Holiday Lettings

[widge]

Interesting article........

A couple paid £430 to advertise their accommodation for one year on Holiday Lettings, a subsidiary of the reviews website TripAdvisor. As part of the deal, they agreed to handle bookings themselves. The alternative was paying no fee upfront but giving Holiday Lettings 3 per cent to manage bookings. Customers also paid the website a fee for using this second option.
It was only after handing over their money the couple discovered a problem. Two results would appear on Google when someone searched for Holiday Lettings. The top link, a sponsored advert and most likely to be clicked on, showed a restricted number of properties, while the second showed more options.
For the top link, only properties where Holiday Lettings handled the bookings were shown. The second link – which listed the couple’s home – included all other properties. Stephen says he struggles to see what advertisers like him are getting for their fee if they are treated as second-class customers.
He adds: ‘I think it is unfair. One version of the website promotes only those properties which can be booked directly through Holiday Lettings, meaning owners who have paid up-front for an advert are disadvantaged. The consumer is unknowingly offered a limited and biased choice designed to profit the company.’
The Sykeses took their complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority, which initially agreed with the couple. But after the case was reviewed by a separate panel of ‘industry experts’ the complaint was dismissed.
Holiday Lettings states that visitors to the site via the sponsored link do ‘not necessarily always access a limited version of the site’. Different versions of the website would appear to searchers depending on different factors ‘including how they arrived at the site’.
Promoting companies that make more profit for a website is common, but in some cases the websites have been forced to change their habits.

[LICY]

Not come across this Widge. As you know we advertise on holiday Lettings and get lots of bookings. Not much left between now and end of October, I will keep my eye open at 2 different links. We are due to renew in a few weeks.

[Bruce Wallis]

As a point of interest....
You are far better paying Holiday Lettings the annual fee, than having them charge the clients a booking fee on top.
The booking fee will put most clients off!!

[LICY]

As a point of interest....
You are far better paying Holiday Lettings the annual fee, than having them charge the clients a booking fee on top.
The booking fee will put most clients off!!

Assuming a response to me, the 3% fee is charged to the advertiser not the guest.

[e-richard]

As a point of interest....
You are far better paying Holiday Lettings the annual fee, than having them charge the clients a booking fee on top.
The booking fee will put most clients off!!

Assuming a response to me, the 3% fee is charged to the advertiser not the guest.

You're right, LICY, on the HolidayLettings commission model, the owner pays only 3%, but the guest ALSO pays 12-15% on top. The grand total is invoiced by HL to the guest and you get paid 24-48 hours after the guest arrives.
To make matters worse, this "booking fee" is automatically added onto your rates and its not shown separately in the quote that is displayed to the guest. Needless to say, bookings through HolidayLettings via this method are way down on bookings via a subscription.

[LICY]

I could choose to only pay 3% but do not. I had no idea they then charge the guest all that on top. Holiday Lettings is now trip advisor rentals.

[Bruce Wallis]

Re-read what I said Licy....

I said that if the client pays Holiday lettings the booking fee, not the advertiser, the charge levied to the client on top of the rental price, in most instances is enough to deter the client from proceeding with the booking.

THEREFORE....if you are wanting to let via Holiday lettings, you should pay their one off annual fee.

[LICY]

Re-read what I said Licy....

I said that if the client pays Holiday lettings the booking fee, not the advertiser, the charge levied to the client on top of the rental price, in most instances is enough to deter the client from proceeding with the booking.

THEREFORE....if you are wanting to let via Holiday lettings, you should pay their one off annual fee.

There is reference in Widge's quote to 3%, which as quoted is paid by the advertiser if they choose to not pay a one off advert fee. I have never had that sort of advert. I also confirmed in this thread I had not known guests were charged extra if the owner paid 3% rather than a one if fee. My responses in the thread are in response to three separate people's comments.