Building a website for your holiday home or B&B: site builder, booking widget or all-in-one?

Short answer: you build a website for your holiday home or B&B in one of three ways. (1) A general site builder such as WordPress, Wix or Squarespace, into which you paste the booking widget of your PMS. (2) A site builder made specifically for holiday rentals. (3) The website built into your PMS itself, on your own domain name. Whichever you choose: the booking calendar on your site must come from the same system as your channel manager, and the domain name must be registered in your name.

Your own website is the only channel where you pay no commission, where you choose the photos and the copy, and where the guest stays your customer. But a website without a working booking button is a brochure. Below are the three routes, how much work each takes, and where things go wrong in practice.

Route 1: a general site builder with a booking widget

You build your site in a general builder or in WordPress, with a theme you like. For bookings you paste the booking module of your PMS onto a page, usually as a snippet of code (an iframe) or as a "Book now" button that links to your booking page.

What's good about it:

• Full freedom in design, pages and blog posts.
• If you already have such a site, there's nothing to rebuild; you just add the booking module.

Where it goes wrong:

• Two subscriptions and two places to maintain: the site builder and your PMS.
• A widget that doesn't quite match in colour or width, especially on a phone.
• Updates, plugins and security (with WordPress) remain your job, or your web designer's.

This route is the right choice when your website has to do more than rent rooms: a restaurant, a shop, an extensive blog. How to choose and embed the booking module itself is covered in a booking system on your own website.

Route 2: a site builder for holiday rentals

Some site builders are made only for hosts. They come with ready-made blocks for rooms, prices, an availability calendar and a contact form.

What's good about it: a tidy site quickly, without design work.

Where it goes wrong: the calendar on such a site has to stay in step with Booking.com, Airbnb and your own planning. If the builder isn't connected directly to your PMS or channel manager, that sync often runs over iCal, with a delay. A guest can then book a night on your site that was just sold on another channel. So always ask: does availability come live from my PMS, and is a booking on my site immediately removed from every channel? More on that pitfall in the drawbacks of iCal sync.

Route 3: the website inside your PMS

Some PMSs include a simple site builder. You fill in photos, copy and amenities, and the booking button is automatically the same calendar that feeds your channels. No second system, no connection that can break, no second subscription.

What's good about it: one place for everything, and double bookings through your website are ruled out because there is only one calendar.

Where it goes wrong: you get less design freedom than in a general builder. For most B&Bs and holiday homes that's no problem: guests want photos, the location, the price and a button to book.

Your domain name: always in your name

Whichever route you choose, register your domain name (e.g. yourplace.com) yourself with a domain registrar, in the name of your business. Don't let a site builder or web designer register it in their name. Then you can later switch builder or PMS without losing your address, your Google rankings and your email address. Switching becomes a matter of changing a few DNS records.

What to watch for regardless

• Mobile first. Many guests look at your site on their phone. Test the booking button on a smartphone.
• The booking button on every page. Not just at the bottom of the contact page.
• Prices and conditions that match what you charge on the booking sites. See also rate parity.
• Legal pages: privacy policy, cookie policy and cancellation terms.
• Findability: a good title and description per page, and a version in your guests' languages. See getting your B&B website found on Google.

How BedFlow PMS handles it

BedFlow PMS supports all three routes:

• Already have a website? Copy the link to your booking page, the embed code of the booking module, or a floating booking button that follows visitors on every page.
• No website yet? Build it in BedFlow itself under Management → Website → My website: photos, your story, your rooms or units, amenities, practical info, a guestbook and legal pages. Every Book direct button opens the same calendar that also updates Booking.com and Airbnb.
• Your own domain is connected with two DNS records at your registrar; BedFlow handles the security certificate itself. Want to keep your existing site? Put the BedFlow site on a subdomain, e.g. book.yourplace.com.

The website is available in Dutch, English, French and German. The steps are in the help centre; what each plan includes is on the pricing page.

Want to try it with your own photos and rooms? Test BedFlow PMS free for 30 days, no card details needed.