A woman in Thessaloniki sees the photo of your balcony over the sea on Instagram. She wants to book for June. She taps your profile. She finds a phone number and a "send us a message". It is 11 p.m. She opens Booking.com, searches your name and books there. If she finds no availability there, she books somewhere else.
Nobody made a mistake. A button was missing. In this article we look at where your booking engine link goes, so a guest who found you on their own also books directly with you.
First: a link that takes a booking
For a "Book" button to exist, you need a page where the guest picks dates, sees availability and price, and pays. That is the booking engine. At Bookmatrix.com it is part of every plan, with no commission per booking, and it has its own address. You do not need a website to use it: you put its link wherever you like.
Because the engine reads the same calendar as Booking.com and Airbnb, a room sold elsewhere disappears from your page within seconds. There is no risk of selling it twice because it appears in one more place.
Link in bio
The simplest and the most important. From "Edit profile" you add a link. Instagram now allows up to five links, so the first can be the booking link and the others your site, map or menu. Give the link a title that says what it does: "Book" or "Availability & prices", not "Website".
Stories
Every story can carry a link sticker. A story with the sunset from room 3 and a "Book June" sticker works better than a generic "see our site". Keep one such story in Highlights titled "Book".
Action buttons
Business profiles also have action buttons next to "Message". The booking button there, though, only works through specific partners approved by Meta. If you do not see your booking engine on that list, do not waste time: the link in bio does the same job.
Your property's Facebook page has a button at the top, under the cover photo. From the page settings you change it and give it your booking engine link. The labels on offer change from time to time, because some only work with approved apps. Pick whichever lets you add your own link.
Two more places: the link in the page's "About" section, and a pinned post at the top with the booking link and two good photos.
Google Business Profile
When someone searches your name, your Google profile appears on the right on a computer, or at the top on a phone. The "Website" field should lead to your website, with booking clearly visible, or straight to the booking engine. Check it from your phone: search for your property and tap "Website". If it takes you to an old page, you fix it in two minutes.
Rates on Google Hotels
For hotels, Google can show your own website's rate next to the OTA rates, with a link to your own booking page. According to Google's help, rates and booking links need a "connectivity partner": a PMS, channel manager or booking engine that sends rates and availability to Google. Google Hotels is one of the channels connected through Channex, our channel partner. Ask us whether it can be switched on for your property.
The places we forget
- The confirmation email and the post-departure email. A guest who stayed once is the easiest to bring back direct. A "Next time, book here" link is enough.
- Your email signature. Every reply to an availability question is a chance.
- WhatsApp and Viber. When someone asks "do you have 12 to 15 July?", send the link. They see price and availability and book when they like, and you do not type prices.
- A QR code at reception or in the room. With the property's digital card, the guest scans and has your phone, map and booking on their phone.
And if you want a full website?
The booking engine link is enough for Instagram and Facebook. But if you want to be found on Google with pages for your rooms, the area and your facilities, website creation is an add-on at €180 per year (net of VAT). We design and host it, it updates itself from the system, and the booking engine is built in.
More on how the engine works is in the article on the Bookmatrix.com booking engine, and on why direct bookings pay off in "Bookings from your own website, with zero commission".
Frequently asked questions
Where do I put a booking button on Instagram?
In the bio, as the first link, titled "Book". In addition, in stories with a link sticker and in a Highlight.
Do I need a website to have a booking button?
No. The Bookmatrix.com booking engine has its own address, which you put on Instagram, Facebook and Google.
Do I pay commission on bookings from Instagram?
Not at Bookmatrix.com. The booking engine is part of the plan, with no charge per booking. Only the fees of the card payment provider you use apply.
Can the guest pay by card?
Yes. A deposit or the full amount, as your cancellation policy says, through the payment provider you have connected. See which providers are supported under card payments.
Want a booking link for your own Instagram? Start the free 14-day demo with your own rooms at bookmatrix.com/demo. Or tell us where guests find you at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. You can also call us at +30 2351 151525.