In the past 10 years, the large, global Online Travel Agencies have 'intermediated' themselves into the traditional relationship between vacation traveler and accommodation owner. They spotted an opportunity to apply mass-market technologies to a traditional market sector, making it easier for owners to bring their accommodation to the global marketplace as well as providing travelers with access to significant choice at the click of a button. What's not to like?   

Well, travelers are now paying more, sometimes a lot more, yet owner profits are being squeezed as the dominant 3rd party agencies take full advantage. Their global holiday accommodation networks are now so ubiquitous that owners are left with few alternatives but to pay the fees and comply.

At that time, the proliferation of well-meaning ‘Book Direct’ start-ups was understandable. Some owners, uncomfortable with the arrangements laid down by the OTAs, set-up small-scale local/regional 'Book Direct' alternatives. They simply shoe-horned their accommodation market messaging into existing online services & apps because no credible, mass-market 'Book Direct' marketing channel existed.

Then Yofftoo arrived.

Yofftoo is not just another ‘Book Direct’ listing site. We are doing things differently, offering a 'Book Direct' alternative which complements the OTA indirect channel and is also underpinned by global-reach technology. We are innovating through the application of technology and creativity:

• Realtime profile updates, incorporating social media images, messaging and live deals & promotions. Instead of just displaying a static image or slideshow from the last time you got around to uploading a few images, the YofftooFeed feature pulls your accommodation’s most recently posted deals, promotions and social media content into your listing, and gets updated regularly. Near real-time updates inform the traveler and highlight offers, giving the traveler the confidence to book direct. 

   

• Our ShortCircuit feature does what it says on the tin. If a traveller has found your accommodation on one of the large OTA sites, but wants to save money by short-circuiting the process to book direct, they can find you via ShortCircuit. They simply apply the location filters to find your listing. All of your contact details are available, enabling the traveler to make contact directly.

   

• The DealZone is also an innovation. It is a listing of all of your current deals and seasonal promotions; controlled by you, offering discounts on specific dates or seasons, and able to be linked directly to your own website. Add deals to your profile and allow Yofftoo to interpret them and publish your deals to social media. Give your accommodation an additional online presence with almost no additional effort involved from you, the owner.

So, we are innovating, and there are lots more ideas in the pipeline. Join us now, support ‘Book Direct’, and re-gain some control over your holiday accommodation business.

(Subscribers: Log-in and click the white 'For Owners' down-arrow for more feature/function details.)