Booking Online is not the same as Reservation Online – just to be clear.
Booking is a complete, secured, and paid transaction. The other is a promise to hold a spot and requires a follow-up phone call, email exchange, etc.
Which of these processes made you feel more confident about the retailer the last time you bought something over the web? Oh yeah, doing the latter would seem silly to anyone buying something over the web.
Now come the cries: “but vacation rentals are so different, they are all unique”, “we have to explain the amenities”, “they want to know who they are renting from”, “it is not like a hotel”, and on and on…….
Although I appreciate these opinions and respect their validity based on the history of the vacation rental industry, I feel that this way of looking at online bookings is no longer applicable based on how consumers today are trained.
Guests want to see the information, professionalism, and the ability to complete a secure transaction online. Rather than making phone calls, sending emails, faxing documents, etc.
Ralf
Tags: Online Booking, online vacation rentals, vacation rentals