Repeat guest reserves thru OTA

[Morticia]

People. Please. Just got a rez thru an OTA. I go to enter it and the name auto fills. She's been here before.
Calling in the morning to ask if she wants to save the extra fee and book direct. Why do that? Oh, right, saving up for that free night thru the OTA.

 

[Lee2014]

We had a first repeat through air today. Usually they come back through directly. Oh well.

 

[Copperhead]

Guest here now for 4 nights via OTA. She checks out in the am.

She explains that she is attending a business meeting after checking out and depending on the outcome may be back tomorrow night.
I tell her to give me a call.
She says but if I book through Hot els . com I will be one night closer to another free night. She is working toward a free vacation.

 

[Jcam]

with this particular OTA they usually are on expenses so want the free night for themselves so the money discount has no value to them.

 

[JBloggs]

The thing is that you have to weed through all the OTA's and ads on google to find a real website now, and sometimes people think they are on your website. You know yourself how many calls have you had "it doesn't show any room photos on your website" and you say "What does the url say? I don't think you are even on our website" and they reply "Yes I am"
The smarter they get the worst off? it is the whole GPS debacle. Now everyone has one and now those who used to rely on maps are getting lost on basic routes. They clouded the water, I won't go on about GPS guests. Remember originally the tech-minded or ex-military or marine guests got the GPS and would say "I will be there at 7:12" and they were. Then the snowbirders got them, traveling from NE to FLA and well, no comment. They say we are 3 hours from the highway and such nonsense.

 

[user 26]

so ... please explain the free night through the OTA. Who pays for that? The OTA? Is it coming out of your pocket in some way?
Thanks.

 

[Jcam]

so ... please explain the free night through the OTA. Who pays for that? The OTA? Is it coming out of your pocket in some way?
Thanks..

comes off your commission bill so works for me. as I am taxed on turnover!

 

[MtnKeeper]

Yes, the free night is the reason they are using them. It's the I need something free thing - what they don't realize is that everyone putting the listings on the OTAs are paying for their free night with the commissions. Same as with the credit cards that cost us more - we all are paying for the free airline miles by making the vendor/store/hotel pay more in commissions. Nothing is free as someone somewhere is giving up money someplace. I've come up with a promotion for next June/July to fill my rooms. I'll be giving away tickets to an expensive attraction with a 3 night stay. It will drive me more business when I'm slow and I will eat the cost but I'll be getting those 3 night reservations I want. But again I'm eating the cost, it's not really free.

 

[Morticia]

Nope. She'd rather not cancel and rebook.