AirBnB are amazing!
But, they are the Goliath to our David and here is why we will never be alike...
Unlike AirBnB who mainly help people to list or find holiday rentals - Worldwide, TheatreDigsBooker is targeted towards the relatively tiny community of touring theatre professionals who require good quality and affordable Digs whilst they are working on tour in the UK and Ireland.
So, before you compare TheatreDigsBooker's website and service with that of AirBnB (or any other massive, commercial property platform), please take some of these stats into account...
TheatreDigsBooker vs AirBnB at a glance: (figures estimated at May 2019)
AirBnB | TheatreDigsBooker | |
Number of Staff | <10 | |
Annual Turnover | £250,000 | |
Bookings Per Month | 1800 | |
Current valuation | £750,000 |
Company Size
AirBnB is a large multi-billon dollar company, with listings in over 65,000 cities worldwide.
TheatreDigsBooker is a tiny, family-run business. Our purpose is to support the Theatre Industry by helping Guests to find comfortable Digs who are paid a budget that is a fraction of the commercial rates of accommodation.
Costs
Unlike AirBnB, only our Hosts pay a fee.
We simply take 10% from successful bookings (this acts as our commission) which helps us to continue offering you our excellent Full-Time support.
There are no Guest service charges or hidden costs such as Cleaning Fees or additional VAT charges. The price you see is the price you pay.
e.g. here are the same digs on both platforms:
Supporting Theatre Industry
Unlike other Hosts who only lease their homes to earn an extra income, most of our Hosts do it to support the thriving Theatre community!
The main difference is that where a holidaymaker may only book one or two weeks a year, theatre companies can be on the road for a year or more. Quite often in a different town each week. That means they are potentially booking 50+ digs per tour!
Our Hosts help Guests to feel as welcome and as comfortable as possible, providing them with a real 'Home away from Home' experience, which is crucial to the quality of their performance.
Varying Prices
In contrast to other accommodation booking sites, TheatreDigsBooker does not operate a 'Seasonal Pricing' feature whereby Hosts can vary the cost of their Digs for particular dates or seasons e.g. Edinburgh Fringe or Panto season.
As our Guests are travelling for work purposes (and often on a limited budget), we feel that it would be unfair to promote the increase of Digs prices during times that are likely to be expensive.
e.g. Comparison of AirBnB listing with varying price for March and April.
Paying on Arrival
Guests do not have to pay the cost of their stay upfront!
Guests will pay a 10% deposit to secure the booking (which is taken from the total fee of the stay and becomes our commission) and the remaining balance is then paid to the Host on arrival at the Digs after inspecting the property.
Any other requirement than the site’s 10% deposit/commission and balance on arrival should be clearly stated on the listings description prior to booking and should include clear terms regarding cancellation and refunds.
This is not an option on AirBnB and Guests must pay at least 50% of the total booking cost. However we recognise that this can be problematic for Touring Professionals who may receive their touring allowance weekly.
Customer Service
Our full-time Support Team are available Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm to offer advice, answer any queries or resolve any issues that you may have.
You can email us at support@theatredigsbooker.com.
Alternatively you could check out our range of Support Articles which should hopefully help you find the answer you are looking for.