Your Wins Are Our Wins
Meet the hosts and property managers just like you who not only have increased their direct bookings but have grown their short-term rental revenue year after year.
Meet SERGIO
From stressed rental hobbyist to proud owner of a 6-figure short-term rental business.
4X
Listing in Revenue
Over 2,000
5 Star Reviews
+ 200%
Direct Bookings
āI was the hectic host...ā
Sergio is the owner of The Jungle House, a 6 figure short-term rental business in Columbus, Ohio that attracts the plant lover guest to enjoy a one of a kind vacation rental experience.
Although plants were never a part of his original plan, they quickly became the reason guests were booking with him more and more.
- āThat was sort of a happy accident. I had so many of them that I just couldnāt keep them in my own house. So I thought I might as well decorate some of my rentals with them for guests to enjoy.ā
But back when Sergio first started, he was just your average 26 year old rental hobbyist doing ALL the thingsā¦
- The cleaning
- The fixing
- The guest communication
- …anything he needed to do to keep his rentals running smoothly.
Except for one small problemā¦they werenāt.
In fact, it wasnāt long before Sergio realized he was actually working more than before he quit his 9 to 5 to start his vacation rental business.
āI didnāt have time for anything else in my life...ā
On a typical day he would wake up in the morning spending 1-2 hours responding to guest booking inquiries.
From there it was off to clean the properties from 10am-3pm. By 4:00pm Sergioās day was just beginning with guests checking in.
Most days ended with him staying up until 2:00am with his phone set to the highest volume so he wouldnāt accidentally fall asleepā¦
- āI was in the center of a party town and Ohio State. I'd get notifications whenever the doors would open. And if I saw a door open 3 times in 5 minutes, I knew something was up. So Iād have to go outside and check the cameras to investigateā¦and it was honestly all so draining. I just couldnāt keep up with being āonā for that many hours a day.ā
At that time, his business had all the basic parts; rental properties, a unique theme, Airbnb listings, and happy guests.
But Sergioās business still wasnāt going anywhere.
Through podcasts and courses he learned about the importance of increasing his direct bookings. He had a single page website through his PMS provider, so why were his bookings still only coming from Airbnb?
Then one day, a text message chain with a returning guest changed the trajectory of his business forever…
- āI just messaged them saying āhey, to save some money just use this link to book the stay instead.ā But they reached back out to me and said, āWe tried but it was really confusing, so we just re-booked on Airbnb.ā I was so embarrassed and knew I needed to fix this issue.ā
But because he was so busy doing everything else, getting a professional website was never on the top of the priority list.
Thatās when he stumbled upon Boostlyā¦
But was it really worth the price?ā
From the moment Sergio found Boostly, he loved every aspect of it.
- Being able to own your website.
- Having a team of experts do it all for you.
- Being tailor-made for direct bookings.
- Customizable to match your unique brand.
But like many hosts who are just starting out, Sergio had limited revenue coming in. He was scared about whether he could commit to the investmentā¦
āI wanted to show everyone!ā
From the moment he joined Boostly, Sergio immediately felt a difference.
Instead of being given a template and sent on his way, he was greeted by an incredibly kind, caring team of experts who built everything from scratch.
All while keeping him involved in the decision-making with his wants and visions for his website a priority.
Then the moment came when he received that first draft of the wireframeā¦
- āI was astonished by the results. Like I had my expectations. And I would say I have higher expectations than most. But they exceeded them 10X. knew I needed to fix this issue.ā
The design was flawless and completely captured everything Sergio had envisioned for his plant loving brand to be.
- āI just couldn't stop looking at it. I mean, I was just so proud to finally see my business turn into what I knew it could always be. And I wanted to show it off to everyone.ā
āEven when I ran into issues, I had a whole team that stepped in to helpā¦ā
The launch of Sergioās new website was off to a great start.
He had a professionally designed website, direct bookings started to increase, and guests were loving how easy and efficient the booking process was.
But like many businesses, Sergio ran into some hiccups along his Boostly journey. So he would go back to the team to run his concerns past them and get ideas on how to overcome them.
But Sergioās biggest win since the launch of his new Boostly website was something he never expectedā¦
- āAnytime I would contact them with a concern they were just on it. They never denied anything or tried to place blame on me, they just showed up saying āyep, weāre on itā.
But Sergioās biggest win since the launch of his new Boostly website was something he never expectedā¦
āEven when I ran into issues, I had a whole team that stepped in to helpā¦ā
A little more than a year later, Jungle House quadrupled their listing in revenue and are just shy of being a 7-figure vacation rental business.
But even with all the success in metrics, Sergio finally reached what heād been searching for since he first started.
ā¦time back and the freedom to live the life he wanted.
Instead of spending 8 hours a day answering guest inquiries, communication goes straight to his Jungle House team. His new website was even able to implement a live chat, which also connects to their team's slack channel.
- āIf a guest contacts us through the chat, my team responds in just a few minutes. We essentially have communication coverage 24/7 and that alone has saved me HOURS of my work day.ā
āLooking forward, the skyās the limitā¦ā
After the launch, Sergio had a lot to look forward to.
One of the most exciting is partnering with local businesses so they can enhance and improve their guests' experience. And thereās those hidden surprises he never expectedā¦
- āOur rentals even got the attention of some local photographers who wanted to use the space for their photo shoots. We got so many requests it ended up becoming another revenue stream which we created a whole separate web page for.ā
āThereās no wrong way to do this...ā
If youāre still on the fence, Sergio says to ask yourself what are your long term plans?
Some hosts prefer their rentals to live within the OTAs. And if you do, thatās great!
Some hosts prefer a PMS provided direct booking web page to supplement their OTA revenue, and thatās fine too!
āDifferent decisions will simply lead you to different outcomes. So itās all about what youāre looking for in the long term.ā
But if youāre like Sergio and ready to level up from that scattered hobbyist life to CEO of a professional brand, donāt wait. Start nowā¦
- āIf you want to own a real brand, Boostly is the product that can make it official.ā
Want a Boostly website done 100% for you?
Stop waiting around for the perfect moment to own your own vacation rental business. If you want your life to change like Sergioās…you have to start now.
And remembers, ALL packages come with the Boostly Guarantee:
Make back your investment in 12 months or your money back!
Ready to get started?
Wanna chat with real Boostly customers and hosts?
Join The Boostly Hospitality Group and connect with over 7,000 short-term rental property managers around the world.
Meet Rose
The homeschooling mom of 6 who turned her familyās tragedy into a success story by starting her own vacation rental business.
80%
Direct Bookings
Co-author
Top-Rated Hospitality Book
40%
Repeat Guests
āI got the phone call people have nightmares about...ā
He was on the business track; working long & stressful hours in the oil & gas industry.Ā
While she was on the mom track making little humans and homeschooling.
Life was hectic. But it was the life they loved, the life they wanted, and the life theyād always planned for.Ā
Until one day that perfect plan came crashing down…
- āHe was on his way to an oil & gas conference when he got hit head-on by another vehicle driving down a two-lane country road.ā
āI didnāt want to be a widowā
A cracked sternum pushing back into his heart
Multiple broken ribs
And concussion so severe, heād forgotten who he wasā¦
- āI had to go to the hospital that was an hour away. But I was sitting there with 4 children, pregnant with baby #5 on the way, and on the phone with the hospital that wouldn't even tell me whether Brian was dead or alive. All I kept thinking wasā¦I donāt want to be a widow.ā
It took Roseās husband several months to recover from his injuries. Not wanting to go back to his old job, they discussed several different options.
But all of them meant more time away from home and less time with his family.
- āI knew we needed to pivot. And do it fastā¦ā
āHe showed me this little cabin on a lakeā¦ā
Until one day when Brian showed her a photo of a property for sale on 19-acres with 2 lakes and a little cabin. And he wanted to buy it…
- āI was upset. Because when youāre that pregnant with baby #5, there is NOTHING you want to think about other than getting that baby out of your body. So him randomly coming to me with some new massive projectā¦it was just a no for me.ā
āWhat do you mean we have a property?ā
Not long after giving birth to their 5th child, Rose & her husband were at a Christmas party when theyāre real estate agent walked up to herā¦
- āShe said hey weāre closing on your property next week! And I saidā¦excuse me, what? We didnātā buy a property. What are you talking about?ā
It was at that moment Rose found out Brian had purchased the 19-acre property without her knowing.
āI had a choice to makeā¦ā
Rose was shocked. Brian had never done something like this before…
- āI found out itās actually really common for people who suffer from severe brain injuries to experience changes in their mood and act irrationally.ā
But the reality was they now were the owners of this property. And Rose had a decision to make…
She knew nothing about vacation rentals or running a business. But Rose did know one thing…
She doesnāt do anything halfway.
So she rolled up her sleeves and dove head first into learning everything she possibly could about short term rentals.
āIt needed a total gut jobā¦ā
Rose dove head first into learning everything she possibly could about short-term rentals.
- āI bought every book that I could find on vacation rentals and listened to every podcast. I literally sat at soccer practices with a highlighter taking notes. Like I just knew, I was just gonna do this.ā
She put together a business plan and pitched it to several banks, of which all 3 offered loans.
From there, they hired a contractor to completely renovate the cabin. And before she knew it, the Tipkaās had opened their very first vacation rental.
She had doubts, but Rose knew they had more than just a propertyā¦
āI wanted to own a real brandā¦ā
Rose & Brian fell in love with hospitality. And they decided to build a 2nd vacation rental property. A much larger 4 bedroom property that could sleep 12.
They called it āMt. Pleasant Lodgeā.
And it made A LOT more money than their 1st property.
- āThatās when it hit usā¦large family homes for large family getaways. And thatās how our niche was born.ā
It was their biggest vacation rental home yet, totaling 6 bedrooms that could house up to 20 guests.Ā
They called it āThe Cottage at Maple Pondā.
āI was exhausted trying to do everythingā¦ā
The Tipkaās had 3 vacation rental properties, happy guests, and booked calendars. And still, Rose found herself overwhelmed, working more than she ever had before…
- āI was trying to market all of the properties separately. Each one had itās own Facebook page, itās own Instagram page, so I was doing double duty and it was just so much work.ā
Thatās when she stumbled across Mark Simpson who changed the way she thought about hosting…
- āSuccessful companies have a brand identity. Theyāre selling an experience, not just the individual pieces of merchandise.ā
āRose knew she needed a direct booking websiteā¦ā
There was no question Boostly websites had the professional look and feel Rose was after….but was it worth the cost?
Still not convinced, she decided to try building one herself first. But quickly learned she didnāt have the technical skillsā¦
āThe reality is everything costs money. The question you gotta ask yourself is how much is your time worth? I did the DIY method and in the end, it was just a huge waste of time. My guests didnāt trust it, so they just went back to book through Airbnb.ā
āI wasnāt embarrassed anymoreā¦ā
So she hired Boostly to create her direct booking website for her. And when she saw it for the first time, a feeling of relief washed over her…
- āI had this image in my head of how I wanted it to look. And when I saw it for the first time I just felt this wave of relief. Not just because it looked the way I wanted it to, but because Boostly delivered on their brand promise.ā
Roseās Website: yourfamilysplace.com
āThe results spoke for themselvesā¦ā
Less than a year after Roseās new Boostly website went live…
- 80% of their bookings were direct.
- 40% of those reservations were repeat guests.
- Theyāre adding to their brand with a 4th vacation rental property.
- āJust 1 of those repeat bookings covered the entire start up cost of our Boostly website.ā
She even landed a book dealā¦
āI still get to be home raising my childrenā¦
Although it was the worst moment of her life, Rose & Brian often joke about how they wouldnāt be where they are today if he hadnāt been in that accident…
- āLife isnāt all sunshine and rainbows. Everything is great, then nothing is great. And the reality is life is both of those things.ā
Thanks to her hard work, and a Boostly website, Rose can do things today she wouldāve never been able to before…
Like a big family vacation to Londonā¦
- āI get to take my whole family to London/Paris for the Hospitable Host book launch event. Because we have our own company and we can do things on our own terms, we have the freedom of flexibility to go on this big vacation that we never could have afforded back then. It feels like this vacation is a treat. A dessert for all the hard work weāve been doing.ā
But the thing she cherishes the most is the freedom to be with her familyā¦
āThereās a difference between successful and unsuccessful STR businesses...ā
If thereās one piece of advice Rose could give anyone who was in a similar spot she was…itās donāt get stuck in research mode. Otherwise youāll just be living in analysis paralysis.Ā
You have to take action…
- āYou donāt just wake up one day and have a direct booking game. It takes education, planning, putting the right systems in place, and then taking real steps forward.ā
Ready to level up your book direct game?
Join Rose & over 2,000 other hosts who trust Boostly to
create their websites for them.
Meet Seth
From āmom-and-popā host to CEO of a multi-million dollar short-term rental brand.
20%
Direct Bookings
Freedom
To be with family
$2M
In Revenue
āI was trying to find a second income source ...ā
As a husband, father, and manager of his familyās lawn care business in Lexington, Kentucky, the last thing on Sethās mind 6 years ago was adding a second business…
- āThe rate that we were going, adding more responsibility, like owning and operating Airbnbās, was not on my radar.ā
Ā
But Seth had heard of friends who rented out their homes to tourists during a local horse race event called āThe Breeders Cupā. And he wanted to give it a try…
āBabe, we could make an extra $25,000 over this...ā
In just 1 weekend they made a couple thousand dollars. But was it luck?
Ā
The following Spring, another horse race came to town. And Seth wanted to put it to the test. Only this time it would be for several weekends in a row…and theyād have to temporarily move out again.
Ā
āI just kept thinking if we made a few thousand in just that 1 weekend, how much we could make in 5? So I went to my wife and said babe, if we move out earlier, we can make an extra $25,000 over this 5-6 week period.ā
Ā
With a brand new baby, Sethās wife was reluctant. But she agreed that it was a sacrifice worth making to see if there was something to this whole vacation rental business.
āI actually fell in love with hospitality...ā
Sethās hunch was right. He made well over $25K in those few weekends alone.
Ā
But what surprised Seth the most wasnāt how much money he had made. But how much he fell in love with hospitality.
- āIt was exciting you know? To be able to show people our city, provide hospitality, and have people be so excited and passionate about the type of vacation rental service we offered. After that, we knew this was no longer an experiment and we were going to do this for real.ā
Ā
āThings started to unravel fast...ā
Airbnb working ok for the first few properties. He had happy guests and bookings. But by properties 8 & 9…things started to go south quickly.
Ā
Guests wanted to book with Seth directly. But by taking things āofflineā it made it impossible to recreate that high quality guest experience.Ā
- āGuest communication is constant. You are messaging them before, during and after their stay. In order to have that level of communication processes in place, you need software. But anytime I booked someone direct, I lost those auto-triggers.ā
Ā
Relying on sticky notes and his memory started to cause a lot of stress. Seth constantly worried if he had missed or forgotten to book a guests stay. Until one day, he actually did…
āThey suspended my accountā¦ā
But a day Seth will never forget, the day thatĀ changed the trajectory of his business forever, was when he noticed a slow down in his Airbnb bookings…
Ā
āI called them to find out why and they said ya it looks like your account is suspended. And I was like wait what? How? Did a party happen that I was unaware of? Like you have to tell me why.ā
Ā
And the reason made Seth realize he really had no control over his business at all…
āI needed to build something of my ownā¦ā
He considered hiring someone on Fiverr to build it for him, but he wasnāt comfortable with their pricing structure…
- āThey were all open ended contracts. They all knew code, but were gonna charge me like $80/hour. So I didnāt know if it would take them 10 hours OR 100 hours. So it just felt really unstable.ā
Seth even tried using a free 1 page direct booking website provided by his PMS. But it just fell flat…
- āI felt like I was just checking a box. Do I have a direct booking website? Check…but I wasnāt proud of it. And my guests wouldnāt use it.ā
āThe Boostly websites looked immaculateā¦ā
Then one day while attending a STR conference, Seth heard Mark Simpson speak about direct bookings and his Boostly websites.Ā
- āI literally went back to my hotel room and checked out their website. And the websites were so professional looking, no different than a Four Seasons or a Marriott website. I just knew they were the solution I was looking for.ā
Ā
āI was worried about the cost at firstā¦ā
The higher price tag made Seth uneasy at first. But then he got to interact with real Boostly websites and he was hooked…
- āAny company can create a demo. But being able to go to real peopleās websites and play around with them. Thatās what got me past the sticker shock.ā
Ā
āHow involved do I have to be?ā
Seth loved the way Boostly websites looked and worked. But he still had concerns about the process…
- āFor me it was how involved am I going to have to be? How would they know what colors I wanted them to use? Are we gonna have to meet five, six, seven weeks to get all of it done? Iām not sure I had time for any of it.ā
Ā
But Boostly walked him through every step, to include a detailed questionnaire in order to gather all the information they needed for his website.
āI canāt believe this is my websiteā¦ā
After going through the questionnaire it wasnāt long before Boostly delivered the very first prototype of Sethās new direct booking website.
- āLike I knew we had photogenic properties. I knew we had a high quality guest experience. But I never knew the potential until the first time I laid eyes on what Boostly created. The way they designed it, the copy they wrote, how easy it was to use…it was so professional and on brand. It just blew me away.ā
Ā
āThere was doubt, especially from othersā¦ā
Seth didnāt see a ton of direct bookings right away. He knew direct bookings was all about patience and consistency before he started seeing results. Still, that self doubt was always inside making him wonder if heād made the right decision.Ā
Ā
But what was harder for him to deal with, was the doubt from others. Especially from those who were closest to him…
- āThere were a lot of arguments. With family, friends, even my wife. And rightly so, the risk was as much mine as it was hers.ā
Ā
If you asked Seth what the secret is to overcoming doubt? Heād tell you there is no secret. Just having tough conversations and laying out a plan.
āOur first true direct booking brought in $6,000...ā
By implementing email marketing and staying consistent, Seth saw his very first direct booking about 3 months after his site went live.Ā
Ā
And it covered the entire cost of the Boostly website…
- āOur first true direct booking, that we didnāt like solicit, was around $5K-$6K. And that was a huge moment because it covered the initial cost of the website itself. But it also made me realize I was regaining control of my business.ā
Ā
āIt allowed my wife to do what she truly wanted...ā
Before Boostly, Seth hoped his 2 properties would bring in an additional $100,000. Today, Six Gen Rentals has scaled to 15 properties earning 10X that amount.
Ā
But having a direct booking game has given Seth and his family so much more than additional income. Like his wife being able to stay at home to raise their children…
Seth believes success is a destination, not a mark. And heās excited for whatās to come…
- āIām excited to continue to provide great hospitality. Iām excited to become less and less dependent on the OTAs. In the few short months weāve had our site live and working on our marketing, weāre already seen huge returns. So for me thatās exciting to watch that process work and feel like Iām in complete control.āĀ
Ā
But what he believes Boostly helped him achieve most, is a strong foundation that will support generations to come…
āFear is always going to be there, sometimes you just gotta take the leap...ā
Sethās biggest fear in life is regret. Had he let fear win that day, when he debated purchasing a Boostly website, heās certain he wouldnāt be sitting where he is today.
Ā
If thereās one piece of advice Seth could give anyone who was like him, worrying about whether a Boostly website is the right decision, is to not let fear hold you back.
Ā
The best time to start was yesterday…
Ready to graduate from host to CEO?
Join Seth & over 2,000 other hosts who trust Boostly to
create their direct booking websites.
Meet Stephanie
Business Owner at By the Sea Holidays
ā¬20,000
In 3 weeks
10 hours back
every week of admin
ā¬100ās
Saved every month in subscriptions
It all started as a half-joke.
One day, Stephanieās friend was explaining how her time working with a holiday letting agent was coming to an end.
Stephanie had travelled the coasts of Ireland and knew there was an opening for another holiday home agency in Ireland.
So she jokingly said, āLetās open up our own agency.ā
In almost no time, she and a friend built a property rental agency business with over 60 properties across Ireland.
But it wouldnāt last:
Personal circumstances and a change of life routes left the girls with no choice but to close down their agency.
But Stephanie wanted to continue on her STR journey
So she went at it alone.
āA website we built with a different agency cost me over ā¬10,000, and we got no results.ā
Stephanie tried to get help.
She paid an agency ā¬10,000 for a website with zero bookings.
And worse, she worked with two popular channel managers who gave her nothing but headaches.
It seemed like she couldnāt rely on anyone.
But then one day, she heard about Boostly on a podcast.
āIt all sounded too good to be true.ā
She couldnāt believe everything that was being offered.
Her own websiteā¦
Learning all about marketingā¦
A guarantee that sheād double her direct bookings in 12 months.
āIāve only been up and running for 3 weeks, and weāve had ā¬20,000 worth of bookings already.ā
ā¦And this is before her Boostly website launches.
āIām so excited. When the websiteās finished and we get direct bookings, it will be even better.ā
Stephanie was also relieved to discover how much time and money sheād save by not bouncing between 10 different subscriptions to run her agency ā her Boostly site does it all!
Without Boostly
With Boostly
āThe worldās my oyster!ā
What Stephanie loves most of all is the extras that allow her to provide a tailored experience that her competition cannot match:
Thanks to the flexibility and control that Boostly offers, she can:
- Boost revenue during the quieter months
- Get her properties booked during local festivals
- Make her properties a go-to choice for bridal parties, groups etc
Join Stephanie And Over 2,000 Other Hosts Excited About Their Boostly Websites:
Meet Nikki
40%
Direct Bookings
Ā£6,000
from one booking
Potential
to keep scaling
This Accidental Host Landed a Ā£6,000 Booking From Her Boostly Website
When Nikki was forced to go over budget to refurbish a property riddled with damp, she wasnāt sure how she would profit from her investment.
But then a colleague suggested she try it as a serviced accommodation.
Sheād create recurring cash flow and make her investment back in no time.
It was the perfect plan. And despite a few teething issues with a bad manager and a few nightmare guests, Nikki realised that being a host suited her ambitious personality to a tee:
āI'm very target-driven, so I enjoy the chase and building things.ā
So she made the switch from flipping into service accommodation.
Nikki wasted no time investing in coaches and mentors from the start ā many of whom had Boostly websites themselves.
So when she came across Boostly, she knew we were different:
āI can sell things, but I canāt build websites.ā
Nikki was impressed by Boostlyās positioning, but that was nothing compared to the intimate service she received.
She was blown away by how the team held her hand and built her very own Boostly website with no hiccups.
Ā£6,000 From One Booking
Since launching her Boostly site, Nikki has gone from being at the mercy of the OTAs to up to 40% direct bookings ā including a Ā£6,000 booking!
Sheās got her eyes set on 60% direct bookings, and feels confident that she has everything she needs to get there (and beyond):
Join Nikki and 2,000 other hosts landing staggering direct bookings through their Boostly website:
Meet Harro
90%
Direct Bookings
Freedom
to be with family
60%
Repeat Guests
His Thriving B&B Funds His Freedom-Focused Lifestyle
After a long career in hospitality, Harro took the brave step to open a B&B with his wife, Lucy. They run the B&B by themselves ā cooking, fixing, cleaning, and balancing books.
Despite starting from nothing and doing everything himself, their B&B did quite well ā they got 80% direct bookings through their āgenericā website and a solid rate of returning guests.
But when sales dipped, they were on their own.
Harro couldnāt call out a marketing department for some extra bookings when sales dipped like he did during his days working in a hotel.
He had to be the one to market and promote the B&B:
Harro heard about Boostly from another short-term property rental owner.
And while his B&B was already thrivingā¦
He knew even a marginal increase in direct bookings would mean more money in his pocket.
And thatās exactly what happened.
90% Direct Bookings
90% direct bookings didnāt make Harro and his wife more money.
It also led to:
- Friendlier guests who are a pleasure to serve
- Fewer last-minute cancellations that are too late to replace
- Local strangers recognising Harro as āThe guy who runs Hive at 52āĀ
āWhen people stay in the area, they tend to stay with me.ā
āIāve started to close weekends to do stuff with my family and wife.ā
Now, Harro could continue to scale the B&B.
He could maximise his revenue even further.
Maybe even open up a second or third location.
But heād rather shut the B&B down for a weekend or a couple of days to spend time with his wife and family.
OR spend 10-15 hours a week training for marathons and ultra-marathons.
āIām quite content with what Iāve got here.ā
Thanks to Boostly, Harro has the freedom to choose.
Now, you might also want to run an independent property that supports your family and frees you up to chase crazy feats of fitnessā¦
Or maybe you have dreams of managing a 6-figure portfolio of short-term rental propertiesā¦
Or perhaps you want to stop paying the OTAs so much commission.
Either way, Boostly can help.
Meet Liam
From Property Newbie To The Go-To Rental Manager For Local Landlords
55%
Direct Bookings
Person of Influence
in his local network
+Ā£10,000/year
from one contact
Liam was dabbling with rental properties while still working at his retail job.
āI remember seeing the phone ping and thinking, āOh, great, I've made some money even though Iām still at work!āā
But Liam was smart.
He knew he had competition.
And the only way to guarantee people would choose his properties over theirs was to offer better rates.
But he couldnāt do that and still make a profit ā not with the OTA fees.
Then one day, he heard about this thing called āDirect Bookingsā on a podcast with our very own Mark Simpson:
āIf even just 15% of my bookings come direct, that's a lot more money in my pocket.ā
Now, Liam had already followed a bunch of free advice he saw online.
Heād also paid Ā£3,000 for courses on how to run a rental property business.
So he wasnāt looking to invest more money.
But then he made Ā£800 from his first direct booking because of just one tactic Boostlyās Mark gave him during a free challenge.
He was sold on Boostly.
āThat switched on the light to whatās possible.ā
āI feel empowered.ā
Liam made his Boostly investment back in less than 6 monthsā¦
He felt empowered that he didnāt have to be chained to the OTAsā¦
And he acquired the skills to promote his properties, which Liam warns is where a lot of rental property owners go wrong:
āMy website caught the attention of landlords who wanted me to rent their properties!ā
Everything changed once Liam launched his Boostly site.
He jumped from 0 to 8% direct bookings in 12 months, applying just a few of the strategies from Boostly. Fast forward a few years, and heās now at 55% direct bookings.
But thatās not allā¦
Landlords noticed his professional-looking website.
And they asked him to help rent out their properties.
Liam has accidentally unlocked a new (and more profitable) opportunity:
30+ Properties With 55% Direct Bookings
Liam got everything he wanted from Boostly.
More direct bookings.
More cash in his pocket.
Plus something he never even knew he wanted:
(This 6-minute clip reveals the most underrated part of Boostly š)
30+ Properties With 55% Direct Bookings
Thanks to the expertise he gained with Boostly, Liam has built a network of 50-60 rental property owners who see him as a person of influence.
That influence has led to him being handed a property that will net Liam an extra Ā£10,000 per year.
While we canāt guarantee 5-figure commission deals handed to you on a silver platter if you join Boostlyā¦
ā¦we can get you more direct bookings and be seen as the Gold Standard rental property owner in your local area.
Meet Caroline
75%
Direct Bookings
Ā£25,000
Saved every year in staffing
20%
Repeat customers
She Thought a Lifetime in Hospitality Would Prepare Her For Running an Independent B&Bā¦But She Had No Idea What Sheād Signed Up For
Caroline and her husband had worked in hospitality for years, so they loved the idea of running their own business. But when they bought their tea room and guesthouse, they never imagined how hard it would be.
The previous owners had no systems in place to get new bookings.
āWe started from the bottom.ā
āWeāre not going to survive.ā
They had no money, time or knowāhow to advertise.
Caroline paid for courses to learn about social media, but felt like an idiot compared to the more experienced (and younger) people.
And although she got more guests after an ex-hotel manager told her she āhadā to get onto Booking.com, the Ā£6,000 commission fees ate up the little profit she made.
So after two long years of scraping by, Caroline and her husband agreed there was no way their business could survive any longer.
Thatās when they came across Boostly.
āThat was the start of this journey that made this a successful business.ā
Like many hosts, Caroline had her doubts about Boostly:
āI canāt afford that. Itās not going to work for me.ā
The business wasnāt making any money, so any investment was a risk.
Not to mention that sheād already paid for a website that she hated!
So despite being impressed by Boostlyās offer, she couldnāt help but wonder:
āIs it worth it?ā
āWill I get anything out of it?ā
āWhat if I donāt earn my money back?ā
But after speaking to Mark and seeing othersā success, she took the brave leap of faith and joined.
75% Direct Bookings
Her business didnāt become an overnight success.
Caroline joined Boostly during COVID ā when people were locked in their homes ā but that didnāt stop her.
She got her Boostly website set up, began advertising, and built demand for her rooms and tea house. So when the restrictions were lifted, her business catapulted into success.
āWe were absolutely chocka!ā
And itās not stopped since. Caroline is booked up year-round and maintains a healthy 75% direct bookings ā saving thousands in OTA commissions.
And 20% of her direct bookings are repeat guests who love Caroline and her husband ā some visit as many as 6 times per year!
Unsurprisingly, the worst guests are those from Booking.com:
āThey donāt read the description properly, and mark us down because of the location or the facilities or something that we quite openly tell you where we are and what we do.ā
Ā£25,000 Saved Every Year!
But thatās not allā¦
Thanks to the support and systems Caroline gets from Boostly, she and her husband can run the entire business between the two of them.
Caroline reckons this saves her Ā£25,000 every year in staffing costs:
āWe wonāt be here without Boostly.ā
Caroline admits Boostly isnāt for everyone because itās not a quick fix.
And there is some work involved.
But if it werenāt Boostly, Caroline and her husbandās business might not be here todayā¦let alone thriving for 6 years straight.
Join Caroline And Other Independent B&B Owners Whoāre Thriving While The Rest Get Chewed Up By The OTAs:
Meet Dana
$3,008/year
Saved in OTA fees
$3,008/year
In annual revenue
+21%
Direct Bookings
This Accidental Host Found Boostly and Grew Her Revenue by 254% In Less That 3 Years
Dana never planned to get into short-term rentals.
She and her husband wanted a garage for their home in Springfield, but building one from scratch wasnāt an option. So when the house behind theirs came up for sale (with a garage opening onto their alley), they did the ālogicalā thing:
āWe bought a garageā¦ and it came with a house.ā
Overnight, they were the owners of a second home that they didnāt need.
She decided to turn the home into a short-term rental. But Dana quickly discovered:
- She knew nothing about STR pricing.
- She had no clue where to start with marketing.
- She had zero systems for attracting direct bookings.
So she did what most hosts do in her situation. She turned to the OTAs.
The OTA Trap
At first, getting on the OTAs seemed to work.
Her calendar was rarely empty. Bookings came in.
But the longer she stuck with them, the more she realised the truth:
That the OTAs were calling the shots, not her.
āI had to constantly appease the OTAs.ā
Dana didnāt want to give 20%+ of her profits away to be told how she can interact with her guests.
But then she came across Boostly.
āI never wouldāve gotten into Direct Bookings without Boostly.ā
āCheaperā Than Boostly?
Admittedly, Dana couldnāt afford a Boostly website right away.
So she hired someone who could do it ācheaperā.
But her website wasnāt what she wanted. Plus, she didnāt have any control over how to update or include what she wanted on the site. Her web designer wouldnāt even hand over her own data.
āI felt like I was being held hostage.ā
And to top it all off, her website crashed!
And since she didnāt have a team to help, Dana lost bookings.
Thatās when she realised it was time to go all in on Boostly.
Since Joining Boostlyā¦
Dana had dabbled in a bunch of STR courses and programs before.
But Boostly opened her eyes to the fundamentals no one else mentioned, such as:
- How to properly define a customer avatar
- Why knowing who youāre serving affects how you price
- How to think beyond ājust list on Airbnb and hopeā
For the first time, she felt like she had a one-stop shop to become a successful STR business owner:
Danaās STR business has only grown since joining Boostly.
She went from being solely reliant on the OTAs to 21% Direct Bookings.
She got back $3,008 in OTA fees every year.
She then used those profits to open 3 more properties ā allowing her to grow her revenue from $24,000 to $84,000 in just 3 years.
And thanks to her Boostly website and support, there is nothing that can stop Dana from continuing to grow her business, get more direct bookings, and become the go-to STR choice in Springfield.
Meet Kyle
65%
Direct Bookings
3
Successful STR Businesses
100s
of hours back to spend with his 4 children
Father of 4 Refuses to Become Another OTA Horror Story ā Joins Boostly Instead!
Kyle might own 40 units (27 STRS) across three businesses, with 65% direct bookings today, but he didnāt start this way.
When he purchased a run-down 11-apartment complex back in 2018, he had no idea about PMS, dynamic pricing or SEO.
But with four children to raise, he had no choice but to learn.
And he did!
One by one, he renovated each apartment and listed them on the OTAs. It wasnāt long until he realised he couldnāt put all his eggs in someone elseās basket:
āYouāre playing in someone elseās sandbox ā they can tell you to take a hike whenever they want.ā
Kyle heard the stories of hosts getting 65 listings shut down by Airbnb.
He saw Isaac French getting suspended as soon as his listing went live.
He heard of people getting banned from platforms for no apparent reason.
And he knew the only way heād be able to sleep peacefully at night was to stop relying on the OTAs and find a way to get more direct bookings.
Thatās when he found Boostly:
Like most hosts who first discover Boostly, Kyle was impressed with the podcast and resources we put outā¦but he was sceptical about making the leap to invest in a Boostly website.
The sites he built himself using Lodgify and Canva worked fine enough.
Additionally, given that he is based in Alaska, he had doubts about whether the time difference with Boostlyās UK team would cause any issues.
But Kyle is someone who prides himself on āerring on the side of action, so he took a leap of faith. Thankfully, his bet paid off:
āWe now have THREE Boostly Websites and 65% Direct Bookings.ā
Kyle now has a Boosty website for each of his businesses and maintains a healthy 65% of Direct Bookings ā saving him thousands in OTA fees every year.
But more importantly, Kyle has saved himself hundreds of hours every year from not having to keep up with the ever-evolving state of the industry.
Instead, he can lean on the Boostly team to stay relevant and thriving, no matter whatās happening with AI, the economy, or social media.
Those are precious hours he can now spend with his four kids. Which is rare for any business owner, let alone someone who operates THREE businesses.
āIām more apt to just say, āHey, letās do it ā weāll figure it out later,ā even if Iāve got reservations.ā
Kyleās success isnāt just a testament to Boostly, but the attitude it takes to thrive and scale your STR business.
Heās willing to try something even when heās unsure. He acts, then uses feedback and data to adjust course. This is something all hosts can take inspiration from, whether or not you choose to join Boostly.
However, if, like Kyle, youāre also a bit worried about the horror stories popping up around the OTAsā¦