Welcome to Llanrwst: Great New website for Llanrwst, North Wales

Welcome to Llanrwst: Great New website for Llanrwst, North Wales: http://www.llanrwst.cymru

Why Booking Hotels Through Websites like Kayak, Expedia Isn't Always Smart

http://onforb.es/1z9g2w9

Hotel Room Discount Site NCrowd Bankrupt

Sign of the Times? 

NCrowd a booking discount site similar to Groupon has gone into liquidation as economy improves and there is less reliance by hoteliers on discounting room rates.

TripAdvisor - Mass deception

ISSUE 78 - NOVEMBER 2015www.goodhotelguide.com If this newsletter does not display properly, please email editor@goodhotelguide. TripAdvisor - Mass deception Which?, formerly the Consumers’ Association, says that 85% of its members trust TripAdvisor reviews. That is perhaps the oddest statistic in its latest INVESTIGATION, which has comprehensively shredded TA’s reputation as a reliable source of information about hotels. If subscribers to Which?, by definition mostly middle-class professional sceptics, are so easily gulled, no wonder that hundreds of millions of ordinary folk who turn to TA as a primary source of hotel information are deceived. Which's devastating conclusion is brutal: ‘Using TA’s own rating system when it comes to trust and reliability, we give it one circle—terrible.’ Before long-suffering readers dismiss this as another GHG rant, let me acknowledge that TA is potentially a very useful source of travel information. But when international companies misbehave, they need to be held to account, whether it is Volkswagen cheating on pollution controls, or Turing, an American company, which recently raised the price of a drug to treat Aids by 5,000%. TripAdvisor makes a lot of money---£150 million last year. It has no excuse for failing to carry out basic checks to ensure that the information it publishes is genuine. It doesn’t even verify that its correspondents have stayed at the hotel they are reviewing. Nor does it know whether the businesses it puts up on its website actually exist as Which? showed. The consumers organisation created two fictional B&Bs, one in Scotland and one in Surrey. Both were put up on TA's website within days. The only evidence required was a website, postal address, email, credit card and phone numbers which anyone could arrange in an hour. TA was then deluged by Which? with bogus reviews of the bogus B&Bs, many of which it promptly published despite some of them being patently absurd. The fictional Scottish B&B was praised in extravagant terms: ‘We liked the health club and the swimming pool. The new in-house Italian restaurant is great---and the concierge helped us find the best seats at the theatre just up the road.’ TA’s handling of hoteliers' complaints was equally negligent. One of the fictional B&Bs complained about a scurrilous comment from an anonymous reviewer alleging that he had had ‘to make do with a wash from a kettle.’ TA replied to the hotelier's complaint saying that as ithe review complied with its guidelines, it would not be removed. Does any of this matter? Well, it does to the thousands of hospitality businesses, including many GHG selected hotels and B&Bs, which have suffered malicious reviews which TA then refuses to remove despite producing evidence that they are fraudulent. TA even refuses to disclose the identities of its reviewers, as required under British law, claiming that it has no obligation to do so because it is an American corporation. And, yes, it matters to the millions of travellers looking to find reliable information, many of whom do not realise that TA is wide open to collusive and malicious reviews. So much for its much vaunted algorithmic fraud-detection systems. They are a sham. The Competition and Markets Authority is currently examining the problem of dishonest online reviews which some industry experts suggest could now represent as many as a third of all those posted. With businesses around the world using increasingly sophisticated methods to manipulate their online reputation, it is time that TA cleaned up its act. If not, it should be forced to do so by the regulators. Three years ago, the Advertising Standards Authority criticised TripAdvisor for claiming that its reviews could be trusted and were from real travellers. This forced TA to change its marketing spiel. Nothing much has changed since then. One day the public will get wise to what is going on. Until then or until TA changes its deceptive business practices, I will keep banging on about it. Adam Raphael

Local communities lose millions as a result of OTA commissions

With our 15% occupancy tax assumption, every $100 travelers’ spend with Expedia, Hotels.com or Priceline, equals a loss of $3 for state & local communities – and a direct profit for OTAs.

http://www.tnooz.com/article/online-travel-agencies-bad-business/

Book direct to Support Local

Local Governments lose Billions due to OTA commissions

Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

The Internet Booking Tax Controversy: The OTA Merchant Model has caused another major controversy that is alienating the OTAs from local governments and tourism promotion authorities. A number of local jurisdictions in the U.S. have filed at least 40 lawsuits against some of the OTAs for unpaid tax revenue because the OTAs have been remitting room taxes calculated on the merchant net room rates rather than what the guest paid for the room. Government officials claim that municipalities across the nation are losing an estimated $1 billion per year in tax revenue that can be used toward promoting tourism to the city or in some cases, paying for schools and law enforcement. (Source USA Today, Wall Street Journal and AH&LA)

The Billion Dollar “Leakage” Continues to Drain the Hospitality Industry

Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Revenue "leaked" from the hotel industry to the OTAs in the form of abnormally high merchant commissions of 25% and higher will reach $5.4 billion in 2010. This leakage must be stopped and reversed as it drains the hospitality industry’s bottom line and threatens the mere survival of the industry

http://cdn.hebsdigital.com/1492126425/cms/pressroom/hebs_digital_article_deja_vu_billion_dollar_leakage_2010.pdf

Grace Helbig knows what Booking.com doesn't want you or your friends to find out.

Book Direct to Support Local Tourism
like, share, retweet and stop the corporate rip offs.

Marriot Hotels knows what Booking.com and Expedia don't want you to find out.

Global issue with Local solution: Book Direct and Keep it Local!

Book Direct and Keep it Local!

Expedia spends $1.3 billion on latest acquisition and nothing on local tourism

Expedia Antitrust Regulators Decide That Orbitz Is Too Small to Matter – Skift

Hotel online booking fraud investigation

hotel online booking fraud investigation

Cut out the middleman - Book Direct

Travel Globally Book Locally

Proof positive... Travel Globally Book Locally.  If you really want to make a difference.

Third party travel agents like Booking.com and Expedia don't contribute to local tourism. 

Only local economies care for clean beaches, pristine mountains, forest trails, etc.. 

So when you see the ads for Booking.yeah on Television just think Booking.Direct.

See Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism for more information.

Hoteliers rejoice, Rate Parity is Dead.

https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/hotel-online-booking-sector-investigation

hoteliers rejoice

'Book Direct to Support Local Tourism'

Facebook Group

Google Hotel Finder | Occupancy Marketing letting Hotels Down.

Google Hotel Finder | Occupancy Marketing

The fight for hotel bookings – direct vs online travel agencies

The fight for hotel bookings – direct vs online travel agencies

If I were to look at the world through the lens of Expedia and Booking.com, I would probably argue that my biggest competitors are not other OTAs or suppliers, but the hotels themselves.

NB: This is a guest comment by Mike Ford, co-founder and managing director at SiteMinder.

I love this industry. The hotel technology sector must be one of the most rewarding, fluid and interesting spaces to be a part of. At SiteMinder, we have a mantra in the office that that there is never a boring day in hospitality IT – and this certainly holds true!

Like many of you, I’ve been watching with interest the commentary on the tug-o-war between hotels and OTAs for a bigger share of online bookings, particularly following recent acquisitions by Expedia and Priceline Group on behalf of booking.com.

We are all witnesses to the continual talk of the powerful duopoly that dominates the online hotel booking space, and the concerns that hotels have about its power.

These concerns have even been covered in mainstream press, especially within Europe where issues such as rate parity remain a point of contention and are still playing out.

I have also followed the debate between hotels on social media about how they can maintain a balanced distribution and online sales environment – ie one where they are not powerless in their dealings with the OTAs and can find a position where they can pick up a healthy share of direct bookings in addition to OTA-generated bookings.

And in the past few weeks, I was made aware of a further, albeit-seemingly-small development in the tussle between OTAs and hotels for the guest relationship – one I think is particularly notable and highlights how easily the hotel-guest relationship can be impacted.

The big OTAs’ biggest competition

What caught my attention was an announcement by Booking.com to its hotel customers that it would stop providing the hotel with the guest’s email address as part of the booking confirmation process. Booking.com cited security as the key reason for the change.

However, last week’s change means guest email addresses are invisible to hotel customers, which hampers the hotel’s ability to market directly to the guest via email.

Expedia, and other booking channels SiteMinder works with, continue to send the hotel the guest email address as part of the reservations process, but could they follow suit?

While it may seem a small and innocuous change in information flow, changes like this effect the power balance between OTAs and hotels and show how easily that balance can be upset.

Of course, hotels could implement strict front desk processes to try and manually capture the guest email address upon arrival, but many hotels may not think to do this or be motivated to take on the extra overhead.

There are many exciting new marketing and sales cloud platforms available to hoteliers to engage returning guests online and offer personalised experiences. But many depend on the quality of guest data within the hotel system to be effective.

More choice, more winners

Looking more generally at direct versus OTA, , a number of factors are impacting a hotel’s ability to compete directly with OTAs. Moves by “meta” sites to allow hoteliers to take direct bookings, alongside the OTAs, are notable in this context.

We are seeing options in Google and TripAdvisor, among others, which are potential avenues for independent hoteliers to compete for business with OTAs.

These options are not yet fully developed and rolled out, but there is sufficient motivation to establish a direct relationship with hoteliers.

This would act as a hedge against Expedia and Booking.com’s ability to cut other intermediaries out of the supply chain through their investment in the mobile app channel.

Booking.com’s move to becoming a hotel technology provider could be seen as a result of the potential impact of direct hotel bookings.

Given the revenue that Booking.com generates from its core business, it’s arguable whether being a hotel tech provider will move the needle a huge amount, but it does provide a hedge as the options available to hotels to sell direct are starting to open up through new cloud technologies, as well as the aforementioned direct sales opportunities such as TripAdvisor.

But it also gives Booking.com direct access to the source system data of the hotel and potentially more influence over rates than its competitors.

Recent coverage on EU rate parity settlements also sheds light on another signal that Booking.com may view the capability of hotels to attract direct bookings as a key threat.

Reports indicate that rate parity requirements will be relaxed in terms of allowing hotels to list lower rates on other OTAs but still require that Booking.com has access to the same rates as on the hotel’s own website.

Assuming these reports are accurate, then they would indicate that Booking.com is not concerned predominantly with other OTAs but, rather, the hotel’s ability to market better rates themselves in order to attract direct bookings.

On the other side of the equation, in hotel land, Accor’s recent acquisition of Fast Booking could be construed as a move to develop their own online sales and marketing technology capability in the quest to diversify its reliance on OTAs, now and into the future.

Hotels are increasingly looking at their cost of distribution and looking for ways to leverage available and developing technologies to maximise direct sales.

OTA commission costs of between 15% and 30% are a good reason for savvy hotels to invest in technologies that drive guests to book direct.

The good news is that commission-free booking engines and other website technologies are today available to hoteliers to allow them to drive down the cost of acquisition and, consequently, these preserved funds can be used to spend more on sales and marketing to attract guests directly.

OTAs work hard and invest big in order to get hotels bookings they may not otherwise pick up. OTAs are a vital part of giving consumers better choice and a more convenient booking experiences.

As the landscape continues to evolve a well-balanced distribution and sales strategy which includes both directly-generated as well as OTA-generated bookings is key.

As a provider of a cloud platform that offer hotels not only the ability to manage their offerings effectively on OTAs but also to sell and market direct SiteMinder continues to be fascinated by the twists and turns the space is taking and we remain committed to help hotels navigate this complex environment

Never a boring day!

NB: This is a guest comment by Mike Ford, co-founder and managing director at SiteMinder.

- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/fight-hotel-bookings-online-direct-OTAs/#sthash.Y5aPtJQo.dpuf

Hotel Commission Fees. Rip-off or shrewd marketing?

Commission fees

Rip-off or shrewd marketing?

Hotel guests are paying millions of pounds in commission fees to online travel agents for little in return. This is one of the reasons why hotel prices remain stubbornly high in the UK, far higher than in other European countries.

If you want a loaf of bread, you go to a baker. So why do 40% of travellers book through third-party agents, which is likely to get them a worse deal because the hotel has to pay15% plus VAT of gross revenues in commission?

These commission fees that guests are indirectly paying are big business; worldwide online travel bookings total more than £250 billion a year. Priceline Group, which owns Booking.com, the leading European online travel website, has annual revenues of nearly £20 billion and gross profits of more than £2.5 billion.

So what are online agents doing to earn commissions which are almost double those of high street travel agents? Not enough in my opinion. Admittedly, they have slick computerised booking systems, their selected hotels feature at the top of search engine pages, and they are effective in selling rooms in certain types of big hotels such as chains.

But for the sort of small, owner-managed hotels that the Guide specialises in, they are a mixed blessing. As for our readers, they usually offer even less, just a soulless process leading invariably to a poor deal. Booking.com says that it levies ‘no booking or credit card fees’, a disingenuous claim in view of the 15% commission they charge hotels.

Last month, the Office of Fair Trading concluded, after a three-year investigation into ‘rate parity’, a practice by which Booking.com and Expedia sought to stop hotels undercutting their online rates that there was little they could do apart from seeking assurances of future good behaviour. The OFT should be less spineless, and widen its inquiry into what is going on in the hospitality industry.

The growing power of third-party agents stems from internet search results being dominated by them. Google, for example, sells advertising to the highest bidder on a pay-per-click basis which enables Booking.com and Expedia to dominate search results using the name of the hotel as bait. When travellers click on these ads at the top of the search page, many do not realise that they are dealing with a commission-charging agent.

Hotels claim that they have to use booking agents to fill empty rooms but how many analyse whether they really bring additional guests or merely cream off revenue? Some hotels are now providing incentives for guests who book directly. The Queensberry in Bath offers those who book directly a 10% reduction on the price of dinner, a 20% discount on cocktails, and a free gift.

Booking agents not only take commission fees, but often also impose expensive conditions. Mr & Mrs Smith, which specialises in promoting boutique hotels, charges hotels up to £7,000 for an entry, plus 15% commission on bookings. Its selected hotels are also required to provide four nights free hospitality each year, to provide a free gift to every Smith card -holder, and they are urged to throw in free breakfast, dinner and spa treatments.

The hospitality industry’s increasing reliance on online travel agents is a cause of price inflation. Hotels need to wean themselves off the quick fix that these agents promise. As for GHG readers, they should encourage hotels to do so by booking direct.

Adam Raphael

Dear Expedia: "You can not Fool all the People All of the time."

 

 How Fat are Expedia's Hotel Margins

Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Hotel Commissions... Where will it end?

Hotels forced to pay higher commissions after take over of Wotif by Expedia.

Support Local Tourism - Book Direct

Bed bugs can be Horrific for Hotels but these OTA Leeches are just as Costly.

Here's a company that takes an extra 6% by linking hotels with 

commission based OTA's like Booking.com and Expedia. 

Who knew? Leeches have leeches.
recommendedhotels.com

always remember to Book Direct.

How much commission is booking.com charging their "partner" hotels?

How much commission is booking.com charging their "partner" hotels?

Protect the Places You Love 

join Facebook Group:  Book Direct To Support Local Tourism

Stop the Booking.com / OTA Drain.

Stop the Booking.com / OTA drain. Spread the word and keep the commissions in Great Britain.

Join Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Big or Small, Hotels are Fighting back against Booking sites.

Hotels Fight Back against sites like Expedia and Booking.com

“It’s a highly dynamic space,” said Mr. Khan at Cantor Fitzgerald. “Hotel operators are not sitting idle; they’re also innovating.”

Marriott helps consumers with new campaign to stop OTA bookings.

Marriott helps consumers and their bottom line with new campaign.

Marriott launches “it pays to book direct” campaign

Marriott launched a new digital campaign that highlights the benefits for consumers who book their hotel stays directly on Marriott.com. The campaign -...

HOTELMARKETING.COM

Help TripAdvisor Campaign for Your Business

TripAdvisor dominates travel reviews but they can also help Local Tourism.  

Include the following wording in your management response and let TripAdvisor campaign for Facebook Group:  Direct Bookings to Support Local Tourism.

"Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us. Please check out our FB Group - Book Direct to Support Local Tourism."

Example review and Mgt. response:

“quirky hotel”
5 of 5 starsReviewed 28 May 2015 via mobile
Lovely, friendly and comfortable hotel, room 9 ideal for a family (1double 2singles) high ceilings and double aspect views, onsuite shower, spotlessly clean, very comfortable beds, plenty of tea and coffee ,also bottled water, excellent breakfasts to set you to up for the day, great host ,nothing too much trouble!! We stayed 25-28 May and will return.


Stayed May 2015, travelled with family

Hotel, Owner, responded to this review, 1 week ago
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us. Please remember - Book Direct to Support Local Tourism.

TripAdvisor Business Listing Win or Lose?

TripAdvisor has kindly informed me that a business listing for my business that will allow me to compete with Booking.com will cost me £235/month. That's a win win... Win for TripAdvisor Win for Booking.com and a Loss for me.

to find out more about Booking Direct to Support Local Tourism join 

Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Point of no Return for British Tourism

Leaked document reports TripAdvisor and Dutch website booking.com as firms who exercise undue power over their market sector. They are the “main entry point” to the travel sector and are “able to charge fees with full discretion”.

Point of no Return for Tourism

see Facebook Group: Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Cut the Commissions - Keep the Rewards

Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

if you agree join our Facebook Group

Book Direct to End Commission based Revenue wrecking Local Tourism.

Online travel agencies

An online travel agency (OTA) specializes in offering planning sources and booking capabilities.[3] Major OTAs include:


Voyages-sncf.com - revenue €2.23 billion (2008)[4]
Expedia, Inc., including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Travelocity and others - revenue US$2.937 billion (2008)[5]
Sabre Holdings, including lastminute.com and others - revenue US$2.9 billion (2008)[6]
Opodo - revenue €1.3 billion (2008)[7]
Priceline.com - revenue US$1.9 billion (2008)[8]
Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., including Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers, and others - revenue US$870 million (2008)[9]
Travelgenio - revenue €344 million (2014)[10]
Wotif.com - revenue A$145 million (2012)[11]
Webjet - revenue A$59.3 million (2012)[12

Is your Booking.com 'partner' brand hijacking your business??

Brand hijacking – Open letter to Peter Verhoeven, Managing Director Europe, Middle East, Africa at Booking.com

http://www.so-geht-hotel-heute.com/2015/02/brand-hijacking-booking-com/#.Vd497uq1zys.facebook

Dark days for online travel agencies

The word is out. Less commission equals more tourism.

Dark days for online travel agencies - Tnooz

Here are three things OTAs can do to stay relevant, according to Evan Konwiser.

Get the Full story here.

TNOOZ.COM

Hotels and Airlines push back against the commissions Online Travel Agents are taking out of the tourism sector

Airlines and Hotels push back against the mega commissions Online Travel Agents are taking out of the tourism sector

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/airlines-hotels-hold-back-from-online-travel-sites/

Hotels push against Online Travel Agency commissions being taken out of the Tourism Sector

Planning a trip? Take the time to Book Direct and Support Local Tourism

Planning a trip? Remember to Book Direct to Support the Local Tourism.

No Tricks just Truth. 

Booking Commissions paid by hotels and activity providers hurt local businesses. So go ahead, Search with an engine but take the time to book with a friend.

see Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Has British Tourism PR Gone on Holiday?

10 days later.....
and still no reply to a letter sent to the following tourism associations questioning their support for a commission based site posing as 'ethical tourism' and asking them to embrace the 'Book Direct to Support Local Tourism' message.

pressoffice@cumbriatourism.org
trust@newforesttrust.org.uk,
visitcornwall@truro.gov.uk,
info@visitwales.com

The campaign for Cutting the Tourism VAT is gathering steam as most people, associations and politicians now believe it will raise the GDP and create jobs. Booking Direct needs just as much attention because it's not a belief it's a fact. Booking Direct Supports Local Tourism and keeps the commissions in our Great Britain.

If you would like your tourism association or local politician to embrace this simple concept send them a little note explaining how Booking.com has it's headquarters in the Netherlands and doesn't pay tax on the millions of pounds worth of tourism related commissions received from accommodation/activity providers in Great Britain. Legal yes, but far from necessary. Let's help people protect the places they love by learning to Book Direct.

For more information visit our Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

North Wales Hotelier Rewards with Kindness where OTA's Fail

North Wales Hotelier stops OTA Middlemen from Hurting Local Tourism

North Wales Hotelier overruled OTA, Booking.com, by telling a guest with a last minute cancellation that contrary to what Booking.com told them there would be no cancellation charge forthcoming from the hotel. After explaining to the guest how OTA's operate as costly middlemen the guest thanked the North Wales Hotelier profusely for his kindness and promised to book direct in future.

Local Tourism 1 - OTA 0

NatWest BigHospitality round table on branded independent and OTAs

NatWest BigHospitality round table on branded independent and OTAs

Hotels fight Booking.com Pricing Dominance – Skift...

Welcome to Llanrwst: Hotels fight Booking.com Pricing Dominance – Skift...: Hotels Still Weary of Booking.com Pricing Dominance – Skift

Hotels Against Booking.com

Double booking identified and corrected within 60 min. after being received however..... Booking.com will take the commission anyway. Technically correct, but ethically unnecessary.
"Booking.com online hotel reservations
Dear Partner,

Thank you for working with Booking.com.

The reservation of our mutual guest Muhammad Mubarak (reservation number 224863203) has been cancelled as you requested and the guest has been relocated to another property.

Please note that the commission for this booking will remain in effect.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Email: customer.service@booking.com
Phone: 0203 564 6725 Kind regards,
Booking.com Customer Service Team"

For more information and how to help the public understand the hidden cost of OTAs like Booking.com visit our Facebook group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Online Travel Agents - A Hotels Friend or Foe?

Join Facebook Group - Book Direct to Support Local Tourism and help your favorite places.

Want To Do Your Friends a Favor?

Big thanks to the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester. When my friends booked direct they received a complimentary upgrade. Another win win for Local Tourism. Less commission more wonderful Grosvenor service. Do your friends a favor and share this story so your friends and the great places they stay can both benefit.

http://www.chestergrosvenor.com/

For more information visit Facebook Group:  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

French hotels take on online booking firms

French hotels launched an attack on three of the world's biggest online booking firms, saying they are unfairly twisting their arm on prices by banning them from offering reductions or taking bookings direct.

French hotels take on online booking firms
When hotels sell directly to consumers they are free to set out their own retail prices. But those hotels that sign contracts with these online sites with "non-negotiable clauses" are obliged to offer the same prices and room quality

France's biggest hotel employer's union, UMIH, argues that Booking.com– the largest online hotel reservation website in the world – Expedia and HRS, are breaking French and European competition rules by forcing hotels to give them their lowest rates, and then barring them from offering discounted rates elsewhere, including on the hotels' own websites.
It took its complaint to France's competition authority, adding that the commission imposed by the companies is becoming extortionate.
"The online hotel booking platforms have become a crucial channel of distribution for French hotels, notably the smaller ones," said UMIH. However, it added, "the advantages offered by these platforms have gradually been cancelled out by the harmful effects of commercial practices that violate European and French competition laws."
The union's president Roland Héguy complained of "a radical hardening of contractual clauses imposed on hoteliers who, given the structure of the market, are no in no position to refuse them."
When hotels sell directly to consumers they are free to set out their own retail prices. But those hotels that sign contracts with these online sites with "non-negotiable clauses" are obliged to offer the same prices and room quality. This amounts to "price fixing" and is thus anti-competitive, the union argues.

"The hotelier is no longer master of his offer and management," said Mr Héguy.
The French attack comes months after the Swiss competition commission launched a probe against the three booking agents for infringement of so-called "rate parity practices".
Other complaints have been filed in Germany and the US.
Last year, the Office of Fair Trading in Britain also accused Expedia,Booking.com and InterContinental Hotels Group of infringing competition law by signing deals that limit the discounts offered to consumers on rooms.
The websites have not responded to the French accusations, but have said they will cooperate with any investigation regarding the other countries.
By Henry Samuel, Paris5:12PM BST 02 Jul 2013

Enjoy Clean Beaches? Book Direct to Support Local Tourism

Our culture is consumed with protecting, saving and recycling.  But when it comes to travel we tend to opt for the easy way out and use an OTA, online travel agency.   Companies such as laterooms or booking.com are used to help us find a place to stay however little do people know the no fees advertised and posted on these sites are completely misleading.  Guests do not pay a fee in most instances but the accommodation provider does.  From 15% on up the accommodation provider must pay a commission inclusive of VAT for each and every booking.   Sadly this money paid in commission is not only taken out of the local economy it is also taken out of the country.  Money that could be circulated to keep local beaches clean, support wildlife and promote vibrant local events is instead sent to offshore tax havens for the benefit of the few.

As the general public's awareness level grows marketers are realizing they can capitalize on peoples conscious with altruistic pitches from the likes of fairbookinguk.com and book-direct.com.   These booking sites promise a 'better deal' meaning a lower commission, typically 10%, from accommodation providers and require minimum donations of .50p per booking to a local good cause.  

Best deal for you & a better deal for locals

Their messages sound sincere but the methods these marketers are employing are insulting and will ultimately back fire as people realise the commissions are money still being taken out of the local economy and a token donation of only .50p is all that is left to support local culture and heritage.  It will take more than catchy slogans on green backdrops to change the world but if we follow their message and avoid their methods maybe we can.

A revolution in ethical direct bookings

Lets not wonder why the locals don't keep their beaches clean or struggle to maintain transportation services.   Write to your local politicians before it's too late and explain how something as simple as teaching people that booking direct can support local tourism.  If we can appreciate the reasoning behind green energy, carbon footprints, and proper tire inflation clearly we can help people understand that money kept locally creates a better visitor experience for everyone.    

For additional information and similar points of view visit: Facebook group; Book Direct to Support Local Tourism.  

Fat Cats 1 Local Economy 0

Both VAT and Commission are based on the total amount confirmed to the guest: Therefore, Online Travel Agencies are getting paid commission on VAT. (Fat Cats 1 Local Economy 0)  Book Direct to Support Local Tourism


Room price £79.17
20 % VAT £15.83
Total confirmed to guest £95


Commission breakdown
Commissionable amount £95
Commission £14.25
Customer costs per night £95

Local Economy £64.92

Book Direct. Keep the money in the business, the community, the Country

Your Business to Local Community to Country


It’s not just your own business that can be adversely affected by unfair commission fees. Clearly money in the form of high commissions is flowing out of local communities and the wider economy too.

A Simple Example:

Take an area with 20 accommodation providers. Each hotel takes 3 bookings each night at €70 per booking. This would realize a gross income during the year of €1,533,000. If booked via online agencies each charging 15% commission for every booking, the businesses in this local area alone would lose over €229,950 income. That’s €11497 per annum which could be spent in the local community, on upgrading your business or indeed taking on an extra member of staff.
This is a random example, but it serves to illustrate the point rather well. We believe that this is indeed a conservative example for many locations. While your own business directly loses out to hikes in commission fees, so too does your local community in terms of income going back into local jobs and the local economy.
A Cumulative Impact on the National Economy
Clearly, the true effect that this has on real communities depends on each specific set of circumstances, but the owner of a small, independent hotel based in a a country British town admits to regularly paying out almost €2000 per month purely in commission fees. Multiply this figure across a financial year and it soon all adds up – and becomes a tasty amount amount of cash flowing out of local/national economies which is going directly to fill the coffers of a few online booking companies.
An Example
The following is a simple calculation for a sample of just 500 hotels:
Hotels receiving bookings 500
Room nights per day per hotel 2
Total annual bookings 365,000
Average commission per booking €15
Total annual commission €5,475,000!
Of course, this in turn, affects the total income generated within the wider tourism sector and immediately you can see that fairer commission fees will have a positive affect on national economies worldwide too.

The new B&... Is Breakfast Included?

Is Breakfast included? That's a good question these days as more and more B&B's find it necessary to drop the Breakfast off the tariff. Why is the classic B&B under threat in the UK and how did this come about you might ask.

When guests make a reservation via Booking.com most are unaware that the hotel pays a minimum commission of 15% towards the reservation. This commission is based on the full price of the room regardless of the fact the hotel must also pay 20% VAT.

Therefore supposing a customer books a room for £100.  The B&B owner pays a VAT bill of £16.66. Then Booking.com takes a commission of 15% of the gross sale.   

So £100 x 15% = £15.

That leaves a total of £68.34 for the B&B owner to pay staff, utilities, maintenance, pick out some breakfast sausages and maybe a pint of beer.

Or as is the case skip the breakfast and keep the rest.  Thank you very little Booking.com for taking the B out of B&B.  Another fine British tradition bites the dust.

Do you ever get the Feeling?

Do you ever get the feeling there's nothing social about social media?

The Man From La Mancha

No I have never been to La Mancha but my quest is sincere. Take the time to spend your money in the lovely place you want to visit. Don't make the hotel or activity provider pay a commission to greet you. Book direct, cut out the commissions and experience a truly warm welcome.

                             

Save £ and Support Local Tourism - Book Direct

- Nelson Haerr -

Fair Booking UK = altruistic coated commission site

What is FairBookingUK?

In their words:
FairBookingUK is a campaign to encourage visitors to book directly with UK accommodation providers. Established by Cumbria Tourism, New Forest Tourism Partnership and Visit Cornwall with the backing of their technology partner New Vision Group.

In my words:
FairBookingUK has taken a page out of the multinational OTA booking sites handbook and convinced various tourism associations across the UK that a 10% UK based commission site is a more palatable alternative. Meanwhile accommodation and activity providers are still stuck paying out exorbitant commissions. Great news for the New Vision Group, not so good news for Mom and Pop's B&B.

In Conclusion:
Search on-line then take the time to book direct.  An OTA will promise low or no fees but only you can guarantee it.

# Scam Alert - UK website preaches altruistic tourism but whacks hotels with 10% commission

I must admit I was excited to see what FairbookingUK.com was doing to stem the onslaught of the Online Travel Agency fees but substituting one OTA for another fee based system is just another disappointing con.

Proof is the following excerpt from their site.

What will it cost?
There is no sign up cost to join FairBooking or to feature on the national website, www.fairbookinguk.com. However, any bookings you receive through the website will be subject to (the standard Guestlink) 10% commission (inc Vat) collected a month after the guest has stayed.
http://fairbookinguk.com

Therefore:
Dear FairbookingUK.com,
When educating the public to book direct for the benefit of local tourism/economy please don't try to pretend substitution is change.

# Book Direct # Not Scam Direct

Keep the Commissions in Britain

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688055578091685/

#keepbooking.commission-ingreat.britain

I grew up in the States with a national speed limit set at 55 to save petrol.  We switched off the lights when not in use and even now we are requested to sort out our garbage/recycling and consider our carbon footprints...

What would be so hard about creating a real campaign encouraging people to book direct with their chosen accommodation provider and keep the commissions in Britain?  If we can save the Whales and the Rain Forests can we not consider saving the British Tourism industry?  

With 20% VAT and nearly 20% commissions the tourism sector which is the life blood of many areas is getting absolutely hammered.  If these funds continue being sucked off shore this sector will continue to suffer.

Every change has a starting point.   Politicians talk VAT to win elections but commissions aren't politics they're people, British people.  Our government won't lead on this as they feed on commissions too but they can stand to benefit from an honest grassroots movement with national significance. 

If we the public can make an educated cup of tea it stands to reason we can book direct.