Your B&B Needs More Than Booking.com

If you run a B&B in Ireland, chances are you're on Booking.com. Maybe Airbnb too. And fair enough - those platforms bring in bookings, especially from international visitors who don't know your area.

But here's the number that should bother you: Booking.com takes 15-18% commission on every single room you sell through them. A room at €100 a night? They keep €15-18 of that. Over a summer season, that adds up to thousands of euro going to a company in Amsterdam instead of staying in your pocket.

Direct Bookings Cost You Nothing

When someone books through your own website - by phone, by email, or through a simple booking form - there's no commission. The full room rate stays with you. If you can shift even a quarter of your bookings from Booking.com to direct, the savings over a year are significant.

The trick is giving people a reason to book direct. And that starts with having somewhere for them to land.

OTAs Are Discovery. Your Website Is Conversion.

Here's how it actually works in practice. A couple in Germany is planning a trip to the Wild Atlantic Way. They search Booking.com for places to stay in your area, find your B&B, and think it looks nice. Then - and this happens far more than you'd think - they Google your B&B name directly.

If you have a website, they land on it. They see better photos than the ones on Booking.com. They read about the walking trails nearby, the breakfast you're known for, the view from the garden room. They feel the personality of the place. And then they see "Book direct and save" with a phone number or email. Done.

If you don't have a website, they go back to Booking.com and book there. You pay the commission. Same guest, same room - but €15-18 less in your pocket per night.

Show What Booking.com Can't

On Booking.com, every B&B looks roughly the same. Same template, same layout, same tiny photos. Your own website is where you get to show what makes your place special:

• The setting. Photos of the view, the garden, the approach. The things that make guests say "oh, this is lovely" when they arrive.
• The breakfast. If you do a proper Irish breakfast or have something special (home-baked bread, local eggs, your own jam), show it.
• What's nearby. Walking trails, fishing, beaches, local restaurants. Guests want to plan their stay - help them.
• The host. A line about who you are goes a long way. People choosing a B&B over a hotel want the personal touch.

Booking.com strips all that personality out. Your website puts it back in.

Don't Ditch the OTAs - Just Don't Depend on Them

This isn't about deleting your Booking.com listing. Those platforms have massive reach, especially with overseas visitors. They're a powerful discovery tool and they fill rooms you might not fill otherwise.

But depending entirely on OTAs is like running a shop where someone else controls the door and takes a cut of every sale. Your own website gives you a second door - one that's all yours.

Even a simple website with good photos, your rates, and a phone number or email for bookings will start pulling direct enquiries. Add it to your Google Business Profile and you'll start appearing in "B&B near [town]" searches too.

The Maths Are Simple

Say you do 200 room nights a year at €100 average. If half come through Booking.com, you're paying roughly €1,500-1,800 in commission. Shift 30 of those bookings to direct via your website and you save €450-540 a year. A managed website that costs €40 a month pays for itself with just four or five direct bookings.

After that, every direct booking is money you would have given away.