Self catering owners compete against the big booking portals, and the portals take a commission on every stay. A direct booking website is how you win that back. It has to do three things well: show the property honestly, make availability and rates plain, and take the booking without the guest having to email and wait.
The lodge, cottage and treehouse sites we build give each property its own page with its own photographs, its own description and its own rates, so that a search for the property by name, or for the kind of stay it offers, lands on the right page. Availability calendars and booking run through systems the owner controls. Several now include an AI chat assistant that answers the questions that otherwise arrive by email at midnight: whether dogs are welcome, what the check-in time is, whether there is a hot tub, how far it is from the beach.
The examples below range from Lincolnshire treehouses to Hebridean cottages and Cornish coastal lets.
Self Catering and Holiday Lodge Websites
Self Catering & Holiday Lodges
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a holiday let website need?
Three things the booking portals do for you at a commission: show the property honestly, make availability and rates plain, and take the booking without an email exchange. Everything else is secondary.
How do I take direct bookings instead of paying portal commission?
With an availability calendar and booking system you control on your own site, so guests who find you by name book with you rather than through an intermediary. Several owners in this section run both, using the portals for reach and the site for repeat guests.
Should each property have its own page?
Yes, if you have more than one. Treetop Hideaways gives each of its seven treehouses its own page with its own photographs, description and rates, so a search for a specific property lands on that property.
What do guests want to know before booking?
Whether dogs are welcome, what the check-in day and minimum stay are, what is included, how far it is from the things they came for, and what parking there is. Answering these on the page removes most of the email traffic.