Do you think that apartments and holiday homes don’t need their own website?

That is exactly what Mrs. Jurica, the owner of Villa Nonni in Višnjan, thought too — until a Facebook ad from Apartmanica caught her attention. Today, she can no longer imagine managing reservations without her villa’s own website.

Why have your own website alongside major booking platforms?

Barbara, what made you decide to have your own website alongside all those large and well-known booking platforms?

It started after a year of advertising my holiday house only through major booking platforms, when I came across an Apartmanica ad offering the creation of a specialized website for small accommodation providers. I called them, and that was it.

I liked them immediately. I always need that first click with someone to start a collaboration, and the Apartmanica team won me over right away. To this day, I consider it the best business decision.

To this day, I consider it the best business decision.

What did the beginning of the collaboration look like?

That is a big statement. What exactly did you agree on?

After several phone calls with Apartmanica, in which they explained what I needed to prepare — photos, descriptions, and translations — I got to work. Once I prepared the materials and sent them over, they created my villa’s website in record time, ready to use and ready for the first bookings.

Even though I had never had a website before and I am not particularly tech-savvy, managing the site was very simple and I did not need any help. The website has absolutely everything an accommodation provider needs, and the most important feature for me is the availability calendar that automatically syncs with other booking sources.

They delivered exactly what they promised.

Do you need to give up booking platforms because of your own website?

So you did not have to give up the other well-known booking platforms?

Not at all. But I have to admit that my website has now become my primary booking channel. That suits both me and my guests better because we have direct contact, we set the booking and cancellation conditions ourselves, and it is also more cost-effective because we avoid the commissions of the big platforms.

Many guests say they find me on a booking platform first, but then contact me directly. That is what they prefer. And having my own website simply gives them additional confidence.

What are the biggest advantages of such a website?

What do you consider to be the biggest advantages of the website Apartmanica created for you?

The website is very clear and user-friendly, both for me as an administrator and for guests. Almost every guest has commented on the look of the site and the booking process — positively, of course.

Flexibility in defining conditions is also a major advantage, as well as the fact that I can make all smaller changes myself, while for larger ones I contact Apartmanica and in most cases it is resolved the same day.

It also helped me a lot that I did not have to worry about the domain, hosting, server, or maintenance — all of that is unfamiliar territory for me.

The website has become my primary booking channel, and it gives guests additional confidence.

Are the results really noticeable?

Do you notice changes in the number of bookings compared to the time when you did not have your own website?

Absolutely. Since my villa is open from April until the beginning of November, I usually fill almost the entire following season already in November or December, and by the beginning of the year I am already fully booked.

Since having the website, I have had many more direct inquiries and confirmed bookings.

Does the website also attract foreign guests?

Almost exclusively foreign guests: mostly Germans, Austrians, Belgians, and Dutch guests. Croatians usually choose the pre-season period.

A recommendation from first-hand experience

Did we forget anything?

I am already getting tired of myself for praising them so much, but their friendliness and helpfulness won me over from the very beginning, and their professionalism and excellent product only confirmed that my intuition was right.

I truly recommend them to all accommodation providers without any hesitation. I have already referred all my colleagues to them. The only thing I always say is that you need to be ready to invest effort in preparing the text and good photos of the property, and they will turn it into something truly beautiful.

If you also want a website that will help you achieve more direct inquiries and bookings, now is the right time to get in touch with us.

Request an offer for your new website