• Pledge #1: Maximise Your Direct Bookings Direct bookings take the top spot in our 7 pledges – a commitment we made five years ago to empower independent businesses. Prioritising direct bookings means keeping more of your revenue and gaining greater control over your business. This level of autonomy empowers you to reinvest, strengthen guest relationships, and grow your reputation. As an […] January 14, 2025
• Book Direct Day 2024   At freetobook we work tirelessly to bring your OTA bookings down and increase your direct bookings. Our name says it all, we exist to get you more free bookings. Your bottom line is what we focus on improving and over the last few years together we’ve made some great progress. What a difference 5 […] February 7, 2024
• Review Widgets Stealing Direct Bookings   Our friends over at cobooking.com have shared their recent blog on the danger to direct booking posed by third party review widgets. Cobooking exposes review widget dangers. For far too many years we have put up with dodgy review widgets that cheat properties out of direct bookings. Widgets, badges and awards touted by large […] December 4, 2020
• Email Confirmations Are Old News….Speak To Your Guests Directly! Have you ever thought about how easy it would be for a guest to simply click a reply button to get in touch with you ? In the freetobook labs we have 🙂 Today’s guests expect so much and easy communication is now a given, looking for emails to reply to just isn’t good enough […] January 23, 2020
• Packages help direct bookings Packages: the latest update on freetobook. Using freetobook packages you can now offer your customers extra value added inclusions and change the board basis for any specific package you wish to create. Types of Package: Added Meals – for example you may have a standard rate with Bed and Breakfast and want to offer a […] June 7, 2018
• Maximum Direct Bookings 2018 New year, new direct booking updates! Direct bookings save you commission, time and are three times less likely to cancel than bookings made through an OTA. As always, freetobook has your back – our new SearchPro upgrade can increase your direct bookings by up to 40%! Here are our top tips to make the most […] January 18, 2018
• 3 Ways to Power Direct Bookings 1. Show the benefits of booking directly Why should I book directly ? Answer this question in your customer’s mind and you will increase your direct bookings. Use some subtle “book direct” images and text to show that booking directly on your website is the best thing that guests can do. Customers need to be […] July 18, 2017
• 3 Ways to Boost Direct Bookings Direct bookings save commission and are much less likely to cancel. The more direct bookings you get the more money and time you are saving. 1) Make sure you offer the best deal. Research has shown again and again that customers will choose to book direct where the price is the same or better. Proving […] January 27, 2017
• Promo Codes upgraded for more direct bookings Thousands of properties have already benefited from freetobook’s promo codes so we have made them even better. You can set up as many promo codes as you like to target more customer segments and drive up your direct bookings. Now with the new upgrades you can also; 1) Restrict the promo codes to apply on […] September 2, 2016
• Direct Bookings vs OTA Bookings Grow your direct bookings whilst using the OTAs How much more of the “booking cake” can the OTAs (Online Travel Agents) take and how much bigger is the online booking sphere getting? They’re both interesting questions we continue to ask ourselves with a view to helping independent properties generate more direct bookings and reduce commission […] September 30, 2015
• Great, Gratis and Glorious digital marketing ideas to boost direct sales Our guest blog and interview is with Frederic Gonzalo, founder of Gonzo Marketing. With over 19 years of experience in the travel and tourism sphere, he is passionate about marketing and communications. Frederic recently attended the EyeForTravel event in Miami as a speaker, panelist and participant to the 2015 edition of Online Marketing Strategies in Travel. Here Frederic […] July 31, 2015
• Does Your Website Tell Customers WHY They Should Book Directly ? Does Your Website Tell Customers WHY They Should Book Directly ? We were chatting with one freetobook customer this week who was alarmed at the growing number of rooms sold via booking.com rather than her own website and to make matters worse, a returning customer had re-booked using the OTA! With a few clicks all became […] July 16, 2015
• TripAdvisor direct bookings TripConnect explained Many accommodation businesses are confused about TripAdvisor’s direct bookings, are you one them?  Let’s try to explain, so find a nice quiet spot to sit down with a glass or mug of your favourite drink. In the last year TripAdvisor has changed its business model a number of times leaving many potential customers confused and even […] April 29, 2015
• TripAdvisor book now button for direct bookings Direct commssion free bookings on Trip Advisor Just mention the name “TripAdvisor” to independent businesses and you are guaranteed to get some interest. Businesses have to take a pragmatic view when considering what tools and partners they need to make themselves more successful. TripAdvisor is without doubt a very powerful influencer for your customers because […] November 30, 2012
• How To Increase Your Direct Bookings Get more direct bookings Always on the lookout for great practice, I spent some time on the website of one of our customers in Thailand. Tom, from the Crystal Bay Beach Resort, had just sent a great testimonial saying how freetobook had increased his website conversion (thanks Tom – see below.) So I wanted to […] November 22, 2012
• 25 freetobook Facts for 2025: Find Out What Makes Us Tick! As we step into 2025, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what makes freetobook so special. Whether you’re a long-time customer or just getting to know us, these 25 fun facts give you a little glimpse of our journey, our people, and the value we bring to your business. From our humble […] January 23, 2025
• Looking Back on 2024 Written by freetobook’s Director, Iain Stewart Thank you for your continued support over 2024. I’m taking the liberty of a glance back at what we’ve done together (with you) whilst sharing some behind-the-scenes stuff you’ll not generally hear about. Let’s start with something you mention the MOST in your feedback: our people!     People   Your […] December 20, 2024
• Automating Guest Communications Enjoy the Holidays Stress-Free with Automated Guest Communication  It’s the most wonderful time of the year! 🎶 But for those in the hospitality industry, it’s also one of the busiest times. You and your team might be juggling an endless to-do list, from decorating the property to managing bookings and creating magical experiences for your […] December 16, 2024
• Smart Strategies to Control OTAs and Increase Profits Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are like the double-edged sword of the hospitality world. They bring you visibility and bookings for sure, but their hefty commissions can take a big bite out of your profits. The good news? You don’t have to be at their mercy. With some savvy strategies, you can minimise OTA costs and […] November 27, 2024
• Booking with Style: The Benefits of Branded Booking Pages Earlier this year at freetobook, we launched bloom: a total revamp of the customer-facing booking pages for our users.   Our undeniable focus was to create stand-out pages that offer a completely fresh and customer-friendly experience for guests. We knew if the pages could ‘wow’ them from the very first impression with their slick, modern design […] November 5, 2024
• Growing Your Bookings on Google For small accommodation owners, getting noticed online is crucial – and with Google owning over 90% of the global search market, it’s where your guests are looking. Let’s talk about how you can improve your visibility on Google and turn that into more direct bookings.  How Your Property Shows Up on Google  Your accommodation can […] September 12, 2024
• The Power of Pricing: How Psychology Drives Your Profits Pricing is more than just a number – it is a tool that shapes how your guests perceive your accommodation and influences their decision to book. By understanding the psychology behind pricing, you can set the right rates that lead to more bookings, higher revenue, and inevitably a more profitable business.   The Guest’s Perspective: How […] September 10, 2024
• The First Half of 2024 for freetobook! The first half of 2024 has flown by here at freetobook, with a flurry of exciting developments and launches it’s been hard to keep track! So, here’s a little round up of what we’ve been up to.   Firstly, the big one, bloom! Bloom is what we’ve called our beautiful new booking pages that you have […] July 1, 2024
• Zero to Hero: Why Google Zero is essential for your property If you signed up to Google Zero on day one count yourself as a hero.  You made the right choice.  Global giants like Google don’t often give small businesses a leg up, but when they launched their free booking links it certainly felt that way.  Why? Google Zero is an opportunity to redress that balance […] June 14, 2024
• Stripe Pre-Authorisation Change When you use the Stripe service on freetobook you have an option to pre-authorise guests’ cards. This “puts a hold” on the funds from the guest’s card which you can then capture (within a time limit). The funds that have been pre-authorised are ringfenced for you and the guest’s card limit is reduced as if […] April 26, 2024
• Spring Forward with bloom: New Booking Pages are Almost Here! Get ready to blossom with bookings this spring! We’re excited to let you know that our brand-new booking pages, bloom, will officially launch on April 9th. Just like the new beginnings of spring, bloom is all about helping your property to flourish and attract more guests than ever before.  Mark Your Calendars: bloom Launches April […] March 27, 2024
• The Power of bloom: Your Guide to freetobook’s New Booking Pages Spring may be upon us, but with bloom, our new booking pages, your property can flourish year-round! Let’s have a look at everything you need to know about it: What is bloom? Bloom is a complete revamp of your booking pages. It’s a mobile optimised experience designed to be fresh, user-friendly, and simply stunning. Bloom […] March 20, 2024
• Celebrating International Women’s Day at freetobook: A Tribute to Progress and Support  As International Women’s Day approaches, we wanted to take a moment to recognise the women in our team, reflect on our journey so far but also look forward to what lies ahead. Eleanor, our Product Lead, beautifully captured this sentiment with a quote from the much-loved Barbie movie, released last year: “We mothers stand still […] March 7, 2024
• Battle Against Bed Bugs Battle Against Bed Bugs: Essential Prevention Tips Guest Article | Out of Eden This is a guest blog from Out of Eden who provide quality supplies to hospitality businesses all over the UK. Within the past decade, bed bugs have become a growing concern for travellers and accommodation providers alike. It is easy for these […] January 9, 2024
• Get ready for your new booking pages It’s our job to get the tech done and we are indeed putting the finishing touches to your new booking pages, designed to drive even more direct bookings for you. As we await the launch you have some time to do a bit of upgrading of your own.   High quality images will feature very prominently […] December 15, 2023
• How to Collect Guest Email Addresses Communicating directly with all your guests, including OTA bookings, using your own messaging system is good for your direct bookings because it promotes you, rather than the OTA, and gives you full control of the message. November 1, 2023
• Guest Messaging for Bookingcom and Airbnb When your guest sends you a message you want to know about it and send out a timely reply. Working with Bookingcom, Airbnb and other OTAs presents a messaging challenge. Each different OTA guest can have different ways to receive or reply, maybe via the OTA app or by email. You don’t want to have […] October 12, 2023
• TripAdvisor vs Google Reviews Google and TripAdvisor, both are well known and significant for hotels looking to attract new customers, but which one is better? September 27, 2023
• freetobook’s Secrets to Defying High Staff Turnover Rates: Empowering Employees and Offering Meaningful Benefits Our remarkable staff retention rate at freetobook is a point of pride for us, especially when you consider the challenges that many businesses face in the current employment market. It is common for employees in the UK to change employers every five years, with those in the tech industry changing roles every two years on average. May 1, 2023
• A Guide For Independent Accommodation Business To Google Hotel Ads Google, with a market share of over 90% in global search, is crucial for accommodation businesses to establish an online presence. However, the presence of online travel agencies (OTAs) tends to overpower search results for accommodation, pushing organic listi April 26, 2023
• A view from ITB Berlin April 6, 2023
• Psychology of hotel prices  Pricing is one very tricky aspect of running any business, hotels, guest houses, B&Bs are all in the same situation.... Just having the confidence to price is really not easy, its uncomfortable in the mind. Yet it's importantance to success is obvious. February 7, 2023
• 2023 what’s coming What we at freetobook have planned for 2023, the ways we will help you thrive in what is likley to be a difficult year for many businesses. Great value and higher quality for less. January 20, 2023
• 18 Years Later… November 3, 2022
• Automation – How the Curious Win October 20, 2022
• Google Zero: One Year On   A year ago Google offered its free booking links so hotels around the world could display their direct availability and rates on Google with a link to their direct booking pages.  These links appear across Google encouraging guests to book direct and there’s nothing to pay Google for these bookings. Why did Google do […] March 30, 2022
• Measure it, control it Know if your direct price is being undercut, measure it and control it If you’re failing at direct bookings it’s likely that your price competitiveness is bad. If the channels are offering guests a better price wouldn’t you want to know about it? But nobody wants to search date after date to find out how their direct rate […] January 20, 2022
• 2022 Plans The dawn of a new year inevitably leads to a moment of self-reflection. In our role supporting and building software to help you control more of your business, we have been thinking about our intentions for the year ahead. Namely, how can we ensure our impact is a positive one.   Direct booking is a guiding […] January 11, 2022
• Your Reputation Matters to Us   Is it possible to improve your public review ranking automatically? How can you take more control of review collection and still keep it personal? At the labs here we are sure we have cracked it for you with a fully integrated and automated reputation enhancing system or “Reputation Suite” for short. Powerful yet quick […] December 16, 2021
• Messaging: 7 Numbers That Mean a Million Things December 7, 2021
• Google disrupts online bookings On the 9th March 2021 Google did something completely unexpected, they launched “free booking links”, taking everyone by surprise… after all this is Google offering hotels free direct bookings by showing their rates and availability with a live booking link. No conditions attached, no requirment to pay for advertising and available everywhere. Want fewer OTA […] October 13, 2021
• Tips to improve your Google business listing   Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to promote your business on Google search and maps. From your Google My Business (GMB) you can update your business profile and engage with guests. Your Google My Business (GMB) profile is at the heart of Google bookings, managing this will increase your visibility […] June 22, 2021
• New Prices on freetobook We’ve been very busy enhancing and improving freetobook since 2010 and despite that we have never increased our prices.  As we continue to add more to freetobook our costs are rising just like everyone else in the world so we had to take the tough decision to increase pricing by a small amount… so small […] June 9, 2021
• Google zero flying start Update: Two months into Google zero and we have received thousands of Google bookings across many hundreds of properties. Our data show that there is a significant level of bookings across a wide variety of properties and that the bookings continue to increase. We are now sure that Google is taking bookings seriously and that […] May 11, 2021
• Google zero commission A few weeks into the Google free feed activation and bookings are flowing in. We are overjoyed to be providing direct commission free bookings into your diary… (No charge from Google) so make sure you don’t get left out. Sometimes these things don’t last forever so its worth getting in as early so you can […] April 21, 2021
• Top of Google free feed The Google free feed is now available world-wide but it is also available for OTAs and big review sites. To maximise Google free bookings you must be at the top of the free feed…. Firstly the free feed ranking is a Google secret (but it’s easy to get to the top of it). What we […] April 14, 2021
• Google Zero is here! Google, the mighty search engine, offers accommodation owners the possibility of listing in their free booking feed. Connect your availability and rates to the free feed on its own and get zero commission bookings from Google. Get in early and take advantage of this Google giveaway, it might not last forever, who knows? The facts […] April 14, 2021
• Google free feed on freetobook – How ? How you can participate in that free booking link with freetobook. In a related article we explain Why do it ? What’s in it for accommodation owners, and why we think Google is doing it. Who can take part? The free booking link is part of Google’s Hotel Ads system, so you can see right […] March 29, 2021
• Google’s free booking feed – Why ? Good news for property owners? We think so! Just over a week ago Google made a big announcement about free advertising. It’s fair to say it shook up the meta search hotel booking space like a gorilla with a rattle. We all like to have something for free and from an advertising giant like Google, […] March 29, 2021
• TripAdvisor website grab TripAdvisor makes a grab for your website content. Late last week TripAdvisor sent out an email advising of a change in their terms and conditions. This was no trivial change, they demand access to all text and images on your website which they can harvest anytime and have perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable rights over. […] March 3, 2021
• Staycation Tsunami 2021 Get ready for a tsunami of bookings this summer. #StaycationTsunami Savings levels are at a record high. Through the lockdowns money that would have been spent has been saved. International travel is likely to be difficult/impossible. Staycations at unprecedented levels are predicted and most likely to happen this summer. Added to this, there’s been far […] February 22, 2021
• Ten Years On & Stronger Than Ever!   Are we really 10 years into this journey? Its January 2021 and we are just starting lockdown III in the UK, what a time to look back on 10 years of freetobook. It’s November 2010 and we facilitate our first direct booking which was the culmination of a year’s worth of programming work for […] January 6, 2021
• Customer Reviews: 5 Reviews Of Freetobook Every business is currently faced with some tough decisions, not least how to maintain quality and still save money in difficult times. Some very recent customers have shared their feedback on freetobook. As a family business we really know how to keep those budgets down and satisfaction up. Even during these terrible times all of […] May 11, 2020
• Serving Our Customers During Covid-19 So much is beyond the control of accommodation owners in this difficult time. Yet we hear so many inspiring stories of owners using their extra time to help their community while others offer accommodation to key workers or get on with renovations and tidy ups, ready for a return to business.   We are positive, […] April 30, 2020
• Spread Your Bookings Across Multiple OTAs   Diversity is security. Relying on just one source of bookings is a risk to any business. Your first priority is maximising direct bookings and it’s what we do best at freetobook. You simply can’t ever have too many direct bookings! Next in importance, if you need more bookings than just your direct ones, is […] February 26, 2020
• 7 Pledges of Internet Booking (your perfect booking partner) In the 26 years since our birth in 1998 we’ve learnt a thing or two about making, managing and servicing accommodation bookings but the one thing we often get asked is:  “What makes freetobook different?“  freetobook is committed to: Build booking technology that maximises direct bookings above all other types of bookings  Continually develop, upgrade […] February 14, 2020
• Prioritise Freetobook’s 7 Pledges: Votes Are In! 7 Pledges, here’s how you voted…. We asked you to prioritise these 7 Pledges, to re-order them according to your needs and your ambitions. That was no easy task… as many of you said, but that forced focus is what every good business requires if it is to improve. So here’s how it unfolded, drum […] December 12, 2019
• Stripe with ApplePay and GooglePay `Stripe on freetobook is now upgraded to include ApplePay and GooglePay ApplePay and GooglePay are so convenient for customers, they simply pay using their fingerprint on their smartphone. Freetobook has been busy working to integrate the new functionality so your customers can now pay with ultimate ease. This fantastic functionality makes it easier for customers […] October 31, 2019
• TripAdvisor Ranking Tips: Why & How To Get Reviews Recent research on reviews makes interesting reading and helps guide you on how to improve your ranking within TripAdvisor, Google and any other review sites. Good reviews are important, we all know potential guests read and compare reviews before making a decision to book. Maintaining this good reputation has a significant bottom line impact. Giving […] October 21, 2019
• Your B & B Business and SCA New Payment Security Measures that WILL Affect Your Business SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) measures have now come into force as part of the Payment Services Directive II (PSD 2), a European law that all UK banks will be using (and yes this will remain in effect despite Brexit) to prevent fraud. What does this mean? […] October 3, 2019
• Smart Messaging: Benefits Compared To Email Communication At freetobook we really work hard and pride ourselves in the solutions we build to help accommodation owners manage and grow their businesses. Such a large part of that is the communication you have with your guests. We asked how can that be better? Much, much better? We are super proud to release our latest […] September 26, 2019
• Savvy Tips For (Re) Designing Your Website Our guest blog this month is from design and marketing company Ulka Media. Here they offer up some great tips and tricks when (re) designing your accommodation’s website. As with most businesses, it’s important to portray yourself as professionally as possible and that extends to your property’s website. You only have a few moments to […] September 18, 2019
• Switch tips for new customers Switching your booking system can be a lot easier than you think with our switch team. Reliability, trust and cost savings can all make a big difference to your business and your happiness! 1. No Monthly standing charges As a family business we believe all customers should pay for what they want and that nothing […] June 13, 2019
• International Women’s Day 2019 – part 2 On the 8th March 2019, across the globe individuals and companies are celebrating International Women’s Day. It’s a day to recognise and celebrate women’s contributions to business and society, and presents an opportunity to discuss gender equality around the world. At freetobook we’re immensely proud of all of our staff and customers, and we would like […] March 8, 2019
• International Women’s Day 2019 – Part 1 On the 8th March 2019, across the globe individuals and companies are celebrating International Women’s Day. It’s a day to recognise and celebrate women’s contributions to business and society, and presents an opportunity to discuss gender equality around the world. At freetobook we’re immensely proud of all of our staff and customers, and we would like […] March 8, 2019
• Special Offers – Three Top Tips We all love getting a great deal – and the same goes for potential bookers on your website! The truth is Special Offers drive direct bookings; that’s why we make it super easy to create them in freetobook. Simply visit tab “Specials” and create a new offer; it’s live and available in seconds. Here are Three […] March 6, 2019
• How are we doing? You tell us As an independent family business ourselves, we understand the value of our relationships with our customers. As such, we like to check in with you every so often to find out your thoughts – how are we doing, what we can improve on, what do you like? Well, the summer 2018 results are in and we’re […] October 5, 2018
• World Social Media Day Social Media is a brilliant way for B&Bs and independent hotels to connect with their customers, build relationships and promote themselves. In celebration of World Social Media Day, here are freetobook’s top ten social media tips for B&Bs: Make visuals a social media priority Give future guests a virtual experience of what it will be […] June 30, 2018
• Hotel Bonanza 8 percent Hotel Bonanza is a new Online Travel Agent (OTA) with a strategy of offering a lower commission for accommodation owners and a discount to guests. They have set their commission at 8% so you will find them considerably cheaper than the current dominant OTAs. Freetobook is a family run company so our loyalty is firmly […] September 5, 2017
• 3 Things to learn from Hilton CEO High levels of cancellation, high commissions from Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and competition from Airbnb are big issues that a giant chain like Hilton have in common with independent owners. In a recent interview, the CEO of Hilton talked about rising cancellation rates, high commission from the OTAs and competition from Airbnb. Every day is […] July 27, 2017
• Two advantages of being listed on OTAs websites As we have already discussed in our blog post “Spread your booking sources“, a good business strategy for your hotel is a mixture of increasing direct bookings and spreading your booking sources, by being listed on different OTAs websites.   OTAs like Expedia and Booking.com have a very large share in the online hotel rooms reservations. […] June 14, 2017
• Group website at zero commission Get a Together group for direct bookings Here at freetobook we are continually looking to make it easier for small independent accommodation owners to thrive. One message we hear again and again is that the large OTAs are taking more and more commission. Well, here’s  the good news, it’s never been easier to fight back […] May 11, 2017
• 5 Ways to make your website user-friendly We are always trying to help our customers increase their direct bookings. Although there is not one simple answer to achieving that (i.e. social media marketing works for some properties, whilst others might find special offers increase their website bookings), one key thing that applies to all is having an easily-navigated, user-friendly website. So, here […] April 11, 2017
• Increase Bookings by Making your Website more Personal Imagine you’re a looking for somewhere to stay and you stumble upon your website. What do you see? Evaluate, how your website looks, what feelings do the descriptions create, what are the colours saying to you? These are the first things your customers see, is it painting the image you have in your own mind […] February 24, 2017
• TripAdvisor lower commission At 12% TripAdvisor’s Instant Booking connection has a lower commission than big online travel agents. Is it time you looked into how to get your share ? Why not start by checking out your own listing on TripAdvisor to see how they promote the booking links. You can’t fail to notice that visitors are asked […] October 27, 2016
• Spread your booking sources Increasing direct bookings is the priority and we certainly help thousands of businesses grow theirs. The next priority is to ensure you have a good mix of other booking sources so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. Too many bookings from one source creates a risk to your business. If almost all […] October 12, 2016
• Booking extras now even better Freetobook properties have always been able to offer their very own extras enabling customers to choose items that will make their stay special, whilst adding to to property’s revenue. We have now added the ability for you to define nightly extras so that the extra cost is multiplied by the number of nights your customer […] September 8, 2016
• Why it pays to sleep around for B&B owners A Guest Blog by Heather Turner at Forfeng Media. I wrote a post a while back about Viewing your restaurant from a customers perspective, and it occurred to me after spending a weekend away at a very nice B&B, to wonder how many innkeepers have actually stayed (and not just one night) in every single room […] June 22, 2016
• 3 Tips for Special Offers We all love the feel of getting a great deal and the same goes for potential bookers on your website. The truth is Special Offers drive direct bookings, that’s why we make it super easy to create them in freetobook. Simply visit tab “Specials” and create a new offer, it’s live and available in seconds. […] March 30, 2016
• Interns at freetobook Just back from a round table meeting with Nathan Bostock (CEO Santander UK Plc),  Prof. Anton Muscatelli (Principal of Glasgow Uni) and a few other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We discussed some of the problems facing SMEs and from freetobook’s perspective it’s simply access to highly skilled, enthusiastic and clever undergraduates. We don’t have the […] December 10, 2015
• Reduce your commission bill with promo codes On the phones we hear the pain many accommodation owners feel when they get the monthly commission bill from their OTAs. Particularly annoying is finding repeat or regular customers who somehow end up booking through an OTA rather than directly. Many of you are looking for tools to help fight back against rising costs from […] November 5, 2015
• TripAdvisor at 12 percent Own the bookings on your TripAdvisor page More and more bookings are being made on TripAdvisor, we have some information and friendly advice to help ensure you are not losing out. In the last week we have seen a 400% increase in TripAdvisor Instant Bookings. If you use the freetobook direct connection these are now […] October 8, 2015
• Spread your OTA bookings Are all your eggs in one Online Travel Agent’s (OTA) basket? We see a number of independent accommodation owners who rely on just one OTA. Business wisdom and common sense suggest that an over reliance on one source of sales is risky. Spreading your sales sources will give you a more reliable, robust and diversified […] August 26, 2015
• OTAs – Rise of the Giants Rise of the giants A huge amount of internet change is currently impacting independent accommodation providers. Online travel agent (OTA) consolidation puts the vast majority of bookings into the hands of just 2 or 3 players. Together they dominate the online space through aggressive marketing and huge pay per click spends with Google and other high […] July 9, 2015
• Google HPA manager Google Hotel Price Ads (HPA) News is out that freetobook are working on a connection which will enable accommodation providers to connect their availability to Google Hotel Price Ads. All customers using freetobook with nightly rates will be able to participate including hotels, apartments, guest houses, inns, bed and breakfasts, hostels, campsites and many others […] November 18, 2014
• Get together and win Is your local association or marketing group doing enough for you? Online booking is just getting easier and more accessible to everyone. It’s great to see associations and marketing groups looking to improve their websites and the profitability of their membership. Local association and marketing group websites tend to generate a lot traffic because they […] November 11, 2014
• TripAdvisor Just for You TripAdvisor’s “Just for You” personalised hotel choice News has just come out on new hotel selection functionality for the TripAdvisor website, adding to the booking experience for TripAdvisor’s customers. Selecting accommodation will be more personal with the TripAdvisor “Just for You” feature. Millions of customers using the site could be directed towards hotel selections customised […] October 30, 2014
• 6 Secrets to OTA success Learn the 6 secrets to OTA success Knowing the secrets of success with the Online Travel Agents OTAs can boost your direct bookings. Their web coverage is so massive that any single property will find it hard to get noticed without them. In reality the chances are that any potential customer visiting your website has […] October 8, 2014
• Mobile bookings : Your 4 point check list Mobile booking optimisation for accommodation owners Ownership of smartphones is growing and so are mobile bookings. Mobile bookings grew at 20% in the first half of 2014. Smartphones and tablets now account for 21 percent of hotel bookings with OTAs (online travel agents) taking most of the growth * Here is a handy four point […] September 30, 2014
• Together case study – How to get a group accommodation website How a group of B&Bs got Together. Keeping bookings in the community and working together with nearby accommodation businesses has never been easier or more profitable. A small group of Fort William Bed and Breakfast owners got together and use the freetobook software, here is their story. In their own words….. “Together has contributed dramatically […] September 23, 2014
• TripConnect Instant Booking a Global First Freetobook is TripConnect Instant Booking’s First Approved Partner – Worldwide first in technology. Press release (September 15 2014 – Glasgow) Freetobook, one of the UK’s leading travel technology companies, announced today that it is the first Internet Booking Engine to be a fully approved and certified partner for the upcoming TripConnect instant booking feature from […] September 15, 2014
• Reply to reviews for a 21% booking boost TripAdvisor research* finds that accommodation owners that respond to their reviews benefit with more booking enquiries, they say 21% more likely. Ever been an ignored customer at a coffee bar or restaurant, seen but just not important enough to respond to? Well that’s how it looks when a customer reads your reviews and finds no responses. […] September 5, 2014
• Multi Language booking increases your bookings Direct bookings increase with multilingual bookings We are already seeing an increase in direct online bookings as a result of the new multilingual online booking process. Freetobook now has online booking in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. (More languages will be added.) When your customers can book in their native language the booking […] May 1, 2014
• Share your reviews online Freetobook review sharing widget Isn’t it great to get fantastic reviews! You work so hard looking after your customers, naturally they give you fabulous feedback that influences potential future guests. To find your reviews in freetobook simply go to your “Home” TAB and select “Reviews”. Share your great reviews with the world. Freetobook is about […] December 11, 2013
• Mobile hotel bookings grow Mobile hotel bookings keep growing… Here at freetobook we keep an eye on industry trends and an even closer watch on trends within our own booking systems.. with thousands of accommodation owners using freetobook we have an insight into trends and that can help you improve your direct bookings. Freetobook is a highly advanced mobile […] November 27, 2013
• Google Hotel Finder doesn’t find many hotels Google Hotel finder needs to catchup with TripConnect I recently wrote an article on tnooz the travel technology news magazine. (link here) All about how TripConnect is far better than Google PayPerClick for independent hotels and Bed and Breakfasts. A reader replied to tnooz suggesting the article was ALL wrong ! Claiming I had confused […] October 17, 2013
• What is TripConnect ? TripConnect now live World-Wide for Hotels, B&Bs and Guest Houses As of today independent hotels, bed and breakfasts from all corners of the world can advertise directly for bookings on TripAdvisor. Owners will be able to drive direct bookings with zero commission from their TripAdvisor pages. They will be able to bid for clicks on […] October 17, 2013
• TripConnect PayPerClick vs Google Hotels will switch adverts from Google to TripConnect Google will lose PayPerClick advertising revenue to TripConnect. In the real world of limited marketing budgets one company’s gain will be another’s loss. The much awaited TripConnect system is a new way for properties to spend advertising money. (previous blog What is TripConnect ?) Here at freetobook […] October 15, 2013
• Low Cost Pay as You Go Payment Gateway for Accommodation Providers Freetobook Low Cost Payment gateway Pay as You Go Freetobook will shortly be launching FabPay, their new payment system. For the first time ever, accommodation providers in the UK and Ireland can enjoy a Pay As You Go card handling system. This flexible and fully integrated payment gateway will be available without nasty monthly fees, […] October 1, 2013
• 3 Tips from TripAdvisor Tips directly from TripAdvisor You can stumble across myriad views and opinions about TripAdvisor but here is a blog based on on a recent article directly from TripAdvisor.   There is a difference between “TripAdvisor rating” and “TripAdvisor ranking” Your “TripAdvisor rating” is based on reviews this rating is 1-5 with 5 being the highest. […] September 28, 2013
• Winning Images – Part 2 5 More Ways That Great Photos Can Boost Your Bookings Great photos can massively enhance the first impression guests received from your website – and therefore boost your bookings. Here are a few clever strategies to really drive home the benefits that excellent visuals provide…   Collect lots of terrific photos of your property by […] June 11, 2013
• TripAdvisor Goes Official (now a Price Comparison Website) Press release 5June2013 At freetobook we have been tweeting, facebooking and blogging about this change for months – Now its official from TripAdvisor themselves – they are a rate comparisson site with booking links. (8 Things You NEED to Know about the TripAdvisor Changes) press release [start] No More Pop-Ups Crop Up as Hotel Price Comparison Search Finally […] June 6, 2013
• TripAdvisor is becoming a Booking Website 8 Things You NEED to Know about the TripAdvisor Changes Are you up to speed with the changes at TripAdvisor? Not knowing could lose you bookings. TripAdvisor is Changing into a Booking Website. If you don’t have online booking you can lose bookings that you used to get from TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is now a booking […] May 18, 2013
• TripAdvisor Major Upgrade creates delay We have recently completed an integration with TripAdvisor to enable Freetobook customers to advertise on their TripAdvisor (TA) page. We believe this makes good business sense because potential customers visiting your TA page are at a late stage in the purchasing cycle – in other words they are ready to buy, a perfect time to […] January 11, 2013
• 3 Must Do Things for 2013 Happy New Year, it’s going to be a good one…. but it’s important to have everything in the right place for 2013. Here are 3 “must do” things for 2013: 1) Ensure you have rates loaded for the whole of 2013 – January is one of the busiest times of the year for new bookings. […] January 10, 2013
• freetobook is 2 years young – established in 1998 On the 17th December 2010 freetobook took it’s very first customer booking…to our customers that makes us 2 years old (even if we were established in 1998), party time! It does seem a long time ago, much has happened and so much has been learnt and applied. Going forward we will bed down the TripAdvisor […] December 19, 2012
• What to do when VisitScotland suddenly closes its online booking service… It came as bit of a bombshell to lots of hospitality businesses when VisitScotland suddenly announced the withdrawal of its online booking system.  Many, including myself, would argue that this was long overdue. VisitScotland’s foray into this area over the last 10 or so years has left many Scottish tourism businesses disgruntled and wary of […] November 21, 2012
• How To Manage Your Online Reputation – Part 1   Iain shares some thoughts on the best ways to engage with your customers online and how to turn good service into sales. Everyone seems to be talking about ORM. You could even say that right now ORM is one of the most popular TLAs (three letter acronyms) in the business world! The official, rather […] September 14, 2012
• More bookings for Elgin B&B via Freetobook channel manager Case Study: Freetobook’s channel manager brings more bookings to Ardgye House B&B in Elgin. In the current economy, many independent accommodation providers know all too well the importance of getting new business. It’s a challenge, especially if you can’t afford expensive campaigns or newspaper advertising. Freetobook now offers some help: an easy-to-manage connection to LateRooms […] August 28, 2012
• Connect Booking.com and LateRooms Update Booking.com & LateRooms in one place We all know that in the current economy every extra booking is precious. We also know that an accommodation owner’s time is valuable. There are always a million things to do and not nearly enough time to do them in. With that in mind, freetobook now offers you […] July 24, 2012
• Booking.com and Laterooms – Bite Sized Winning Strategies (3of10) Booking.com and Laterooms An ever-growing number of properties are now using laterooms and booking.com to generate extra bookings. Between them, these two companies command a massive share of Internet bookings – some estimate as high as 70% in their sector. With the economy as it is, these extra bookings are often welcome and could in […] July 19, 2012
• Ayrshire Bed and Breakfast Association gets Online ABBA Case Study : Brochure websites no longer work, your customers want  to book online. Getting your Association online – Ayrshire Bed & Breakfast Association Case Study Many websites created by accommodation associations are informative but don’t offer a great user experience because the customer can’t search and book accommodation.  It’s frustrating for customers who are […] July 3, 2012
• Iain’s guest article on tnooz.com Our Co-Director, Iain Stewart, has written a guest article on travel technology website Tnooz about how technology is having an increasing influence on tourism in South Africa and the wider region, allowing small (and sometimes remote) properties to compete on an international scale. Read More: http://bit.ly/K4B3uK May 22, 2012
• New Facebook booking app With 845 million active users, Facebook is becoming an ever-more useful way of reaching new customers and generating more revenue. If you already have a Facebook business page, Freetobook can now create a Facebook booking page for you as well. This will allow you to: Display great photos of your property. List all your property […] May 21, 2012
• Iain’s back from Indaba 2012 Freetobook’s co-director, Iain Stewart, recently returned from the INDABA in Durban, one of Africa’s biggest annual tourism marketing events. The 2012 INDABA, with its theme of “Shaping Our Future Together”, was a huge success. More than 1500 exhibitors from all parts of Africa took part and by the beginning of the final day nearly 11,000 […] May 21, 2012
• Are you on the same page as your customers? With nearly a billion users on facebook there’s a good chance a few of your current or potential customers are on it and they’ll be looking for your property. Facebook business pages have been around for some time now so if want to be on the same page as your customers then look into getting […] April 16, 2012
• Indaba 2012 We’re delighted to announce that freetobook (in the form of co-Director, Iain Stewart) will be attending INDABA 2012 in Durban South Africa between May 12th and 15th. It’s another great opportunity for freetobook to meet with existing customers and make more friends. April 4, 2012
• Get even more bookings with a customised header In the world of accommodation websites, good photos drive sales – it’s as simple as that. Now Freetobook allows you to customise your header with an eye-catching image that will make it look even better and encourage more direct online bookings. For example: March 12, 2012
• Free e-book Because we know that in the current financial climate getting extra online sales is more important than anything else (and because we know that everyone likes something for free!), we’ve created a free e-book, titled “How to BOOST your online bookings,” written by freetobook’s directors, Iain & Craig Stewart. March 12, 2012
• Managing your online reputation Managing your online reputation Why bother? People now research trips, make decisions and share experiences online via social media. 75% of customers now cite reviews as being influential. More and more people are using social media platforms, like Twtter and Facebook, so review information moves at ever greater speed March 1, 2012
• Ayrshire Bed & Breakfast Association As we’re always stressing here at freetobook, there’s strength in numbers. It’s easy for B&Bs and guest houses to feel isolated when it comes to marketing themselves properly. That’s why our new venture is potentially such good news for property owners everywhere. February 15, 2012
• 10 ways to add the human touch to online booking Everyone offering online booking for the first time will be concerned that they’re losing the personal and bespoke service that their guests used to appreciate. So by offering online booking, will you lose “that loving feeling”? Phone bookings by their very nature give you a great opportunity to understand your customers and their requirements right […] December 2, 2011
• Displaying your booking button on facebook With facebook on track to reach one billion active users worldwide by the end of 2011, it has become not only a great way to promote your property but also a really valuable booking channel. New technology from freetobook offers a simpler way to place a booking button directly on your facebook page. We’ve created […] November 17, 2011
• “Putting Heads on Beds” “Putting Heads on Beds” by Michael Cockman (How To Books Ltd; £16.99) The product of 25 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, Michael Cockman’s “Putting Heads on Beds” is an accessible, wide-ranging overview of what independent accommodation providers can do to get more business. Broken up into easily digestible sections, it leads you through the […] October 12, 2011
• Book Review: “Putting Heads on Beds” The product of 25 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, Michael Cockman’s Putting heads on beds is an accessible, wide-ranging overview of what independent accommodation providers can do to get more business. Broken up into easily digestible sections, it leads you through the whole process of maximising your property’s potential and does so in a […] August 24, 2011
• The boosting power of the Online Travel Agents (OTAs) Recently updated research from Cornell University* shows how being listed on an OTA site will boost bookings through your own website and other direct channels. It’s called the “Billboard Effect” and the theory is that potential guests gain information about your property from the listing on OTAs like booking.com or laterooms. This visibility could be […] August 16, 2011
• PayPal Payments with freetobook UPDATE:  In 2011 we added PayPal but in 2017 we integrated with a solution that was better for our customers.  Freetobook now connects with Stripe.com instead.  You can read more in our subsequent blogs: Stripe: Why Should You Use It For Card Payments? Stripe with ApplePay and GooglePay =============================================   You can now collect payments […] August 16, 2011
• Twitter Hacks There has been a recent rash of hacked twitter accounts. You usually find out about it when your followers tell you that “you” have sent them a DM (Direct Message) like the ones below (real examples) The good news is it’s quite easy to fix and fairly easy to prevent in the first place: • […] July 28, 2011
• Customer Service: by phone and email Most people forget or simply don’t realise that offering an excellent service to your customers starts right from the initial point of contact. It is also at this point that the crucial first impressions are formed by your customers and in many cases this is over the phone or by email.  There are some simple […] February 25, 2011