Send us a message!Direct booking has been part of the vacation rental conversation for years, but one challenge remains hard to solve.Travelers are not always searching that way.In this episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Eric Goldreyer, CEO and founder of Savvy, to talk about why direct booking has struggled to become a consumer habit and what needs to change for travelers to find, trust, and use it more easily.Eric shares how Savvy evolved from BNB Finder into a book-direct marketplace for professional property managers. The conversation gets into why lower fees alone are not enough to change booking behavior, how OTAs have shaped traveler expectations, and why direct booking needs a better discovery path if it is going to scale.Episode Chapters:06:21 - How professional property managers can build stronger guest relationships06:53 - Why repeat business starts with owning guest data07:56 - Why direct booking has struggled to reach the consumer09:04 - How traveler behavior has been shaped by OTAs18:16 - Why property managers still need OTAs while building a stronger direct strategy20:55 - How destination content can support discovery and conversion27:05 - Why property managers cannot rely on direct booking websites alone33:28 - How trust, reviews, verification, and clear pricing influence conversion34:18 - Why saving money is not always enough to win the booking42:00 - What AI and structured data could mean for the future of travel searchIf you are a vacation rental operator trying to reduce OTA dependency, build more repeat business, or understand how travelers are discovering and booking stays today, this episode is for you.Connect with EricLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgoldreyer/ Connect with Savvy:Website: https://www.savvy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stay-savvy/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savvy_stayFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/savvystays ✨ Exclusive Offer to Alex & Annie Listeners: Reach more direct-booking travelers with Savvy.List your professionally managed properties for free.👉 Get started here: https://savvy.com/listAutomate your short-term rental operations with Hospitable.Start a 14-day free trial and get 25% off your bill for the first 6 months.👉 Get started: https://hospitable.com/partners/alex-annie Thinking about the next chapter for your vacation rental business? Connect with Monarch Collective to explore what growth could look like with the right platform behind you.👉 Learn more: https://gomonarch.com/partnerships/ #vacationrentals #shorttermrentals #directbookings

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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