Rival to Airbnb aims to use booking fees for community benefit

A community interest company is setting up a rival platform to Airbnb, with the aim of using the commission to benefit local areas.

isleHoliday is a holiday accommodation booking site, which will reinvest its revenue directly into Scottish island communities.

The commission will be used to help businesses and community and housing projects in the Scottish islands - with Scottish island holiday homes owners targeted as potential advertisers.

Existing holiday landlords do not have to quit Airbnb, booking.com, Outer Hebrides Tourism, isleoftiree.com or any other site but isleHoliday sees itself as an additional option.

There will be no joining or monthly fee; standard commission is 12 per cent reducing to 10 per cent for Scottish island residents. For landlords wanting their property featured “in a section showcasing owners who are especially committed to supporting our island communities” the rate is 15 per cent.

In return isleHoliday will take the booking, a 25 per cent deposit and balancing payment on a holiday home landlord’s behalf. Landlords get a login to manage property details, and guests have a guest area where they can manage their booking.

“By placing communities at the centre of everything we do, we hope to use isleHoliday to make tourism work better for everyone. Visitors will have the choice to use our community-first booking platform, whilst benefiting from the local knowledge that a site like isleHoliday can provide” says the CIC’s website.

It continues: “All of our directors and staff are islanders – we know our Bernerays from our Burras! By working together with accommodation providers and local organisations we can give visitors all the information they might need about island life before they arrive; from driving on single track roads to public facilities, events and great local businesses to visit during their stay . When we have been talking to community groups about the project, this has been something they have considered to be a real positive.”