How Chad Harker built 75% direct bookings in under a year (Ep 131)
Most hosts do not lose sleep over having too many bookings. They lose it wondering why so much of their revenue still belongs to a platform.
Chad Harker of Eco Escapes started with a single room on Airbnb. His own master bedroom, actually, while he moved into the spare. In under a year he grew to seven properties and 75% direct bookings, without slashing his rates or chasing anyone.
In this episode of the Direct Booking Success Podcast, Chad walks through exactly how he did it. The systems he set up first, the post-stay email that turns guests into direct bookers, and the upsells that add revenue while making the stay better.
Listen to episode 131
What you will learn in this episode
Why Chad set up a property management system before he had properties to fill it
The two-day post-stay email that invites guests to book direct without discounting the room
How a movie night basket that costs under ten dollars adds real revenue and repeat bookings
Why referrals became his single biggest source of direct bookings
The one piece of advice he gives every host who wants to do the same
Key takeaways
Start with an excellent product. Chad is clear that nothing else matters if the stay itself is not worth coming back to. Great hospitality is what earns the direct booking in the first place.
Lead with value, not a discount. His post-stay offer saves the guest the platform fee and adds a free welcome basket, so his top line stays healthy while the guest feels looked after.
Collect guest data and use it. Names, pets, how often they visit. Chad turns that into personal follow ups that make guests feel remembered and bring them back direct.
Full episode transcript
Jenn Boyles: From a single room to a thriving portfolio, this episode dives into the strategies behind skyrocketing direct bookings and guest centered upsells. Welcome to the Direct Booking Success Podcast. I'm Jenn Boyles, your host. Today I am thrilled to be joined by Chad Harker of Eco Escapes. He is a short term rental entrepreneur who's built a thriving business with seven properties and counting under his belt. Chad's journey started with a single room on Airbnb, but after realizing the potential for growth and the power of direct bookings, he's taken his business to incredible heights. In this episode, we're going to dive into how Chad has shifted away from relying on the OTAs and the creative strategies he uses to drive 75% more direct bookings along with the lessons he's learned along the way. So welcome, Chad.
Chad Harker: Thank you so much for having me, Jenn. Excited to be here.
Jenn Boyles: Oh, it's wonderful to have you here. From meeting you last spring at CanStays to now, to knowing the trajectory of your business, it's just so exciting. So let's start from the beginning. You had a basement suite that you were renting out long term, weren't you? How did you get into Airbnb?
Chad Harker: Yeah, so I always was a very conventional real estate investor and I was in the process of purchasing my second property, and I heard a lot of the good things about Airbnb. People say it's a gold mine, and then you hear a lot of the bad things as well in the media. So I thought the only way to really know for sure is to try it out myself. A pretty low risk option was to try putting my master bedroom on Airbnb. So I made the sacrifice and moved to my spare bedroom, just to get a feel for it, understand how the platform works and see if it was a viable option. And I pretty much made every rookie mistake in the book, but it was eye opening for sure and it really changed my perspective. After I purchased that property, I was hooked and I wanted to go full Airbnb rather than a long term rental.
Jenn Boyles: So what was the moment that you realized the potential of short term rentals rather than long term rentals?
Chad Harker: Good question. So I did the whole basement suite renovation, because it was pretty much a bare basement, and we converted it into a full legal suite, two bedrooms, two baths. And that first month, even with all my dumb rookie mistakes, I actually generated more income from the one bedroom than the entire legal suite. And I invested practically nothing into the one bedroom. So I was like, what if I did this with an entire property? Or a similar model with the legal basement suite and the top floor, how well could it perform? And not only that, but being able to provide the amazing experience for the guests and seeing the level of appreciation and how grateful people were for the level of hospitality. It was a little bit of everything, but I loved it.
Jenn Boyles: That's great. I can see it was the investment side that got you hooked, but I love that the hospitality side plays a role in what you do, because we see so many quote unquote investors nowadays who don't seem to care about the actual guests. And I don't see that with you. I see that you are definitely a host. A host with heart, if you will. So tell me about attending CanStays last spring in Banff. How did that play a role in your business?
Chad Harker: In a room with people like yourself and very high level operators and property managers, on average it felt like everyone had between ten to a hundred plus properties. And I'm just there with one room listed on Airbnb, in the process of purchasing the next property. So it really opened my eyes to how people leverage the different systems. Property management software, dynamic pricing tools. It showed me how you could really scale just being a single operator or having a small team by using the right tech and systems, buying back some of your time and operating at a higher level.
Jenn Boyles: And what about direct bookings? Because you started on Airbnb and that's where you put your single room. When did the penny drop about direct bookings for you?
Chad Harker: Yeah, so it was actually during your talk at the CanStays, which was amazing, by the way. You did an excellent presentation. I loved how you incorporated things like AI and the custom GPTs. It was really eye opening, because I didn't really consider how being dependent on Airbnb could be potentially risky for your business. That was when I started to realize, okay, maybe Airbnb is a great tool, but you shouldn't be fully dependent on a single platform. If you look at any other business, they're not dependent on one thing for their customer acquisition. You want different streams, different sources. I didn't even realize what kind of position I was putting myself in until I heard you talk at CanStays.
Jenn Boyles: Okay, well, the check is in the post, Chad. Thank you so much, that's really sweet of you to say. Because you've come a long way. This was April, it's now the beginning of December, less than a year, and you have gone from a single room to seven properties, 75% direct bookings. The success you've had is amazing. So how did you start when you got back from that conference? What did you do first?
Chad Harker: Well, the first step was I got a PMS, even though at that time I only had the one property. But I knew that because of the level I wanted to scale to, I needed to implement the systems now and learn the tools and software to make it easier down the road. So I got that checked off right away, and then I started immediately looking into how to create a direct booking website and what the best approach would be, because there are so many options. I dove into the research to figure out the best option for me and my ideal guest and the segment of the market I was trying to target.
Jenn Boyles: And what market was that? Do you have an ideal guest? Is that something you use in your strategies?
Chad Harker: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's important for anyone getting started to really think about what that looks like for them and look at the whole macroeconomic outlook of their market. See what the primary guests coming to their city or area are, and base it on your bed and bath count and the other data too. For us it was a lot of families, and we've seen that from our reviews and guests who were booking. So we wanted to cater things to families or working professionals travelling with kids or pets, because all of my properties are pet friendly. So we implemented things like board games, pet bowls, little welcome treats for pets, and people go crazy for that. I always speak with our cleaners to get feedback on what people are actually using. When you see the board games are out and you're missing a Monopoly man, you know they're actually using it.
Jenn Boyles: Yeah, that is a good thing. Especially the communication with your cleaners, keeping that open, but also finding out more about what your guests are actually doing in the property. Okay, so talk us through your strategies for getting up to 75% direct bookings. How have you gotten there?
Chad Harker: So we've done a few different things. Number one is just starting with having an excellent product, providing that excellent service and level of hospitality, because if you don't have that checked off, it's going to be hard to convince someone to come back and book with you again. We had that dialed in and the feedback was great. Then it's being able to present them with an offer and leading with value. We have an email follow up for every guest two days after they check out, making that direct booking offer, saying, thank you so much for being such an incredible guest, and because you were so amazing, we'd like to offer you the opportunity to book with us directly next time and save that money from the platform fees. And we'll have a little surprise for you at the property. We started putting out gift baskets. We have a movie night experience basket, which we normally charge for. If someone books back directly, we include that basket for free during their next stay. We also have a relationship with a great Italian restaurant, so we offer them the choice between the basket and a gift card there.
Jenn Boyles: Oh, I love it. So you're saving them the money because they're not having to pay the platform fees, but you're not saying here, have a big discount. You're not taking money out of your own pocket.
Chad Harker: Yeah, because with whatever the business is, you want to avoid taking away from your top line revenue. For us to make up the basket, our cost is just under ten dollars, but we charge thirty for it. So it has the higher perceived value with guests but keeps our costs lower. And with the gift card we get a bit of a deal with the Italian place, and it's an incredible restaurant. It goes back to having that excellent service and level of hospitality. It aligns with what we do, so it reflects great on both of us, and it's good to have a local partner.
Jenn Boyles: Yeah, that's great. And a marketing partner. You can do so much together. I love the idea of this movie night basket, and I love that this is something that's adding to your guests' experience. You can use it as an incentive to come back, but it also provides that bit of extra revenue as an upsell. So are there other upsells you are doing?
Chad Harker: Yeah. So going back to CanStays, shout out to Katherine for putting that on. The first table I sat at, I met Shiven, who has an amazing software company also based out of Canada that does upsells. So I learned a lot more about how we could improve operations by offering upsells as a service, enhancing the guest experience and eliminating some of the common questions. Some other upsells we offer are early check in and late checkout. Those are probably the best spots to start because they have the highest conversion and it's an easy thing to do. It's also the number one question we get, so having a message set up that offers it as an additional service through Linkbase saves us so much time. I wasn't sure at first if it would be a little too salesy, but it actually adds a ton of value for guests and makes it easier for us.
Jenn Boyles: Yeah, you are providing a service, aren't you? There's no one out there that says that service needs to be for free. You're already providing a high quality product and the hospitality. It's not like you're charging them for each towel they use. You're providing an extra service, something the guests wouldn't necessarily think is included. So early check in, late checkout, the movie night basket. What other successful upsells are you using?
Chad Harker: Well, one of our properties, being from Canada with the weather we can have, has a heated garage, and we offer that as an additional service. The other property has a legal basement suite as well, so it's split, which is excellent for maximizing the revenue potential of one property from a real estate investment standpoint. We have only one garage spot available for two units, so we offer it as an additional service. And we have an EV charger in the garage, which is great for anyone with an electric vehicle who wants to plug in overnight in a nice heated garage. A lot of people are happy to pay for that level of service, especially when it's minus forty here.
Jenn Boyles: I was going to say, our weather, we get some frost and rain. You're in Edmonton, so I know you're probably already snowed in. But you've taken an amenity, the heated garage and EV charger, and because you effectively have two units in one property, this gives both sets of guests the chance to decide if they want to use it.
Chad Harker: Yeah, exactly. So you can see who would like that service, or someone coming with a car, it makes a lot more sense for them to pay for it. Then they can leave with their car charged up overnight and hit the road.
Jenn Boyles: So cool. And you mentioned our mutual friend Shiven, who has Linkbase. Can you tell us a little about Linkbase and how that tech has helped you?
Chad Harker: Yeah, it is such an incredible tool and Shiven is amazing, especially the level of service they provide. Starting out I didn't know a ton, but the onboarding process is super simple. You give them your bank account information and they use their processor and the guest requests the service. So with a late checkout or early check in, maybe you have a same day turnover and you're not sure if you can accommodate it. The guest requests it, and then you coordinate with your cleaning team. What we did to make sure we could accommodate it is our check in window starts at 4pm and checkout is 11am, so we coordinated with our cleaners that every clean has to be done by three. That way we can guarantee guests an extra hour if they request an early check in, and if it's ready sooner we let them know. Shiven understood from the hosting standpoint that there's a lot going on and you have to coordinate with your team, so making it a request is very well thought out.
Jenn Boyles: Yeah, I like that. And we'll put a link to Linkbase in the show notes so people can check out Shiven. Because I can see there could be a potential conflict. If you've got a same day turnaround and both guests opt in for late and early, you wouldn't have time to clean the property. So that's where the request comes in, isn't it? You're not dealing with conflicts like that.
Chad Harker: Yeah, exactly. And then we always make a note with our team. We have some amazing virtual assistants, and they'll make a note on the guest profile. So if we have multiple check ins or checkouts, we prioritize the units with the early check in request. And we always communicate with our guests, asking what time they plan on checking in, because we want everything to go as smoothly as possible. If we know a guest's flight doesn't land until later, we have more flexibility with the other turnovers and can prioritize the guests who wanted that service.
Jenn Boyles: And have these add on services, these upsells, helped you increase those direct bookings?
Chad Harker: Yeah, I would say the biggest factor with Linkbase and direct bookings is they have a really nice check in procedure. We have some condo units, so you can buzz yourself in, and it has integration so guests can push a button on the app and open the door. That makes the check in process really easy, because that's probably one of the biggest pain points for guests. You want it to be as consistent as it is with the OTAs, so you provide the same level of amazing service and easy check in whether it's a direct booking or on the platform. That's the biggest impact with Linkbase and direct bookings, and then still being able to provide the additional services.
Jenn Boyles: And are you collecting the guests that don't come directly, that come through a platform? How are you collecting their data?
Chad Harker: So right now we're collecting the email and we also have a guest form. We word it in a way that shows guests we're really trying to enhance their experience and personalize things for them. They can input the most important data, like how often they come to the city, how many guests are travelling with them, whether they have pets and their pets' names. Then we can offer that level of excellent hospitality by saying, oh, is your dog Charlie coming in next time? When they book again, we say, hey, welcome back, we're excited to host you and your family. Actually saying their names really shows that you care and you remember them.
Jenn Boyles: It's that personal touch, isn't it?
Chad Harker: Yeah, absolutely. So that's the main thing we're doing to collect data and then offer that excellent level of hospitality when they book again. We also have systems in our property management software to tag guests who are repeat or referral guests, naming who referred them, and offering incentives for referrals. If a guest refers their brother or their friends and family, we want to reward them, maybe with a little something at the property as a thank you, because it's really appreciated. Referrals are the lifeblood of any business. A referral is the warmest lead, the best guest, and honestly it's probably the way we've generated the most direct bookings.
Jenn Boyles: That's great. What I love is hearing how the data you're getting from your guests, because that is gold dust. Getting that data and understanding why they're there and what they're going to do has driven your decision to create the movie night basket. And it will drive decisions for other things too, won't it?
Chad Harker: Yeah, absolutely. Having a really good understanding of your guest avatar or ideal guest is how you cater these choices to what services you offer. You'll have a good idea of what upsells to offer, or how to do remarketing to these guests. Just understanding the reason they came to the city. If they came for a concert, you could mention in your email follow up, we noticed there's a similar concert coming to town again, so if you'd like to book with us directly, we'll give you a special rate or offer that movie night basket when you come back.
Jenn Boyles: I love it. It's a great idea and you're just mashing it up in Edmonton, you really are. Now, what if somebody came to you and said, Chad, I really want to do what you're doing. What's one piece of advice you would give to get them started?
Chad Harker: Yeah, I would say number one is just making sure you're providing that excellent service, because at the end of it, nothing else really matters. If you aren't able to provide guests with an amazing experience so they want to come back and book directly, then you're not going to get that direct booking. Provide a level of service so good that they want to tell their friends and family and come back and book with you again. That's number one. Then everything else, there are so many levels you can go to. So check that off first, and then you can look at some of the more advanced strategies and other methods to drive more direct bookings.
Jenn Boyles: I think that's really wise, sound advice. Start with what you're offering, the hospitality you're providing and having the best product you can. That's a wonderful place to start. So thank you, Chad. This episode, so many gold nuggets, so many takeaways for the listeners. Thank you so much for coming on.
Chad Harker: Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me, Jenn.
Where to go from here
Chad's story is a reminder that direct bookings are not built on discounts or hustle. They are built on an excellent stay, a simple follow up, and a system that runs quietly in the background.
If you want that kind of system for your own rental, with the structure and monthly support to actually get it finished, come and see what we do inside STR Content Lab.
