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Convert OTA Guests to Direct Bookings

Use Brand booking links, the OTA → Direct Conversion journey, and Opportunities to bring past Airbnb and VRBO guests back on your own site.

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Written by Petar Ojdrovic

Yada can follow up with guests who first booked through Airbnb, VRBO, or another OTA and invite them to book direct next time. Direct bookings skip platform fees and keep the relationship on your site.

Set the booking destination

Open Settings → Brand and add your direct booking URL. Journey and campaign messages insert that URL with the booking site personalization token. Confirm the link opens the correct booking page before you activate any conversion journey.

Turn on the conversion journey

Open Marketing → Journeys. Yada creates an OTA → Direct Conversion journey on first visit. It enrolls guests 45 days after checkout when the stay was booked through an OTA, then sends one email or SMS with your booking link.

  1. Open the journey and confirm the listings it covers.

  2. Review the message. Keep the offer specific: skip OTA fees, same property, same hosts, better rate.

  3. Leave OTA channels off so the follow-up does not go back through Airbnb or VRBO.

  4. Activate the journey after a test send looks correct.

Reinforce guests who already book direct

Activate Direct Booking Thank-You as well. It sends two days after a direct-booked checkout and thanks the guest for skipping the platforms. Use it with the conversion journey so OTA guests get a next-stay invitation and direct guests get a thank-you, not the same pitch twice.

Follow replies in Opportunities

When a guest replies, Yada can open an Opportunity. Work those cards on Marketing → Opportunities. Mark Won only after the booking is confirmed on your booking site or in your PMS, then reconcile the revenue on the opportunity.

Tip: Pair this with the 30-day, 60-day, and anniversary default journeys so past OTA guests hear from you more than once, with different timing and a different reason to book.

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