Welcome, guests, to The Tranquil Trout! We decided to start this blog to bring you timely and quality information about North Georgia, the mountains, and cabin stays. I thought I would start with a post about the most frequently asked questions we get - why should I book direct? Some of you probably realize that booking direct means you don't have to pay exorbitant fees to AirBnB and Vrbo, but there are a lot of other reasons booking direct means a better stay.
Here are some of the reasons we think you should book direct, no matter if you stay with us, or with someone else.
WHY BOOK DIRECT?
1) NO PLATFORM FEES! The cost to book on these platforms extends beyond the guest - did you know hosts pay fees as well? If you're putting two and two together you know that many hosts pass these fees along to the guests in one way or another, making the nightly cost higher than what your host really wants to charge. Most recently, AirBnb announced it will start penalizing professional hosts by charging us 15.5% in lieu of charging you. This makes Airbnb look great, and makes hosts look like the villain. When we started hosting, it made sense to list our property on AirBnB and Vrbo for exposure. Then these platforms started shifting their policies and it has become nearly impossible to make your stay enjoyable because, like you, we are getting nickeled and dimed. And what do you get for these fees? A third-party intermediary located on another continent that most likely can't resolve your issue or doesn't want to because it means they'll lose out on their cut? This is no way to have or host a premium experience and we prefer not to host this way as it goes against our values and the reason we started hosting to begin with - to share our love of the mountains and our cabin with others.
2) DIRECT COMMUNICATION: Booking direct allows us to give you a more personalized experience and communicate directly with you without someone looking over our shoulder. Have a questions about extending your stay at a discount - we would love to, but when you're booked through a platform, they make you and us jump through hoops (not to mention charging more fees!) to do something that is really so simple.
3) TRAVEL AND DAMAGE PROTECTION: Am I protected from cancellation and damages? YES! We offer (and highly suggest) the option for you to purchase trip insurance to cover your emergencies. If you don't purchase this coverage and need flexibility in your travel, we are humans on the other end of the phone or email and always looking for a reasonable resolution without the intervention of a third party who is worried about their fees. Your reservation also includes coverage for accidental damages that occur during your stay. Unlike AirBnB, we don't have to ask you to pay first - we go right to our insurance carrier to cover the expense. It's a win-win for those oopsies that happen.
4) FLEXIBILITY: Need itinerary support - we've got it. Need restaurant reservations, kayak or boat rentals, or groceries delivered? We can do that, too. Prefer to check in early or check out late? We would love to make that happen for you! Need to make a change to your reservation or cancel it? We are reasonable and flexible. Booking direct provides peace of mind that collecting fees is not driving decisions.
5) IN-CABIN CONVENIENCES: We use technology that AirBnB frowns on. Why? They can't see or control it. Our in-cabin concierge provides you with not only answers on demand to common questions, but also offers you opportunities to extend your check-out or your stay, and to come back again and save with our returning guests discount. And while we love tech, we also enjoy talking and texting your directly!
6) SECURE PAYMENT: Our payment method is secure. We use a well-known payment processor that collects your payment information and does not expose it directly to us.
BEWARE OF SCAMS
Hopefully you have gained a better understanding of the benefits of direct booking, but you need to be vigilant when booking directly with a host. I see a lot of scams going on in Facebook and other groups where a fake host will offer a fake cabin at a too-good-to-be-true rate. They demand payment in cash or cash form - and the number of disappointed guests who get ghosted by these fake hosts or show up to a property that the fake host doesn't own or manage grows every month. I've prepared some tips for you to stay safe when booking direct:
1) Book directly only when a host/property has a professional website. Direct hosting means you have to use alternative methods to market and share your property and a website is one way to ensure that you are dealing with a professional host with the authority to rent that property.
2) Book with a payment method or credit card with purchase protection. If you do happen to fall victim to a scam, these payment processors will often return your money to you with some written proof.
3) Ask for the rental permit and sales and use tax certificate. As professional hosts, we are obligated to obtain a rental permit annually that ensures the property is safe and appropriate for you and your guests and allows us to collect local, county, and state taxes that are remitted to the proper government entities. If a host cannot product these documents for you, that is usually a sign of a scam.
Bottom line - if it feels like a scam, trust your instincts. Scammers give hosts a bad reputation and force people to platforms like AirBnb and Vrbo. Don't be a victim!
I hope this information is helpful in your decision to book direct. Let us know what other content you'd like to see us share and until then, we wish you peace and tranquility until your next mountain escape.
~Jaclyn @ The Tranquil Trout