Boostly and I-PRAC forge partnership to elevate trust in direct bookings for short-term rentals 

UK – Boostly has become the exclusive website design agency partner of I-PRAC (International Property Rental Approval Certification) – a collaboration set to inject unparalleled trust and verification into direct booking websites.

The partnership will see thousands of managers with Boostly websites earn I-PRAC verification, demonstrating to customers that their properties are secure, protected from fraud, and that the property meets high standards of quality and safety.

The accreditation is awarded once STR properties and their owners have been vetted for identity, property ownership and business integrity – ensuring they operate a legitimate and trustworthy rental business.

The collaboration introduces a ‘Trust Page’ on Boostly websites, enhanced by I-PRAC’s certification, which guarantees protection against fraud and substandard hospitality. Guests can rest assured they will be fully compensated should any problems arise with an I-PRAC verified property (when a booking is registered through I-PRAC’s website first). I-PRAC says there is currently no such guarantee offered even by leading Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) including Airbnb’s AirCover, nor by the largest hotel chains.

In addition to all the above, Boostly’s website clients will also be gifted an exclusive copy of the ‘Trustology, by I-PRAC. This will be the industry’s only and most comprehensive guide about trust marketing and is worth thousands – Boostly’s clients will be of the few select communities who will have access to it for free.

Through this partnership, STR hosts are equipped with direct booking websites that not only impress in design and functionality, but also excel in building trust – providing confidence that a website is secure, safe from fraud, and that the property meets high standards of quality and safety. Hosts will learn how to embed trust signals throughout their direct booking website, incorporating elements and features into their website that help convey the credibility, legitimacy, and reliability of the STR host to potential guests.

The partnership emerges at a pivotal moment in the burgeoning ‘book direct’ movement, as an increasing number of hosts seek to enhance their direct booking strategies. But many hosts struggle to secure direct bookings due to a significant trust deficit among guests, who often hesitate to book directly with hosts due to concerns over reliability and security.

Chris Maughan, CEO and Founder of I-PRAC, said: “After decades of phenomenal success in the STR industry, I know that the biggest thing missing from the majority of direct bookings’ websites is trust signals. Having an attractive looking website isn’t enough to distract guests from well-known OTAs. As I’ve been educating others about for years, a high-converting direct bookings’ website is built off the back of a solid understanding of trust marketing – naturally, I-PRAC verification is a core part of this.

“The results speak for themselves – and I cannot wait to see how Boostly’s clients will benefit from this new partnership offer. Mark and his team have built a brilliant community of STR hosts, and I greatly admire what they’ve achieved – it’s now time to take things up a notch in the mission to increase trust and direct bookings. We don’t take partnerships lightly at I-PRAC and I look forward to a long-term and mutually valuable working relationship with Boostly.”

Neely Khan, Managing Director at I-PRAC, said: “This partnership is one of the most exciting that the STR industry will see. Essentially, you have the industry leaders of trust marketing and verification joining forces with an award-winning website agency that our global landscape has grown to know and love – it’s a recipe for direct bookings magic. I truly believe this is the only website solution that STR hosts will now need. We have all the prime components – including trust psychology, trust marketing, trust copywriting, website design and development – and will be the first and only brands to bring them under one roof.”

Mark Simpson, Founder of Boostly, said: “The uptake on Boostly’s websites has been mind-blowing over the last two years. We’re delivering more high-converting websites than any other website agency in the landscape and are helping hosts generate millions in direct bookings in the process. Since the successful launch of Boostly’s 2.0 Website, we’ve wanted to give our clients even more of a competitive edge, that’ll help them cut the cord from OTAs. This partnership with I-PRAC really is a powerful way to do this – the best part is, it’s exclusive to Boostly’s website clients – no other website agency in the STR industry will offer this – so our growing community is going to benefit a great deal.”

Laura Powner, Managing Director at Boostly, said: “Our clients trust us to co-create the best direct booking websites possible with them. We do that really well and we are ready to take this to the next level, showing our clients how to build trust with future guests through our websites. Our partnership with I-PRAC will allow us to educate our clients around trust signals; psychology, marketing and copywriting which will boost their direct bookings like never before.”

Boostly made headlines last year when it reported an astounding £50m in direct bookings for its clients in 2023 – something the direct powerhouse aims to double this year. Launched in 2016, Boostly has built over 1,500 WordPress websites and helped over 2,500 operators scale their business to date. It now generates an average of £81k ROI per website annually for its customers, who are educated with personalised coaching and CPD-accredited training videos to achieve a minimum of 65% direct bookings.

With nearly 15,000 members across 28 countries, I-PRAC is the only STR verification and trust consultancy platform, as well as a proven direct bookings’ tool. I-PRAC was founded by Chris Maughan, a seasoned entrepreneur in the short-term rental industry, who was moved to start the company after encountering cases of rental fraud. Chris has built I-PRAC into a successful STR business (now valued at £70m) completely independent of the OTAs.

Boostly customers can access a two-year I-PRAC Approved Membership for the price of just one in Spring.

The article Boostly and I-PRAC forge partnership to elevate trust in direct bookings for short-term rentals  first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.