iBooked Online

Every operator eventually hits the stage where they decide it’s time to stop relying on OTAs and build a real brand.

So they follow the standard checklist: hire a designer for a logo, buy a domain, set up a direct booking website, and wait for guests to show up. And then… crickets.

The problem isn’t the ambition—it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what a brand actually is. A website and a logo are just digital checkout counters. They give guests a place to pay, but they give them zero reasons to care, trust you, or return.

If your entire business disappears the moment an OTA changes its algorithm, you don’t have a brand. You just have a listing on someone else’s platform.

This week I sat down with Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing at Hospitable, a platform powering more than 24,000 hosts and hundreds of thousands of doors across the globe.

During our chat, Miles shared a brilliant analogy that exposes why so many direct booking pushes fail:

If Nike designed a hotel, you would instantly know what that hotel would look like, how the lobby would feel, and how the staff would speak. But if Hyatt designed a running shoe, you would have no idea what it looked like. Hyatt has a logo; Nike has a brand.

A real brand is the emotional connection and operational trust you build across every touchpoint—from your local coffee shop partnerships to the welcome note on the kitchen counter.

Miles also dropped a reality check for hosts getting bogged down in direct booking setups: spending months and thousands of dollars on a custom website before establishing brand trust or a traffic strategy is putting the cart miles before the horse. A simple PMS template is more than enough to start. The real work is building local presence and repeat guest loops.

Here are a few key takeaways from our conversation:

Start with principles, not polished graphics. Before touching a website builder, write down the core values your business stands for. Are you obsessed with guest experience, hyper-local authenticity, or maximum yield? Those principles dictate your messaging, tone of voice, and guest interactions.

Traffic and trust matter more than a fancy website. A shiny direct booking website with zero traffic generates zero revenue. Get a basic functional site online quickly, then spend your energy on organic distribution, local partnerships, and driving repeat guest traffic.

Execute low-cost, grassroots branding. Building brand equity does not require massive ad budgets. Partner with a local coffee shop to supply beans in your property in exchange for displaying flyers at their counter. Leave personal notes, place subtle brand cues (like fridge magnets with QR codes) in the property, and give guests a reason to remember you, not just the OTA they booked through.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

👟 The “Nike vs. Hyatt” test for short-term rental brandin

🚀 How Hospitable scaled to 24,000+ clients largely through word-of-mouth

🌐 Why your direct booking website isn’t your most important first step

☕ Low-cost, grassroots tactics to build local brand awareness

🤖 How to use AI tools to refine your brand messaging without losing your personal touch

🔁 How to turn one-time OTA guests into loyal direct bookers

Miles Hobson is the Head of Marketing at Hospitable, a leading property management platform supporting over 24,000 hosts and property managers worldwide. Based in Toronto, Miles leads global marketing initiatives focused on helping operators automate their workflows, grow direct bookings, and build scalable accommodation brands. bnbbreeze.co.

The bit I’d take from this: if you remove your logo from your website, guest emails, and property listing, is there anything distinct left in the way you communicate? If the answer is no, it’s time to stop tweaking graphics and start building a real brand.

Define your principles, start local, and give guests a reason to remember your name.

📺Watch the episode here

🎙️Listen to the show here