Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com have done something remarkable: they’ve convinced travelers that the platform is the brand — not your properties. Every booking that comes through a marketplace costs you commission, hands your guest data to a third party, and makes it harder to build the direct relationship that keeps travelers coming back.
O’Rourke Hospitality is a vacation rental marketing agency that helps property management companies build their own brand, drive traffic to their own website, and create a direct booking channel they control. We’ve worked exclusively in hospitality since 2004 — and we bring our industry-specific digital marketing services to vacation rental operators who are ready to stop growing the platforms and start growing their own business.
The short-term rental market has matured. Travelers aren’t exclusively searching Airbnb anymore — they’re Googling “vacation rentals in San Diego,” asking ChatGPT for the “best vacation rental homes in Austin, TX,” comparing options across multiple sites, and making decisions based on brand trust, photography, and website experience. The operators who build a direct booking engine now will be the ones spending less on OTA commissions every year.
That’s where our vacation rental marketing services come in.
Rank for local search terms and localized keywords travelers use when they’re ready to book and bring high-intent guests directly to your site instead of a marketplace.
Learn MoreDisplay, retargeting, and Google Vacation Rentals placements that keep your properties in front of travelers at the moment they’re comparing options.
Learn MorePaid search campaigns and Google ads for property management built around destination queries and seasonal demand patterns, structured to deliver bookings at a cost that competes with OTA commission rates.
Learn MoreA direct booking website that showcases your portfolio, reflects your brand, and gives travelers a frictionless path from browsing to confirmed reservation.
Learn MoreRecover guests who browsed your properties, checked availability, and didn’t complete their reservation before heading to a platform.
Learn MoreContent strategy that showcases your properties across Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest — the channels where travelers discover destinations and decide where to stay.
Learn MoreAs a short term rental marketing agency with deep hospitality roots, we understand how guests make travel decisions, how seasonality shapes booking windows, and how to build a digital presence that earns direct bookings month after month.
Whether you’re running a small Bed & Breakfast or managing multiple properties, we will develop a strategy to help you maximize occupancy and build destination authority over time.
Ready to reduce your OTA dependency and drive up your direct bookings? Schedule a strategy call with our team today.
Implementing a GX+Skipper designed website for our hotel has definitely had a huge impact on how our guests interact with the website. One of the most impactful changes has been the addition of real-time room rates and the ability to filter available rooms and rates seamlessly. Guests no longer have to guess or hunt for the information they need—it’s all right there at their fingertips, without having to go to a separate booking engine website. This feature has completely transformed the booking experience. Visitors can quickly see which rooms are available for their desired dates and within their budget, allowing them to make confident, informed decisions without any unnecessary steps. By removing the friction that often leads to booking abandonment, we’ve seen a significant boost in our conversion rates
Relying solely on OTAs costs you 10% to 20%+ in commission fees on every booking, strips away your guest data, and limits repeat business. Direct booking marketing protects your profit margins, gives you full ownership of the customer relationship, and builds long-term brand equity.
General agencies use one-size-fits-all strategies. O’Rourke understands travel-consumer behavior, seasonal booking windows, and localized search intent. Plus, our strategies are built to integrate seamlessly with your property management software (PMS) and booking engines.
Yes, because you don’t need to outbid them globally; you just need to win locally. Travelers frequently search for a property directly after seeing it on Airbnb or Vrbo. Hyper-local SEO and targeted PPC ensure your website captures those high-intent bookers directly.
Both are essential, but they serve different goals. SEO builds long-term authority and organic visibility, while paid advertising provides immediate traffic and can be scaled up or down based on seasonal demand. A balanced strategy uses both to maximize reach.
Share your vacation properties with us and we’ll outline a strategy to meet your occupancy goals.
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