channel manager – freetobook

5 Tales of great low cost service

Posted on May 11, 2020May 19, 2020 by craig

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 our service is running at full capacity developing new features and servicing all customers.

Wildercombe House

Having recently joined freetobook, I wish I’d done it ages ago. The set up was straightforward, and together with the great help and useful tips from Heather, along with Sandra on the Help Desk with the integration of bookings from an OTA, I couldn’t be happier. Nothing to pay unless you want to, so with the added bonus of only having to pay for the services that you need, what’s not to like. So what are you waiting for? Join freetobook today!

Lochinver Guest House

I returned to freetobook from ev***vo just a few months before the lockdown, and I am so glad I did – they simply provide the very best customer service I’ve experienced from a channel manager, and are always available to assist, especially during the dark days of the lock-down. No hanging on the phone for ages before you can speak to a real person who actually understands your issue and gets it resolved in no time! I can always get advice or answers to questions very quickly either via the online support, via phone or on the Facebook group. The fees are very reasonable and the team continues, even now during Covid-19, to work on great new features on their system. I can’t recommend them highly enough – this family-run company has good morals and ethics.

Tyndale Boutique B&B

We were using ev***vo as our channel manager but were let down by the lack of customer support despite the high monthly costs. Since we switched to freetobook we have seen a noticeable reduction in our outgoings and yet their support, both online and over the phone, is incredible. We highly recommend FTB.

Birklands Guest House

Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for your recent advice which has certainly just saved us a considerable amount of money!

We also wanted to let you know how glad we are that we made the decision to join freetobook. As ‘newbies’ to all of this we were finding the system that we ‘inherited’ so very frustrating and confusing – not to mention expensive! We found FTB so easy to set up, simple to work round, and extremely user friendly. Without exception, any query we had was dealt with quickly and efficiently by your knowledgeable and friendly team, and the continued support in these highly unusual circumstance is just brilliant. When we then take into account the clear and, in our view extremely reasonable charges, we believe we’ve found the best and couldn’t rate FTB more highly.

Foxhills of Shanklin

The process of changing over from our previous online booking system to freetobook was a breeze. We were up and running on the system within just a couple of days. The system is intuitive and easy to use, but great support is there if needed. The customer service is available online or by phone and the responses are received so quickly. Not only is this a great system, but as a small B&B I appreciate not having to pay extortionate monthly fees, particularly when we are closed over winter!

I wholeheartedly recommend freetobook to anyone looking for a system which provides all the functionality, and better service, at a very reasonable price.

Want to know more about us ?

Interested in freetobook ? It’s easy to register today.

At freetobook we know we can do more and do better.. so we’ll keep working hard for our customers to ensure we all come out of this stronger.

Stay safe and well

New additions coming very soon:

Updated hotel style diary with extra functionality, split billing so guests can share parts of the same bill, new attachment types for smart messaging, cobooking for a new way to find and book direct.

7 pledges of internet booking

Price freeze since 2012

Posted on March 11, 2020April 30, 2020 by craig

You might not know this but freetobook’s core functionality is exactly the same price as it was in 2012. Yes, we haven’t increased any of our prices ever.

How have we managed to do this? Well, our loyal customer base has grown to over 11,000 businesses world-wide!

Our paid services are optional and pay-as-you-go ensuring you only use what you need, no pressure from us. There are no tie-ins or set monthly costs regardless of your booking volume. You only pay for what you want, all the way from the free service to an all-in one singing and dancing system that does everything but make your morning coffee.

With many accommodation owners facing difficulties as a result of Covid19 you can rest in the knowledge that we are the best value system on the planet.

Not only that, it just keeps getting better. Over the same period we have continually developed new functionality. It is in our blood to keep improving so almost every week we’re releasing new and better versions of our service, bringing more benefits to our loyal customers.

How do we do it? A key part is the massive savings we’ve made because we’re lucky enough to have customers who are really passionate about us, they’re our sales force. Hence, we don’t need a pushy sales team but instead can rely on recommendations from existing customers. If you’re not with freetobook…. ask someone you know who is!

A price freeze since 2012 with optional low cost services (pay-as-you-go) that are reliable and secure all make for an extremely compelling case to switch to freetobook. Couple this with our family company’s caring service and our 7 pledges of online booking and you’ll know we’re here to help you through these difficult times.

If you’re not with freetobook just register today – get up and running in a couple of hours.

Customers book on different sites, spread your bookings

Posted on February 26, 2020February 26, 2020 by craig

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 your channel bookings and your meta bookings**. Freetobook does the whole range of channels: Bookingcom, Expedia, Airbnb, Hotelscom, Agoda, HostelWorld, HRS, Pitchup and a few others in the wings.

For Meta you can use Google Ads (UK only, world-wide by summer) and TripAdvisor (worldwide).

The 3 biggest channels are Bookingcom, Expedia and Airbnb. If you only work with one then you’re in danger of that source being too dominant, one channel is not a healthy spread. Some customers prefer to only book with certain sites (like Airbnb) so you may just not be reaching them if you’re not on that channel. Also a specific channel may do something you disagree with (it’s not unheard of!), so having alternatives will help in these situations by providing resilience.

Freetobook is regarded as one of the most reliable and high service channel managers in the world. There’s a lot of high tech in action, making sure it works all of the time. On the service side, unlike most, we do all your rate plan mapping and pro-actively manage connections once in place. This hands-on human support and advice makes the all difference. We also provide you with tools to ensure your direct rates and direct availability are the best they can be.

A good healthy business mix includes a majority of direct bookings alongside a diversified strategy with Bookingcom, Expedia and Airbnb.

OTAs are not for everyone, some properties can manage to fill up without them and we support those efforts. If you want more exposure but at a lower cost than the OTAs we suggest Google Ads at 7% advertising. In our experience TripAdvisor advertising works best if you are not with any OTAs, if you are with OTAs then TripAdvisor is too high a cost.

If Google Ads and direct are not enough to fill up your property we would suggest a diversified selection of OTAs. These channels can be managed in a way that prioritises your direct bookings, you would expect nothing less of a family company like freetobook.

Google meta search — This is what Google Hotel Ads looks like – we call this **meta search

**Meta is a source of direct bookings from rate comparison systems. Examples are Google and TripAdvisor – They are NOT Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and you pay for advertising rather than commission. Your direct rates are shown alongside the OTAs (only if you are with the OTAs). Meta is most powerful when you are not with any OTAs – your direct rates then become the only rate Google shows !!

Google Hotel Advertising is here …
Channel Manger details and pricing on freetobook is here …
TripAdvisor advertising is here … (TripAdvisor is DIY you do it with them)

Links related
Freetobook 7 pledges for online booking (this shows how we are different)
Book direct images for your website, signature, facebook etc…

Hotel Bonanza 8 percent

Posted on September 5, 2017September 5, 2017 by craig

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 with our customers, we hear time and time again that properties need to reduce commission charges. We understand this need and will continue to support companies like Hotel Bonanza that offer a lower cost alternative.

If you already have a Hotel Bonanza account fully setup and are a freetobook customer all you need to do is request a connection in the Tab “Plus” where you can add a channel.

For those of you who are not yet freetobook customers you can find out about all the advantages of switching to freetobook …

Find out more about Hotel Bonanza and their story visit their website, join up if you like it click here…

Before next summer freetobook will have a connection for Google Hotel Ads which will give you access to Google’s direct booking channels at 10% which will also be a welcome reduction for many of you.

Freetobook, the fiercely independent family company you can rely on.

Tips for Switching booking system

Posted on January 17, 2017January 18, 2017 by craig

switch Switching your booking engine can be a lot easier than you think. Here are a few tips gleaned from our clients.

But first a word of warning, it’s not just about cost savings. Whilst cost is always important there are subtler, seemingly less significant things that can actually make a much bigger difference to your business and your happiness!

The four areas I would say you need to understand well are the booking engine functions, it’s cost, the company and the switching process.

1) Evaluating the booking engine

Compare the functionality of each booking engine, focus on what’s absolutely critical to your business…don’t get side tracked by any irrelevant functions.

Speak to the various companies but then dig a little deeper by asking around – do you know anyone using that booking engine, what’s their view? Remember, an “oily” sales person will just tell you what you want to hear to get the sale!

Ensure the booking engine is flexible enough to handle your processes. It is one thing to have a function but you need to ensure it works the way you need it to.

2) Costs

You need these in black and white, good companies don’t need to hide or negotiate costs with every client – hiding prices usually means the sales team get extra commission by overcharging you.

Can you tailor their services to suit you? If it’s pay as you go, work out the costs – these tend to be the best value services because you are only paying for what you use.

Look at hidden costs i.e. how does their channel manager work and what control do you have over it? If you don’t have any control over which rooms are sold, when, where and at what price… this will increase costs.

Make sure you don’t incur any additional cost i.e. having to use a specific payment system.

3) Compare companies

heart Try to gauge how much each company really cares about your business. For example, the service and support role is currently in danger of dying off and finding a company that takes it seriously will make a real difference to your business.

Existing customers and social media are your best references when trying to get evidence of how a company treats its clients.

Ask about their plans, do they continually bring out new features, add services, are they innovative, what’s their reputation among other suppliers you work with….ask around. The best businesses are respected and loved by both their clients and partners they work with.

Look at the small print in any contract, does it tie you in? Do you have any penalties or notice periods that lock you in if you don’t like it?

4) Process

How easy is it move over? Can you access the system to try it out first, even run it alongside your current booking engine so you are 100% certain. Is there a time restriction to get it running ? Beware of lock-in trials, you want to try it at your own speed.

Make sure the company you are switching to is ready to have you on board, do they have a dedicated switch team? If they are good they’ll have lots of experience and offer advice on the right way to set-up and which services are most suitable.

If they are really great they’ll give you tips and tricks to increase your business, remember they may have spoken with 1000s of small businesses just like yours.

Check if there are help guides or videos available to help you understand the new system (and work at your own pace).

Finally, timing is critical, it makes sense to do this kind of analysis when you have a bit of time on your hands.

The overwhelming feedback I have received indicates that all of the above is much easier than most think, there is no reason to stick with a booking system that doesn’t work for you……

I just wanted to finish with a happy switcher who got it all right…

” Wow this is amazing!! We have just reached 100 bookings in the last 30 days 9/12/16 to 9/01/17, on the freetobook system. Thanks for starting it all off, and can you thank the ladies in the office for help setting up. I wish we had moved years ago!! ” (Adrian at Seed Hill)

Thinking about switching to freetobook ? find out more here…

Spread your booking sources

Posted on October 12, 2016June 14, 2017 by craig

Online Travel Agents — Big sources of bookings

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 your bookings come in from Bookingcom or Expedia there’s a danger of a single source being too dominant and any business knows that securing future success requires a healthy spread of bookings.

What if you were to fall out with your single biggest source of bookings, do you have any alternatives? Perhaps they decide to implement something you disagree with, do you have another source as back-up? These are valid questions that could affect the sustainability of your business.

You also need to consider that each agent has their very own customer database and by working with a variety of them you maximise your exposure to potential new customers. If for example you only work with Expedia, you’ll only get Expedia customers and that will limit your business.

bestPrice A good healthy business mix includes plenty of direct bookings alongside a diversified strategy with Bookingcom and Expedia, but make sure you have a plan to increase direct bookings.

Secure your future bookings with a two priorities

1) Don’t rely on just one big source of bookings

Easy to use channel manager can help manage multiple sources of bookings without double entry or double bookings.

2) Invest in growing your direct bookings

Direct booking tips and blog articles to help grow your direct bookings

Spread your OTA bookings

Posted on August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 by craig

OTA selection — Select more than one OTA

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 stream of bookings.

So what are the risks of working with just one OTA? At some future point that company may decide to implement something you disagree with; it could be a policy about commission or some way that they deal with guest data, reviews or customer relations. There’s no way to say what the future holds but with only one source you will have to follow their rules without any backup relationships.

Biggest OTAs in the World — World’s Biggest OTAs

Each of the biggest three worldwide travel websites (and they keep growing), Expedia, TripAdvisor and Booking.com all have their own customer databases and their own advertising strategies. By working with more than one you both maximise your exposure and diversify sources of potential customers. Remember that some customers only ever book with Expedia and others only Booking.com so by working with both you get seen by them all.

Customers also visit many websites during their research process so featuring on the big three means you have more chance of catching their eye. Again each of these booking sites will place a different emphasis on your property so you will appear in different positions and places on different searches and pages.

Having only one OTA is a bit like a farmer getting a giant contract from a major supermarket. The initial glow wears off when you have had to turn down all other distribution opportunities and tailor your processes to that single source, and then you realise that losing the contract would likely mean instant business failure. It’s a horrible question to ask but an important one, if your biggest OTA stopped working with you would your business survive?

Fortunately in the accommodation business you can spread your risk far more easily than some farmers can. You can share your availability across multiple channels and benefit from a bigger and more diverse spread of bookings whilst increasing your negotiating position. Then, if at some future date one OTA ever demands something you don’t want to give you can always move business to another.

A good healthy business mix includes plenty of direct bookings so your OTA policy should always go hand-in-hand with a strategy to increase direct bookings. In our next blog we cover ways to increase direct bookings, so you can make the most of the existing customers that have booked via the OTAs.

Find out more about our Channel Manager

OTAs – Rise of the Giants

Posted on July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 by craig

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 volume websites. This continues to make it increasingly challenging for independent accommodation owners trying to maintain the same volume of direct bookings.

If you find yourself in this situation the best strategy is to avoid over reliance on a single OTA as that level of dominance creates obvious business risks, no business wants all its eggs in one basket. So make sure you have a spread of booking sources and always be on the look out for new, more efficient ways to distribute.

Don’t be afraid to invest in technology that improves your direct commission free bookings and also enables you to diversify your booking sources i.e. a channel manager and booking engine that connects to all three big players…Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor.

Remaining fiercely independent and open to multiple sources of bookings becomes more crucial as the dominance of the biggest grows. In other words the most successful strategy will be diversified and independent – keep your eggs in baskets you can trust.

6 Secrets to OTA success

Posted on October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 by craig

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 already checked out your listing on the OTAs, so take a moment to learn how to leverage that coverage to your advantage.

channel manager and internet booking engine — get connected to the world

The big OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia are experts at online promotion and sales, they act a bit like a supermarket, giving customers significant choice, relevant information to help compare and an opportunity to buy simply and quickly. They have mastered the art of great online marketing, continually optimising their websites and spending billions on advertising to generate millions of bookers. Ranking high on search engines and also listing on the most popular websites like TripAdvisor make it almost certain that anyone searching for accommodation online will come across them.

The great news is that although customers visit OTAs during their search for accommodation most still choose to book direct. Take your OTA presence seriously by investing time and care to ensure it works for you. Do not be fooled into just a switching it on and letting it run, you have to drive it in the right direction.

1. Look Special: Ensure you are “attractive” on the OTA websites by having great images and plenty of them. These images must “connect” with customers on an emotional level….can they see themselves in those images? Highlight your strengths, you will be compared. By standing out you increase your chances of getting booked.

2. Know Your Targets: Understand what types of customer are finding you on the OTAs – why not ask them when you see them? Then grab the attention of those customers with the right content, your business customers may want to see free wi-fi, car parking, proximity to their destination etc. Enhance your own website to attract these customers.

3. Make Improvements: Refresh and fine tune your presence on each OTA, learning and improving all the time – nothing is static on the internet! Simplify the process of managing OTAs by using a channel manager, then spend the time you save by getting more from the connection…. put an end to tedious rate and availability updating, rather spend the time saved to add real value.

4. Drive Direct Bookings: You must have a great website, invest in fantastic images and rich content – go the extra mile. Place your online booking process at the heart of your website, it’s got to be so easy to find and book. Customers want it to be simple don’t confuse them or appear to offer less. Extract the maximum value from all customers, capture repeat business or referrals direct.

5. Returning Customers: Once a customer comes to you via an OTA make sure you get to know them, offer them a loyalty discount so they come back via a direct booking next time. Add the customer to your mailing list or social media channels and engage them directly.

6. Create your own Mini OTA: When you can’t beat them make your own. Why not join up with other properties in your area to work together. You could create a website for customers to book accommodation in your location and compete with the chains and save commission using your mini OTA.

Smaller independent properties have limitations on their time and marketing budgets so it’s critical you make the most of them. The biggest advantage owner run and managed businesses have is the direct contact with their guests, it’s not something the chain hotels and OTAs can replicate.

Freetobook is a Internet Booking Engine and channel manager with many added services and connections to the world’s biggest sales systems like TripAdvisor TripConnect, Booking.com, Expedia, HostelWorld and many others. Using freetobook can greatly improve your worldwide distribution and add bookings to your bottom line : find out more about freetobook on our home page.

To find out more about what the freetobook channel manager can do for you, click the link below.

Yorkshire Special Offer

Posted on October 5, 2014October 9, 2014 by craig

Free connection to all Yorkshire websites

Yorkshire connection with freetobook channel manager — Connect to Yorkshire with freetobook

There’s no charge from freetobook for connecting to all Yorkshire Tourism sites when you connect before the 31st Oct 2014 (normally £49+ VAT) *.

Freetobook’s channel manager now updates yorkshire.com, VisitLeeds, VisitRyedale, VisitHull and DiscoverYorkshireCoast all from your freetobook diary.

You can also use freetobook to link up with the worlds largest Online Travel Agents including, booking.com, LateRooms, Agoda, HostelWorld, Expedia and TripAdvisor.

1) Save time and energy updating different diaries – your freetobook diary updates them all with rates, availability and bookings. No more double bookings and no more double entry.

2) The channel manager connects you to guests from all over the world – using freetobook’s global connections you reach customers that would not otherwise be able to find you.

3) Our online booking engine also links to your website at no charge, where all bookings are zero commission.

Find out more about the freetobook Guestlink channel manager connection

Watch the video on YouTube see how the freetobook channel manager works.

* freetobook will not charge their set-up and connection fee if connected in time. There may be costs from Welcome to Yorkshire to list on their websites and update via guestlink – your listing on Yorkshire websites is subject to their terms and conditions so you need to check all Welcome to Yorkshire terms and conditions.