A guest finds your hotel on a booking site, likes the photos, and opens a new tab to look at your own website. Then they go back to the booking site and book there. You pay the commission, and you lose the direct relationship with the guest.
This happens all the time, and it is usually not about price. Guests go back to the booking site because it is easier: dates, rates and rooms on one screen, and a button that works. A small hotel or B&B website can win more of those bookings by making the same things easy, and by giving guests honest reasons to book direct.
Why guests visit your site and then book elsewhere
When a guest leaves your site for an online travel agency, it is usually for one of these reasons:
- They could not see a price without clicking through several pages.
- The booking button opened something slow, confusing or unfamiliar.
- The rooms were described in general terms, with no size, bed type or sleeping capacity.
- There was no reason given to book direct instead of through the site they already trust.
- The price looked the same or higher, and the booking site felt safer.
Each one has a fix. None of them needs a large budget.
Put dates and rates on the first screen
The guest arrived with a question: is there a room on my dates, and what does it cost? Answer it first. A booking bar near the top of the home page, with check-in, check-out, guests and a check-availability button, does more than a full-screen photo slideshow.
Keep the photos. They matter. Just put the booking bar where the guest sees it without scrolling, and repeat a booking link on every room page.
If you can, show a "from" rate for each room type. A guest who sees a number is more likely to keep going than one who has to start a search to find out whether the hotel is in their budget at all.
Give every room type its own page
Booking sites do this well, and many small hotel websites do it badly. Each room type should have its own page with:
- Photos of that room, not the lobby
- Size in square metres or square feet
- Bed type and how many people it sleeps
- Bathroom details, view and floor, if relevant
- What is included, such as breakfast
- A "from" price and a booking button
Separate pages also help with search. A guest searching for "family room in [town]" or "B&B with sea view [area]" can land directly on the page that matches.
Say why booking direct is better, and only what is true
Guests need a reason to book with you instead of the booking site they already use. Give them real ones. Common direct-booking benefits include:
- Breakfast included or a lower rate than on booking sites, where your contracts allow it
- Free cancellation up to a certain point
- Early check-in or late check-out when available
- Room preference requests that you actually honour
- A welcome drink, parking or another small extra
- Talking to the hotel directly about special requests
Only list what you can deliver every time. Then put the list near the booking bar, and again on room pages. A short line works: "Book direct for free breakfast and late check-out when available."
Before you promise a lower price, check the agreements you have with booking sites. Some include rate parity terms, and the rules vary by country and contract.
Your booking engine and your website are two different things
The website is the front of house. It shows the rooms, explains why to book direct and sends the guest to make the booking. The booking engine is the tool that checks availability, takes payment and sends confirmations. Most small hotels use a booking engine connected to their property management system or channel manager.
The handover between the two matters. When the guest clicks "check availability", the booking engine should open with the dates they picked, on a page that matches the look of your site as closely as your provider allows, and work well on a phone. Test it yourself on your own phone, on mobile data. If it takes more than a few taps to complete a booking, ask your provider what can be changed.
Free visibility: Google Business Profile and Google Hotels
Many guests find hotels through Google Search and Google Maps. Keep your Google Business Profile complete with photos, the correct address, phone number, website link and check-in times. Ask guests for reviews there.
Google also shows hotel prices in search results and on Maps, and your booking engine or channel manager may be able to show your direct rate there. It is worth asking your provider whether they support it. When your direct rate appears next to the booking sites, guests can click straight through to you.
How Casa Tarde is structured
Casa Tarde is a free Framer template for small hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs that want guests to book direct. It follows the approach described above:
- The booking bar sits on the first screen, under the headline.
- Each of five room types has its own page with the size, how many it sleeps and the price.
- The home page continues with dining, the spa, offers, reviews, an FAQ and weddings.
- Rooms and three offer pages run on the CMS, so adding or changing a room is a form, not a redesign.
- It includes a start-here guide and a branded 404 page, and is written in British English.
The demo is a twelve-room townhouse hotel in Óbidos, Portugal. Replace the rooms, photos and copy with your own, then link the booking bar to your booking engine.
For cabins, cottages and smaller boutique stays, Fern Hollow is a free one-page alternative with gallery and booking sections. For a hotel with a strong bar or members' club side, The Aubrey costs $49 and includes events and an invitation flow.
You can find more free options in our list of free Framer templates. If you are wondering about hosting costs, read does Framer host your website?
A short checklist
Before you call the site done, check each of these on a phone:
1. Can a guest see a booking bar without scrolling?
2. Does every room type have its own page with a size, capacity and price?
3. Are the book-direct benefits visible and true?
4. Does the booking engine open with the dates already filled in?
5. Are your address, phone number and email on every page?
6. Does your Google Business Profile link to the website?
Booking sites will stay part of the mix for most small hotels, and that is fine. They bring guests who would never have found you. The aim is to make sure that a guest who has already found you, and opened your website, has every reason to book there.