What if you could reduce your reliance on OTAs, save money, and build a loyal guest base—all while maintaining complete control over your short-term rental business? That’s exactly what we’re exploring in this episode of The SmartStay Show!

Rory Gill and I sit down with Abby Grous, the Senior Product Manager of Direct at Hospitable, to unpack the power of direct bookings. From Hospitable’s innovative tools to real-world strategies for maximizing revenue, we cover everything you need to know about making direct bookings work for you. Abby gives us an inside look at Hospitable’s basic and premium offerings, shares tips for boosting guest loyalty, and highlights the game-changing features on their product roadmap.

This is your chance to learn how to optimize your direct booking process, enhance the guest experience, and take full ownership of your rental business. Don’t miss the special referral code Abby shares exclusively for our listeners—your next step to hosting success starts here.

Things we discussed in this episode:

• The importance of direct bookings for short-term rental hosts and the benefits of having control over the guest experience.


• Hospitable's two direct booking product offerings - the basic and premium options - and the differences between them.


• The integration of Hospitable's direct booking tools, including the direct booking landing pages, widgets, and payment processing.


• The ability to manage taxes, discounts, and promo codes through Hospitable's direct booking platform.


• The challenges of integrating guest reviews on direct booking websites and Hospitable's plans to address this.


• Strategies for increasing direct bookings, such as capturing guest email addresses, utilizing social media, and offering trust-building content.


• Hospitable's focus on improving the booking flow, including features like express checkout for returning guests and skipping guest verification.


• Hospitable's partnership with Auto Host for guest vetting and the importance of this process for providing damage protection.


• Hospitable's plans to expand into the midterm rental market, including offering monthly payment options and alternative payment methods.


• Hospitable's commitment to building in partnership with their customers and the role of customer feedback in shaping the product roadmap.

Get in touch with Abby:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hospitable/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hospitable_com/

Website - https://hospitable.com/contact-us/

#SmartStayShow #realestate #realestateinvestor #realestateagent #RealEstateInvesting #AirbnbManagement #ShortTermRentals #DirectBookings #PropertyManagement #GuestExperience #PaymentProcessing #ReviewManagement #GuestVetting #DamageProtection #HospitableDirectBooking #STRHostTips

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Hospitality.FM

SmartStay Show is part of Hospitality.FM, a podcast network dedicated to bringing the best hospitality-focused podcasts to those in and around the industry, from Food + Beverage, Guest Experience, Diversity & Inclusion, Tech, Operations, Hotels, Vacation Rentals, Real Estate Law, and so much more!