Why Book Direct?
Deal directly with the owner
Obtain the best price for your stay
Secure payments and payment options
Never pay a booking or "service" fee
Get information and advice from the owner, not an off-shore call center
Please see the bottom of this page for advice on direct booking and for links to other vacation homes that will #BookDirect
Obtain the best price for your stay
Secure payments and payment options
Never pay a booking or "service" fee
Get information and advice from the owner, not an off-shore call center
Please see the bottom of this page for advice on direct booking and for links to other vacation homes that will #BookDirect
My Contact Information
Eric Karla
Text or voicemail only: 530-906-8458
(For a call please text "cabin" and your name or leave a voicemail. You will be called as soon as possible.)
Email: sugarpine@hotmail.com
Text or voicemail only: 530-906-8458
(For a call please text "cabin" and your name or leave a voicemail. You will be called as soon as possible.)
Email: sugarpine@hotmail.com
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How do I Book Direct?
Booking direct can save you hundreds of dollars and is accomplished simply by contacting a property owner or manager directly instead of through an OTA (Online Travel Agency) such as Airbnb, TripAdvisor or VRBO. An OTA will charge a booking or "service" fee. Often this is in addition to listing and transaction fees paid by the host. Fees are usually between 12-15% but can be much higher. In order to collect the fee, the OTA must prevent contact between the guest and the host outside of their platforms. Conversations are conducted through the OTA's servers and identifying and contact information is redacted as communication goes back and forth. It may be why you only see your host's first name on the listing and when you typed your phone number into your message, it appeared as xxx-xxxx. OTAs will also warn you that contacting the host directly invites fraud and transactions cannot be safe. Even some hosts buy into this.
Here are some tips on finding a host directly, even when using an OTA:
Do not attempt to contact the owner via the closed email system provided by the OTA.
Read the entire listing and look for clues. Sometimes an owner will hide alternative contact methods within his listing. Listing are regularly scoured for such information so it may be difficult to find.
Write down the title of the listing and look for the owner's name, even if it is just a first name. Owners often give their properties a unique name and using a search engine will bring up other listings or maybe even a owner-operated website such as this one. Alternatively, you can copy a small block of text within the listing's description and search for that elsewhere.
Do an image search. Find unique pictures of the property you have an interest in and right click the image to copy the URL.
Here are some tips on finding a host directly, even when using an OTA:
Do not attempt to contact the owner via the closed email system provided by the OTA.
Read the entire listing and look for clues. Sometimes an owner will hide alternative contact methods within his listing. Listing are regularly scoured for such information so it may be difficult to find.
Write down the title of the listing and look for the owner's name, even if it is just a first name. Owners often give their properties a unique name and using a search engine will bring up other listings or maybe even a owner-operated website such as this one. Alternatively, you can copy a small block of text within the listing's description and search for that elsewhere.
Do an image search. Find unique pictures of the property you have an interest in and right click the image to copy the URL.
Go to Google images https://images.google.com/ and click on the small black camera icon in the text box. Paste your image URL and see what you can find.
Houfy is a no-fee site that can save travelers a substantial amount as they charge neither the traveler or the owner.
Use StaySavr. This browser tool is free and works only with Expedia-owned sites such as VRBO and HomeAway. The tool will display the host's contact information directly over the "Request to Book" button. Since the majority of StaySavr's data was harvested prior to implementation of guest fees it will generally work with the older listings on each site.
Use Google Maps. Many owners and property managers now place themselves on Google Maps and are searchable, often with links to their websites and contact information. On Google Maps, when you zoom in on a region, businesses and their markers will appear. Not getting anything? Zoom in a little more and linger in the search area for a few seconds. You can also type "vacation rental", "cabin", "bed and breakfast", etc., and see even more results. Below is an example of a Google Maps search in the area of our cabin and you can find several cabins very easily (there are actually hundreds within the borders of the image, but owners are learning). You'll find individual rentals such as ours as well as management companies.
Local Direct-Book Properties
Several owners of direct-book properties of all sizes on Sonora Pass have collaborated and created a website for your benefit.
Be sure to check Stay On Sonora Pass prior to resuming a search on Airbnb or VRBO. You could save hundreds of dollars.
Be sure to check Stay On Sonora Pass prior to resuming a search on Airbnb or VRBO. You could save hundreds of dollars.