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Get Fully Booked

Get Fully Booked

By: Sarah Orchard
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Get Fully Booked is for Airbnb hosts, holiday cottage and glampsite owners who are ready to master their marketing so they can ditch their reliance on online agents and grow their direct bookings. Your host Sarah Orchard, an award-winning marketing strategist, #1 Amazon best-selling author, and fellow host; will share with you exactly what it takes to grow your direct bookings and the simple marketing steps to get more profit in your pocket! She shares her proven marketing strategies and interviews fellow hosts to find out what has worked for them and how they have achieved more direct bookings.Copyright 2026 Sarah Orchard Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • How SEO is changing with AI and what you need to do about it!

    How SEO is changing with AI and what you need to do about it!
    Jun 29 2026
    “SEO is dead.” “Google is finished.” “AI is taking over search.”If you’ve spent any time online recently, you’ve probably seen at least one of those headlines. In this solo episode, Sarah cuts through the noise and gives you a clear, practical answer to what’s actually changing and, more importantly, what it means for your holiday cottage, glamping site, Airbnb or boutique accommodation business.It’s true that the way people search is shifting.More people are asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity full conversational questions instead of typing keywords into Google and Google itself is leaning more heavily on AI-generated answers at the top of results.But Sarah’s take is refreshingly grounded: this isn’t a reason to scrap your SEO strategy. It’s a reason to understand a few important shifts.First up, GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation - the new term everyone’s suddenly using. Sarah explains why she thinks treating it as a brand new discipline is slightly misleading and why hosts who’ve already invested in good onsite SEO are further ahead than they realise. The shift isn’t really about new tactics.It’s a change in the question you’re answering: traditional SEO asks ‘how do I get found?’, while GEO asks ‘how do I become the answer?’Sarah also makes a compelling case for one specific page that most accommodation websites massively underuse: the FAQ page. AI tools love question-and-answer content, and so do guests, which means every question you’re repeatedly asked by email, phone or in reviews is potential website content. From hot tub privacy to dog policies to mobile signal, she explains why hiding ‘obvious’ information is one of the most common mistakes hosts make and why it’s costing them visibility.Finally, Sarah tackles the question everyone actually wants answered: how do you get ChatGPT or Google’s AI results to recommend your business?There’s no magic formula, but there are clear, practical patterns and the good news for independent hosts is that the things AI tools are looking for (local knowledge, personality, genuine expertise) are exactly the things big chains struggle to compete with.---Key Takeaways:SEO and GEO aren’t opposing strategies — if you’ve already built strong onsite SEO, you’re much closer to being AI-ready than you think. The fundamentals of helpful, accurate, well-structured information haven’t changed.The shift in mindset matters more than any specific tactic: stop asking ‘how do I get found?’ and start asking ‘how do I become the answer?’ — which means answering real guest questions instead of stuffing keywords.Roughly 15% of Google searches every day have never been searched before. People are asking full, conversational questions — your content needs to sound like a helpful host, not a keyword checklist.A genuinely useful FAQ page is becoming one of the most valuable pages on your website. Mine your guest emails, phone enquiries and reviews for repeated questions, and don’t be afraid to answer the ‘obvious’ ones.Consistency builds AI trust. Your business name, location and contact details should match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, social media and directory listings.Independent hosts have a natural advantage here — local knowledge, personality and genuine expertise are exactly what AI systems are learning to favour, and exactly what big chains find hardest to replicate.---Do you have a marketing roadmap for your business?No more winging it and feeling like you are in constant marketing chaos! Create your easy-to-follow marketing roadmap for the year ahead. My Direct Bookings Bootcamp is now available ON DEMAND! Let’s make this the best year yet for direct bookings! Head to my website for more info.---Are you currently rely on Airbnb or another online agent (OTA)? Take Sarah's FREE quiz here - it's time to give them the boot!---Connect with Sarah:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn---
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    13 mins
  • How do you Sell a Successful Short-Term Rental and Retreat Business? with Kerry Roy, Cerchio Del Desiderio Retreat

    How do you Sell a Successful Short-Term Rental and Retreat Business? with Kerry Roy, Cerchio Del Desiderio Retreat
    Jun 22 2026
    What actually happens when you want to move on from a business you’ve spent years building? And what does it really look like to take that dream of running a retreat abroad and live it out — with all the complicated, unglamorous bits included?Kerry Roy is someone Sarah describes as glamping royalty and it’s not hard to see why. She was one of the earliest glamping pioneers in the UK, building Camp Couture from scratch on a 250-acre Yorkshire estate in 2012, growing it to 19 units plus pop-up bell tents, launching one of the UK’s most celebrated wedding festival venues, and running an annual campervan festival for thousands of people. All while planning her next chapter: an award-winning agritourism retreat in the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy.In this episode, Kerry walks through the full arc of that journey: from the legal contract she insisted on from day one when the landowner wanted a handshake deal (a decision that protected her completely when it came time to exit), to the Covid timing that made selling Camp Couture both easier and more necessary than she’d anticipated. She’s honest about the financial realities of building on rented land: the high rent that meant weddings, not glamping, were what actually sustained the business, and the important distinction between selling a business and giving up an asset.Then there’s Italy. Kerry is brilliantly candid about what running a hospitality business in a foreign country actually involves and it’s not the Dolce Vita fantasy.From employment law that heavily favours employees (making hiring feel like a trap for employers), to bureaucracy that can’t be automated, quarterly financial reporting, bills still paid by queuing at the post office, and the sobering experience of having to walk away from a £40,000 legal dispute simply because she couldn’t fight a court case in Italian. She’d go back and do enormous amounts of it differently.What’s particularly interesting is where Kerry has landed now: auditing her business forensically and discovering that 10 seven-night retreats would generate more profit than 900 individual short-stay nights, once costs and hours are properly accounted for. It’s a quiet but striking argument for rethinking the model entirely and a reminder that being ‘fully booked’ isn’t the same as being profitable.If you’ve ever dreamed of running a business abroad, are thinking about your own exit strategy, or just want a genuinely unfiltered account from someone who’s been in this industry for 15 years and seen all sides of it: this one is unmissable. And if you’re dreaming of the Italian Dolce Vita and want to take on a ready-made retreat site in Abruzzo, Kerry might just have something for you too.---Key Takeaways:Always have a contract — even when the other party wants a handshake. Kerry’s insistence on a legal agreement from day one meant her exit from Camp Couture was clean, protected and on her terms. The contract should include ownership of structures, exit clauses and right of first refusal from the outset.Think about your exit before you even open. It sounds counterintuitive, but building your exit strategy into the legal structure from the beginning — not as an afterthought years later — is what gives you real options when the time comes.The asset and the business are two different things. Selling the business doesn’t have to mean giving up the asset. Kerry’s model of leasing the business while retaining the property is a genuinely useful framework for hosts thinking about stepping back without losing long-term value.Running a business abroad requires deep cultural research, not just property research. Employment law, bureaucracy, banking, tax reporting and local staff expectations can be radically different — and those differences have real financial consequences that no amount of entrepreneurial mindset can compensate for.Fully booked isn’t the same as profitable. Kerry’s audit revealed that 10 seven-night retreats would outperform 900 individual short-stay nights on profit — once real costs and owner hours are properly factored in. Know your numbers before you optimise for occupancy.Building a business in a foreign country is possible — but go in with eyes wide open, not rose-tinted glasses. If you can’t conduct a legal or financial meeting in the local language, that gap will cost you, sometimes significantly.---Find out more about Kerry Roy and Cerchio Del Desiderio RetreatKerry’s retreat in Abruzzo, Italy is available to lease — if you’re dreaming of taking on a ready-made Italian agritourism business, get in touch with her directly.Website: https://cerchiodeldesiderio.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cerchiodeldesiderio_retreat/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063526805273#---Do you have a marketing roadmap for your business?No more winging it and feeling like you are in constant marketing chaos! Create your easy-to-follow ...
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    37 mins
  • Your Website About page and Why it is Vital in Boosting your Website Conversions!

    Your Website About page and Why it is Vital in Boosting your Website Conversions!
    Jun 15 2026
    Your About page. It’s probably the one you set up early on, haven’t touched since and don’t spend much time thinking about. But what if it’s quietly one of the most important conversion tools on your entire website?In this solo episode, Sarah makes the case for why your About page deserves a serious rethink — and it starts with a fascinating piece of consumer psychology. Research by neuroscientist Paul Zak found that stories trigger oxytocin in the brain (the trust hormone), making people significantly more likely to take action. In hospitality, where guests are booking experiences and imagining celebrations, reconnections and escapes before they’ve even hit ‘confirm’, that science has very direct implications for how you write about yourself.Sarah walks through why trust signals matter more than ever in an internet full of scams and AI-generated content — and why the corporate-sounding About pages most hosts default to (“Established in 2019. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service.”) are doing them real harm. Guests landing on your website are subconsciously asking whether they can trust you. Your About page either answers that question or it doesn’t.Then there’s the bigger idea: people buy people. Especially in independent accommodation, where guests are entering a space someone actually created and cared about. Sarah talks about why the hosts who build loyal audiences and strong repeat booking rates are usually the ones willing to be visible — not in an influencer way, but in a warm, reassuring “we’re real humans who genuinely care about your stay” kind of way. If someone books through Airbnb, they borrow Airbnb’s trust. If they book directly, you are the trust factor.And the most important question of all: why are you a host? Not “because it seemed like a good investment.” The real reason. The story behind the leap, the renovation, the vision for what you wanted guests to feel. Because in a market where there are now a lot of nice cabins with hot tubs, your story is often the thing that tips someone from “this looks nice” to “this feels right.”Sarah wraps up with five practical About page quick wins you can act on this week — from the photos you’re probably not using, to the emotional language that converts far better than informational copy.---Key Takeaways:Your About page is a conversion tool, not a box-ticking exercise — it’s where guests decide whether they trust you enough to book direct, making it one of the highest-value pages on your website.Storytelling is scientifically proven to build trust. Research shows stories trigger the brain’s trust hormone (oxytocin), which is why sharing your genuine story converts better than any corporate-sounding bio ever will.If someone books through Airbnb, they borrow Airbnb’s trust. If they book direct, you are the trust factor — and your About page has to carry that weight.Overly polished often feels less trustworthy now. Authenticity, real faces and genuine human detail reassure guests far more effectively than professional-sounding language and stock imagery.Your WHY — the real reason you became a host — is one of your most powerful marketing assets. Guests remember stories, and in a crowded market, your story is often what differentiates you from every other beautiful property with a hot tub.Think emotional, not informational. Don’t just tell people what the property is — help them understand what it feels like to be there, and why you built it for them.---Does your website need fresh eyes?If this episode has made you look at your website differently and you know it needs some work, my Website Audit service gives you expert eyes on your site and clear, actionable feedback on what’s holding your bookings back. Find out more here.---Do you have a marketing roadmap for your business?No more winging it and feeling like you are in constant marketing chaos! Create your easy-to-follow marketing roadmap for the year ahead. My Direct Bookings Bootcamp is now available ON DEMAND! Let’s make this the best year yet for direct bookings! Head to my website for more info.---Are you currently rely on Airbnb or another online agent (OTA)? Take Sarah's FREE quiz here - it's time to give them the boot!---Connect with Sarah:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn---
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    15 mins
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This is a super informative podcast full of actionable and practical information about marketing! Really enjoyed it, and very good listening.
Sarah is great to listen to and
clearly knows her stuff.
Great to hear Wendy’s host journey from the beginning. Really enjoyed this ❤️

Easy listening but super informative!

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Sarah is really easy to listen to, loved her podcasts so far and already full of food for thought. I highly recommend checking out her Get fully booked business club too for more training and help 🙏

Full of food for thought

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A really insightful podcast, with plenty of food for thought. Looking forward to future episodes!

Brilliant podcast!!

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