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For luxury short-stay businesses, being visible on Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO is important. But visibility is not the same as ownership.
When the majority of bookings come through online travel agencies, businesses can find themselves paying commission, competing for attention and losing control of the guest relationship. For We Stay, one of the UK’s leading specialists in exclusive short stays, the opportunity was clear: build a more direct-first model.
We Stay offers an elevated approach to luxury property lettings, with design-led homes and curated stays across some of the UK’s most desirable destinations. But with OTAs accounting for 78.69% of bookings, the business needed a structured, data-driven shift towards direct revenue. That’s where we came in.
The brief: build a direct-first growth model
We began working with We Stay in February 2026, initially for a three-month period covering paid social advertising and website support.
The brief was ambitious but commercially focused:
- Reduce reliance on OTAs.
- Increase direct bookings through the website and direct enquiries.
- Build a performance marketing foundation that could scale.
- Create a clearer route from awareness to booking.
- Strengthen We Stay’s brand differentiation in the luxury short-stay market.
The initial target was to achieve a defined level of direct revenue within the first month. We significantly exceeded expectations, delivering almost double the original target.
That early result gave both teams something important: proof that the strategy was working, and a shared foundation to build on.
A partnership built on trust
The strongest partnerships are not built around a list of deliverables. They’re built around trust, openness and a willingness to make decisions based on what the data is telling you.
We Stay’s team dived head-first into the partnership. They trusted us to challenge assumptions, identify opportunities and move quickly when the numbers pointed in a new direction.
That trust allowed us to work as an extension of the team rather than as a disconnected supplier. Alongside paid media and website support, we provided strategic consulting, leisure acquisition activity and landlord acquisition advertising.
The relationship was initially planned as a three-month engagement. After seeing the early results, We Stay continued to extend the partnership.
Turning paid social into a serious traffic driver
A direct-first strategy needs more than attractive creative. It needs the right people to move from discovery to consideration, and from consideration to action.
We built paid social activity across Facebook and Instagram to reach potential guests with the disposable income and intent to invest in quality stays. The audience included couples, families and older friendship with relevant interests in key domestic and international markets.
From February to the end of June, We Stay’s leisure traffic campaigns generated:
- 1.2 million+ impressions.
- 693,100+ people reached.
- 19,300+ clicks to the website.
- 12,100+ landing page views.
- A 1.52% click-through rate, above the 0.95% industry benchmark.
- A cost per click of just £0.12, compared with a £0.50 benchmark.
That last figure matters. Efficient traffic is one thing. Efficient, relevant traffic is another.
More than 12,000 engaged users spent over 30 seconds browsing the website after arriving through the campaign. The activity was not simply generating impressions; it was bringing qualified potential guests into the We Stay booking journey.
Building awareness around the brand
Direct bookings become easier when more people know who you are, what you offer and why you are different.
Alongside traffic-driving campaigns, we launched a separate awareness campaign to increase recognition of the We Stay brand and clarify its offer.
The campaign delivered:
- More than 1 million impressions.
- 429,700+ people reached.
- 1,200+ link clicks.
- An average frequency of 1.87, meaning most users saw the ads more than once.
That balance was important. The campaign created repeated exposure without simply bombarding the same audience. For a premium hospitality brand, awareness needs to build familiarity and desire over time.
Helping the website work harder
Paid social was the highest traffic-driving channel for the first half of 2026, sending 5,400 new users to the website — 32% of all website traffic.
But the wider picture was just as encouraging.
Organic search sessions increased by 65% year on year and accounted for 31% of total website traffic.
Across the website, the results included:
- 24,600+ sessions, up 158% year on year.
- 13,500+ new users, up 200% year on year.
- A 67.11% engagement rate, up 6.55%.
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An increase in direct revenue, up 186% YoY
This is the real shift from an OTA-led model to a direct-first one. It is not about abandoning third-party platforms overnight. It is about creating more opportunities for guests to discover, trust and book with We Stay directly.
From first test to long-term growth
This is the real shift from an OTA-led model to a direct-first one. It is not about abandoning third-party platforms overnight. It is about creating more opportunities for guests to discover, trust and book with We Stay directly.
Our first phase focused on performance marketing and proving return on investment. In just a few months, that initial three-month test developed into an ongoing strategic partnership.
The numbers are important, but the confidence behind them matters just as much.
Together, we have built a stronger direct acquisition engine, a clearer performance marketing foundation and a shared roadmap for the next stage of growth.
OTAs may still have a role to play. But they no longer need to be the whole strategy.
If your hospitality business is ready to reduce OTA reliance, increase direct bookings and build a marketing model that works harder for your brand, get in touch to discuss your hospitality business.
