Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) charge travelers additional service fees and commissions to book a vacation rental on their sites. Tripz.com is not and OTA. We are an advertising platform that enables guests to communicate directly with vacation rental owners to book directly and save money.
#BookDirect is a campaign to inform travelers and owner about the fees that OTAs are charging to use their websites to book a vacation rental. Most travelers are unaware that these websites are adding a fee at checkout. These “Service Fees” can be avoided. Don’t overpay for your next vacation rental. Tripz.com allows you to book directly with the homeowner without paying service fees.
Other websites add service fees onto the cost of your vacation rental reservation. They charge the traveler and the owner high services fees that can really rain on your vacation plans.
Service Fees were calculated using the median fee charged by each site.
Homeaway/VRBO traveler service fees range from 5-12% plus a 3-8% owner service fee.
Airbnb charges a traveler service fee of 5-15% plus a 3% owner service fee.
If you find a vacation rental on VRBO/Homeaway, Airbnb, Trip Advisor, and Booking.com; there will be a service fee.
They will also do everything they can to prevent travelers from booking directly with vacation rental owner.
You need to find a way to contact the owner outside of the website’s messaging feature.
Use the strategies below to save 13-18% to #BookDirect with the owner.
- Find the name of the owner or manager
- Search for their contact information online
- Contact them directly. Don’t use the OTA’s site if they charge a service fee.
- Send the owner your contact information
- The OTAs will try to censor this information
- Get creative, scramble your number, give social media usernames
- Service Fees can be avoided
- OTAs get more control every time you pay a service fee
- More control allows them to increase service fees even more
- Open communication
- Direct bookings
- Zero service fees