Expanding Partnerships
Starting with the Premier Inn brand for Whitbread over 15 years ago, BestBookDirect has broadened its scope. The platform now features a variety of partners, including Warner Hotels, Travelodge, Haven Holiday Parks, Macdonald Hotels, and the Best Western group. This expansion reflects the company’s commitment to supporting various hotel and holiday providers throughout the UK.
Challenging the Dominance of OTAs
BestBookDirect was established as an alternative to large, predominantly American-owned Online Travel Agents (OTAs) like Tripadvisor and Booking.com. These OTAs dominate Google search results with their vast marketing budgets but charge high commission rates for bookings. Hotels and holiday providers not using OTAs often struggle to secure top placements in organic search results due to limited budgets for search engine optimisation.
Cost-Effective Business Model
BestBookDirect addresses this challenge by specialising in securing first-page organic results for its partners. The platform uses a performance-based business model, taking less than 5% of the total booking cost, compared to the 15-30% charged by OTAs. This approach consistently drives higher direct bookings, boosting profitability for partner companies.
Impressive Growth Metrics
Chris Cottam, Head of Digital Operations at BestBookDirect.com, shared the company’s recent successes: “In our twelfth year, we have seen incredible growth, with a 200% year-on-year increase in direct bookings for Warner Hotels. We’ve also seen a rise in bookings across all 38 Haven Holiday Parks in the UK.” This growth has been driven by a focus on promoting last-minute deals on unsold rooms, a priority for hospitality operators aiming for maximum occupancy.
Replicating Success Across Partners
BestBookDirect’s strategy involves creating dedicated high-quality web pages for late deals. This method has proven effective in filling unsold capacity cost-efficiently. The company now plans to replicate this success with other travel and hospitality partners.
Supporting Charitable Causes
Beyond its business achievements, BestBookDirect is committed to supporting charities in the UK. Its parent company, Uedit Limited, has raised over £100,000 to support disadvantaged children by sharing its technology platform with the school fundraising charity, School Angel.
As BestBookDirect celebrates its 12th anniversary, the company is poised for continued growth. With a proven business model and a strong commitment to its partners and charitable causes, BestBookDirect is set to further enhance its impact in the travel industry.