Email Strategies for Bed and Breakfasts, Vacation Rentals, Airbnb Hosts, Guest Houses, Inns and Small Lodging Properties
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The OTA Commission Problem
Airbnb charges hosts 3% (plus the guest pays a service fee) or 14-16% under the simplified pricing structure. Booking.com charges 15%. VRBO charges 5% or passes a traveler fee to the guest. For a bed and breakfast or vacation rental generating $100,000 in annual bookings, OTA commissions can easily total $10,000-$16,000 per year.
These commissions are the cost of customer acquisition through the OTA channel. They are worth paying for new guests who would never have found you otherwise. They are not worth paying for returning guests who already know your property and would book directly if you gave them an easy way to do so.
Email marketing is the most effective tool for converting OTA guests into direct bookers. A guest who found you on Airbnb for their first stay and books directly for their second stay saves you the entire commission on every subsequent visit. Over the lifetime of a repeat guest who stays twice a year for five years, the commission savings from direct booking are substantial.
The strategy is not to abandon OTAs. They remain the best discovery channel for new guests. The strategy is to use OTAs for first-stay acquisition and email for repeat-stay retention, systematically moving guests from the commission-bearing channel to the commission-free one.
Capturing Guest Emails
The first challenge is capturing the guest's real email address. OTAs intentionally make this difficult. Airbnb masks guest email addresses behind their messaging system. Booking.com provides a forwarded email address that routes through their system. The OTAs do this to keep the guest relationship on their platform.
Capture real email addresses through pre-arrival communication: send a welcome message through the OTA's messaging system that includes a link to your "pre-arrival information page" or "digital guest guide" hosted on your own website. The guest accesses the page and provides their email to receive arrival instructions, Wi-Fi password, house manual, and local recommendations. This is a genuine value exchange -- the guest gets useful information, and you get their direct contact information.
At the property: a physical guest book or digital check-in form that includes an email field and an opt-in for future communications. "Would you like to receive our seasonal updates and returning guest offers? We send occasional emails with special rates and local event information." Most guests opt in when asked in person during a positive experience.
Post-stay follow-up through the OTA messaging system: "Thank you for staying with us. If you would like to receive our returning guest rate for future visits (10-15% below OTA rates), reply with your email address and we will add you to our direct booking list."
Export guest data from your property management system (Guesty, Lodgify, Hospitable, OwnerRez, Little Hotelier), your direct booking website, OTA guest records, and any guest book entries. Upload to Email Extractor to consolidate and deduplicate across sources.
Direct Booking Campaigns
Once you have a guest email list, the direct booking campaign is straightforward: offer returning guests a better deal than they would get through the OTA. Since you save 15% in commissions on a direct booking, you can offer the guest a 10% discount and still come out 5% ahead.
Annual returning guest campaign (sent in January-February for the upcoming travel season): "Hi [Guest Name], you stayed with us at [Property Name] in [month/year], and we would love to welcome you back. As a returning guest, you have access to our direct booking rate: [X]% below the rates on Airbnb and Booking.com. This rate is available exclusively through our website -- it does not appear on any booking platform. Book directly here: [direct booking link]. We have also made some improvements since your last visit: [brief list of any upgrades, new amenities, or changes]."
This email works because it is personal (referencing their specific stay), offers genuine value (a lower rate than OTAs), and is exclusive (the rate is not available elsewhere). It also addresses the trust concern: a guest who found you on Airbnb trusts Airbnb's payment protection. By the time they are a returning guest, they trust you directly, and the lower rate incentivizes them to book outside the platform.
Pre-Arrival Communication
Pre-arrival emails serve a practical purpose (ensuring the guest has everything they need for a smooth arrival) and a branding purpose (reinforcing that staying at your property is a personal, curated experience rather than a transactional hotel stay).
Pre-arrival email (sent 3-5 days before check-in): "Hi [Guest Name], we are looking forward to welcoming you to [Property Name] on [date]. Here is everything you need for a wonderful stay. Check-in: [time and process -- key lockbox code, self-check-in instructions, or greeting details]. Address and directions: [specific directions, parking instructions, gate codes]. Your room/unit: [brief description of their specific room or unit]. Wi-Fi: [network name and password]. House essentials: [kitchen appliances, laundry, heating/cooling controls, TV/streaming setup]. Local recommendations: [2-3 specific restaurant, activity, and attraction suggestions]. Weather forecast: [current forecast for their stay dates]. Special requests: if you have any dietary needs for breakfast [if B&B], early/late check-in needs, or anything else to make your stay more comfortable, just reply to this email. We are happy to accommodate."
This level of detail reduces arrival anxiety (especially for first-time guests who are nervous about a non-hotel stay), prevents the most common guest questions (Wi-Fi password, parking, check-in process), and establishes the tone of personal, attentive hospitality.
Post-Stay Review Solicitation
Reviews are the lifeblood of small lodging properties on OTAs. A property with 50 five-star reviews books dramatically more than one with 10 reviews, even if both are excellent properties. Systematically requesting reviews from every guest increases your review count and, if the experience was good, your average rating.
Post-stay email (sent 1-2 days after checkout): "Hi [Guest Name], thank you for staying at [Property Name]. We hope you enjoyed your time in [location]. If you had a wonderful experience, we would be incredibly grateful if you could share it with a review. Your review helps other travelers discover us and helps us continue providing the best experience possible. Leave a review on [platform where they booked]: [direct link to your listing's review page]. If anything about your stay was not up to your expectations, please reply to this email directly so we can address it. We take every piece of feedback seriously."
The dual ask is important: direct happy guests to a public review, and direct unhappy guests to a private conversation. This prevents negative reviews by giving dissatisfied guests a private outlet before they post publicly, and it ensures that the reviews that do get posted skew positive (because happy guests are prompted and unhappy guests are intercepted).
Seasonal and Event Promotions
Small lodging properties benefit from seasonal promotions tied to local events and travel patterns.
Event-based promotions: "[Local Festival/Event] is on [dates]. We still have availability for [event] weekend. Our property is [distance/time] from the venue, and returning guests get [discount] on direct bookings during event weekends. Book now: [link]."
Off-season promotions: "Thinking about a quiet getaway? [Month] is one of the most beautiful times to visit [location] -- [description of off-season appeal: fall foliage, uncrowded beaches, snow-covered landscapes, wildflower bloom]. Our off-season rates are [X]% lower than peak season. Book a midweek stay and save an additional [X]%. Direct booking link: [link]."
