Travelers are gearing up for the 2022 peak season to make up for lost lockdown time and as a savvy vacation rental owner, you should take action now to crank up your peak season bookings.
In this article, we share the latest initiative from Booking.com, one of our online booking channel partners, to help hosts amp up reservations.
Our Vacation Rental Industry Forecast for 2022 predicts a hot and happening summer for vacation rental owners with average daily rates expected to soar by 23%, lengthier stays and earlier peak season bookings. Great news all around! So, how can you get a piece of the action?
Booking.com is bullish about travel demand growing from May to September 2022, which is why they offer a special Summer Commission Discount Offer of 30% to eligible hosts – who choose to use either their Genius or Mobile Rate pricing strategies, and who also hit a set personalized sales target.
These eligible hosts will get a 30% discount on their regular commission for the exceeded room nights on their sales target and get higher visibility with Booking.com guests on mobile devices.
So, who is eligible for the Summer Commission Discount Offer?
Each vacation rental host on the platform who meets a set personalized sales target may be asked to either set up a Mobile Rate (to reach a growing mobile-first audience); opt-in to Genius (to enhance visibility in guest searches and appeal to regular Booking.com customers); or there will be no opt-in criteria (if they already use the above two pricing strategies.)
It’s also important to note that properties can not choose their opt-in criteria, this is predefined. Some properties will already have this automatically enabled.
Please note: The deadline to opt-in and submit evidence (after fulfilling the individual opt-in criteria) is 30 April 2022, and commission incentives will apply to stay dates from 13 May 2022 – to 11 September 2022.
How does the Summer Discount Offer work?
Partners opt-in to the offer by fulfilling the personalized criteria identified for their property by Booking.com, as explained above – in other words, they will either need to offer a Mobile Rate, opt-in to Genius or no action will be needed.
When a property then exceeds the individual set sales target they will get a 30% discount on commission for the exceeded room nights. The property is free to choose the room types and prices they want to offer through Booking.com to maximize their sales during this period.
What is Genius?
Genius is an exclusive marketing program designed to give Booking.com’s best partners more exposure on their platform. Joining Genius gives you extra visibility through special tagging, ranking boosts, and better visibility in search results on their platform.
On average, according to Booking.com, vacation rental owners who join Genius increase their bookings by 29% and their revenue by 24%, with the cost of the discount accounted for.
Genius will help hosts reach their sales target to unlock the 30% Summer Discount Offer.
How to join the Genius program
To join Genius, your property needs to meet three eligibility criteria:
- It’s open and bookable on our platform
- It’s received at least three guest reviews
- It has a review score of at least 7.5 (they may make an exception if the average review score in your area/city is lower than 7.5 and your property’s review score is above that average)
If you meet these criteria, you can sign up for Genius by selecting the Genius partner program.
When you join the program, the 10% Genius discount applies automatically to your least expensive and most popular room type or unit. If your least expensive room is also your best-selling room, the discount will only apply to that one.
What are Booking.com mobile rates?
Mobile rates are specific rates offered to those guests who book your rental via their mobile devices (i.e.: smartphones or tablets).
Why you should sign up for mobile rates?
Mobile rates help reward and entice those who book their vacation rentals on their phones either through a web browser or the Booking.com app. The majority of bookings via Booking.com are done on mobile phones, so offering a special rate will grant you access to a large group of travelers.
Mobile rates can help properties reach sales target faster to unlock the 30% Summer Discount.
How do mobile rates work on Booking.com?
Properties who offer a mobile rate get a special badge next to their name that appears in the search results, the property page, and during the booking process. This indicates to customers that you offer a competitive rate for mobile bookings and, as a result, can increase the number of reservations.
The discounts start at 10%, but Booking.com suggests a 15% sale to get the best results. By using a special mobile rate, you can increase your bookings up to 28%, they say. That’s huge!
You can activate your mobile rates by following this process.
How to take advantage of the Summer Commission Discount Offer
- Go to the Opportunities tab on your property’s Booking.com Extranet page (Partner Commission Discount).
- Next, click on Partner Commission Discount
- After reviewing the offer, click: Get Started.
- Fulfill the opt-in criteria (Mobile Rates, Genius, or no opt-in criteria)
- Once done, click Join Offer to activate the offer.
If you have any questions, the Booking.com team will be happy to help.
Bring on those bookings…
So, there you have it. The Summer Discount Offer from Booking.com is a great way to boost bookings in the run-up to peak season.
Also, if you haven’t done so yet, connect your Booking.com listings to your Lodgify website using the Booking.com channel manager. Lodgify offers two-way sync, meaning that if someone cancels on Booking.com, it will be reflected on all the other channels you’ve connected to your Lodgify account.
Implement these new pricing initiatives to boost your peak season bookings confidently knowing that Lodgify’s channel manager will automatically sync your calendar, bookings, and rates in one centralized dashboard.
Then, let the summer begin…
