, that sounds like ebay. So I'm so glad you said, you know, that was where the idea kind of, kind of started. But can you just give a little bit more context of the kind of hospitality offering that you've got there and just say a bit about where you are in the world is. I know some people in the podcast will recognize it.

Okay. Yes. Well, I'm. We've just realized I'm actually not too far from yourself. So I'm in Suffolk, right on the east coast. I was, I was actually born here. I've lived here all my life. It's a great area and it's a lovely area for. For people to come on holiday as well. It's got a real holiday feel about it. So there's lots going on in the area to encourage guests to come and stay. So it's been a real inspiration for me.

Nice. And do you still have the farm? Do you still host guests at the moment?

No, we don't have the farm anymore. I've actually converted. You can see my old garage, which I'm currently sat in. And this is actually used to. Used to let guests.

Oh, nice. This morning, you know, I did think when. For those of you who are listening to the audio, there's an awesome kind of ladder in the background. There's decor and the lighting is cool. So, yeah, this is cool. For those on YouTube, you'll be able to see that. So diving back into the product, how does this work? So I'm a host myself. Many of the people listening to this are hosts. What do they need to. To do to. To come and list their properties?

So Currently, we've just carried out an integration with TXGB, which is linked to a number of their PMSs. So for the likes of anytime bookings and booklets as well, there's loads that they're linked to. So all they have to do is if they're not a member of thgb, they can sign up for free and there's a small commission to pay on any bookings that are placed. I think it's around 2 1/2% to THGB, but as far as it goes with the THGB connection, it is just ticking that box with us, then sent all of the details and they can list with us.

Nice, nice. And if they're not with those people at the moment, is there plans for. Is there any way for other people to list at the moment?

Yes, so they can list on the book direct side, which we're currently really marketing to cyclists we've just started building out. I mean, this is all very new. We've just launched in the last six weeks, so it is very new. But the cycling side. So if you've got a good area for cycling or you just want to drive. Direct bookings, then we've got the booking side as well.

Cycling is such a massive thing at the moment, and I don't think hosts are necessarily capitalizing on the amount of cyclists, especially here in the uk, who go around and they're purposely looking for bike storage places they can secure stuff and things like that. What's your experience around that?

Yeah, so I've got a great deal of experience. I'm a keen cyclist myself, and this is an area I really want to push. So really encouraging hosts to know exactly what they need to supply. For example, yes, we call it lockable cycle storage instead of secure cycle storage, just in case people get overexcited about having somewhere they can lock their bike away and then if something happens, they're less liable. So we say lockable cycle storage. In areas that are good for cycling that could be road or off road, it's good to have a hose outside, potentially provide just a few tools, just like a track pump, a decent pump and a few tools. Allen keys, that kind of thing. Great. If you can say you've got a washing machine, but not always essential, it's quite handy, especially at this time of the year. And what's really nice is if you can provide routes for people to explore when they come. And by doing that, you could think of nice places for cyclists to go out, which joining good cafes. Say you're helping the local cafes as well, places of interest, even bike shops, in case they have a problem with their bike while they're there.

That's a great idea. And for me, I've got urban based properties, but even in urban based properties there's, you know, people still have cycle routes through them and especially in, you know, sort of rural places, I guess the routes must be, must be massive to be able to say where they can go. And also while we're on direct bookings, it's a great thing to blog about and to attract those, those keywords for your website as well.

Yeah, definitely.

How does this work then for a guest? So how do you get guests to use bid and save? And where do those guests sort of find out about your offering?

So we just, we've just started marketing it because we've really been spending the last 18 months, two years, building out the tech and we've built all of the technology from, from scratch. So we're now starting to grow our social media presence. We're in talks with a couple of companies about getting flyers into that. Well, we're actually in talks with a wine company and also a cocktail company to get flyers into their boxes that they send out. So we're trying to get into households. So that's the sort of key areas that we're looking to market this at the minute.

And what would you say to hosts who are concerned that they'll get a lower rate than, than what they'd really like? Is this more for the gaps that they've got in their calendar or could it just be advertised sort of ongoing for the minimum that they'd kind of want for that, that period?

Yeah, no, so it is, it's really for the last minute sort of gaps that they haven't been able to fill. Also, cancellations. We've seen a rise in cancellation, so it's perfect for them. We're looking for everything in the next 30 days when we're looking at that auction side of the site and the binstay side of the site.

Nice. And from a guest point of view, I guess the bonus to them is that they get a nice place to stay better than the market rate. Is that right?

That's absolutely true, yeah. And I mean, it will never go below the host's silent reserve. So they will always get more than the minimum that they would be happy to accept. That's a great thing about it.

If you're struggling on how to get direct bookings and overwhelmed on where to start, then I recommend you go and book in a call with Boostly and our team, right, we can walk you through exactly what we're offering, how we can help you and give you a portfolio of websites that we have worked with that are matching not only your niche, but could be in your location as well. Boostly has helped over 2, 000 hospitality businesses all over the world increase their direct bookings. And if you are interested, then all you need to do is go to Boostly. B o o s T-L-Y.co.uk call and booking an appointment with one of our sales team.

Is there any risk of guests sort of going on it and just trying to lowball across a lot of properties and stuff like that? Or do they go on genuinely just looking at the dates which are, you know, the dates which are available and, and given fair rates, if they're going.

To put in a really low rate, they're not going to get the booking. So they have to beat that silent reserve. As soon as they do the bookings taken, the property is removed, it's done and it's all automated like that.

It's cool. That's cool. I think this is something personally which could go really big because you see a lot of the tips and tricks on places like TikTok and Instagram reels where they're saying, hey, if you want a place to go, you know, go and check out this, this website and, you know, bid and save sounds like somewhere where they could easily do it. It might be worth, you know, social media. The reels and stuff like that could be really good for this, especially if it's recorded as if it's a secret, you know, like it gets somebody to go, you know, hey, I've just found this awesome website. Don't tell anyone. Well, it's a great way to promote it, isn't it?

Definitely. I need to spend some more time on TikTok. Actually, we're doing quite well on Instagram. We're really starting to gain some traction in there. Website visits have gone up nearly 20% month on month over the last couple of months. We're really starting to, to improve our traffic and yeah, TikTok's gonna be the next thing. I think I need to get better at being on, being on camera.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's something which we, we talk about a lot of boost. Leela. Yeah, get, get comfortable. Being uncomfortable is what we say is, you know, in front of the camera. What would you say is the biggest challenge for bid and Save at the moment? Where would you say your, your time is having to be put into and, and things that you're. You're going to look to overcome or something that you have overcome.

Yeah. So now that we've been concentrating really on getting the technology actually absolutely right and user testing it, now we need to onboard hosts. So that's where. And my preference is to onboard hosts directly rather than going and bringing on agents, which will supply stock quite quickly. But I really want to be working with those heists directly, so that's my main target, bringing on board as many heists as we possibly can. And so that's going to be more integrations as well. Other than just txgb and with those.

Hosts, how does it work? How do you make your income? Is that from the host side of things or does the guests pay a kind of booking fee?

Yeah, so we're either looking to charge at just 5% commission or they can pay £150 for the year and that enables them the use of our technology and that's it. We're keeping it as low as we possibly can.

Awesome, awesome. And so it's basically, it could be the price of one night, realistically, and then they've got the option to be able to sell all of their nights throughout the year that they need to, to, to sort of send out there. So I'm sure there's going to be people off the back of this thinking, oh, I've got some dates, especially as we record this, we're coming up to January and January tends to be one of the slower months, doesn't it, where there's, there's some dates available. So I know hosts are going to be excited about hearing this. What are you excited about in terms of the hospitality industry at the moment? Is there anything it can be linked to bid and save or it can be anything that you're just excited about?

Yeah, I mean, I'm obviously excited about bringing bid and save to the market and really putting that to the test and increasing people's occupancy or host occupancies and giving guests the best rate and the opportunity to name the price that they're happy to pay, because we're really switching it up like that. But obviously an area that I'm really interested in is growing that experience market and helping hosts to really bring more people into their properties by using their surroundings, whether it be hiking, surfing, golf, obviously cycling that we've discussed. So, yeah, really growing those areas of the website as well, because that gives us a direct link and contact to the hosts too.

Nice, Nice. When it comes down to the Tips, obviously you've been in hospitality yourself, obviously now you're getting to see it from a software perspective. What would be the tips that you'd like to share with the hosts listening regarding either building the network, as you mentioned, or just trying to fill those last minute dates? Any tips around that side of things?

Yeah, I mean obviously that other than signing up to Bidden Stay, we are interested to hear from everybody who wants to advertise in here. So they can email me directly. Emma biddensday.com which is nice and easy. If they're already connected to txgb, then they can obviously link to us by that and get onboarded rapidly. But top tip, I think I've really given away my top tip which is really opening up your market to as many things as you can around you and then tapping into, I mean cycling. I come back to that one because I've got so much experience cyclist myself and have so much experience there. But it is such a huge market and it amazes me how many hosts don't realize the size of that market and the fact actually that it can go all year round. It's not just a summer sport. Cyclists are quite happy to stick their waterproof stuff on and go mountain biking or get on the roads in whatever the weather. And so that's an area I really want to help host to, to encourage.

More of 100% when, when we talk about Bid and Stay, obviously like you say, six weeks in at the moment, so absolutely brand new. Where would you like things to be in say a year or two years time? Where do you see this going?

So we're starting in the uk, based in the uk, so we really want to push that market but we do want to push it overseas as well. So we want to go as big as we possibly can as as quick as we can really. And by doing that, we want to keep our costs down for hosts so that we can onboard more and more and make our site a great place to be. When guests land on it, I want to give them as much choice as we possibly can.

Awesome. And we're going to be sharing obviously how we can come and see that site in a minute, both as a guest because we might want to book, and also as a host as we might want to list. So before we do, just a couple of fun questions. Where in the world? If you can go anywhere in the world for travel, for hospitality, where's on the list to go?

Well, I think it's gotta be Suffolk, really. I've gotta sell Suffolk. There's so much to do here other than Suffolk. I would. I would head for the mountains. To be honest, I've got a bit of a love of. I walked around Mont Blanc about 18 months ago, starting off in Lazouche near Chamonix, and I just love that part of the world. And I have a bit of a dream to live in the mountains one day. So, yeah, I'd be heading off there. You can ski in the winter and you can hike and cycle in the summer. It's. It's a perfect mix.

Nice. And do you do skiing or snowboarding yourself?

Yeah, I do, yeah, I ski.

Yeah. Yeah. Cool. So any hosts listening out to this, then obviously Emma. Reach out to Emma and offer. Offer a place for her to come on holiday because.

Yeah, right.

Some amazing places. I do. You know what? It's one close to my heart because I love the mountaineer. I always think I breathe better. I. I feel better, I feel fitter. And like you say, the snowboard. I go snowboarding myself, so anytime, especially in the. The French Alps, I absolutely love it. So the. Another place on my hit list would be the Rockies as well.

Oh, yeah, definitely. Beautiful.

Awesome. Awesome. So how can we get in touch with you? What is the step for hosts to come and find out more or even as guests? Do we go to the same place?

Yep. So you can go on to biddenstay.com as simple as that. That's B I-N S T A Y dot com. You can go onto the Contact Us page that comes through to me directly. And so if you fill a form out on there, you can contact me. My email is emmaiddinsday.com or follow us on Instagram, see what we're up to. Because I do regular little video updates now every week to really explain our journey as we've gone through. So we're really starting to build out that side. And that's biddonstay.

Com. Nice. And those will be in the show notes as well, around this. So is there any other things you want to share about bid and stay or anything that we've missed along the way?

No, I think we've covered everything. I just wanted to sort of highlight the fact that we want to increase host occupancy and therefore their revenue and anything we can do to help, then please do get in touch. I'd love to hear from anyone what.

What I love about this is you've spotted a gap in the market, something that's helped you as a host and now you're helping other hosts to kind of fill that gap as well and for really reasonable cost. So I'm sure there'll be lots of people off the back of this, let's say six weeks in. So everybody listening to this, you're getting a scoop. Go and find out about bid and stay and see if it's something that can help you or somewhere where you can go and book a. A getaway. So thank you so much, Emma, for joining us. The last question that I'm going to leave you with is, is there a mantra or a motto that's helped you across your journey so far?

It's gotta be make it happen.

And why is that?

Well, because anytime I come up with an idea, I just keep telling myself I'm gonna make this happen. And so many people come up with ideas, even just small ideas for changes to their property. Don't make it happen. Just make it happen. Do it.

That's a life of purpose and intent, isn't it? So, yeah, I really like that. So, Emma, thank you so much for joining us today on the Booski Spotlight series. Thank you two for listening to this. If there's somebody you know who can get some value from this, all you need to do is share that with them. And come and follow us more in the boostly community, which is the hospitality community on Facebook. Or go and check out the book Direct Playbook, which if you go on Amazon, the book Direct Playbook, you can go and see 101 Ways to Increase your direct bookings. Thank you so much for spending your time with us. We'll see you on the next one. Bye for now.