3.7 KiB
3.7 KiB
Moore Sunny Daze — Product Strategy: Beach Direct
The Opportunity
Every vacation rental owner using VRBO/Airbnb pays 10-15% in platform fees. Tim's property is booked solid in peak season and has a 5.0-star rating with a growing following. This is the perfect profile for going direct.
But the real opportunity is bigger: this is a repeatable playbook for ANY vacation rental owner who wants to escape platform fees without losing bookings.
Phase 1: Tim's Site (the blueprint)
Build Moore Sunny Daze as the reference implementation:
- Beautiful landing page with real photos
- Direct booking with Stripe (saves 10-15% vs VRBO)
- Admin dashboard for Tim to manage reservations
- Email marketing for returning guests
- Social media integration (Facebook following → direct bookings)
Phase 2: Beach Direct — The Product
What it is
A white-label vacation rental website + booking system for property owners who want to go direct.
Target Customer
- Owns 1-3 vacation rental properties
- Listed on VRBO/Airbnb but frustrated with fees
- Has some existing guest following (social, email list)
- Wants a professional direct-booking website
- Doesn't want to manage complex tech
Core Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Property Site | Single-page or multi-page custom site with their photos |
| Direct Booking | Calendar + Stripe payment integration |
| Admin Dashboard | Manage reservations, guest messages, availability |
| Guest CRM | Past guest database, email collection |
| Smart Pricing | Seasonal rates, minimum stays, holiday pricing |
| Email Automation | Booking confirmations, pre-arrival info, post-stay review request |
| Channel Sync | (v2) Sync availability calendar with VRBO/Airbnb to prevent double-booking |
| Analytics | Booking trends, revenue, guest sources |
Pricing Model
| Tier | Setup Fee | Monthly | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $997 | $47/mo | Landing page, basic booking, admin dashboard |
| Pro | $2,497 | $97/mo | + Email automation, guest CRM, smart pricing |
| Full Service | $3,997 | $197/mo | + Channel sync, analytics, priority support |
No per-booking fees — flat monthly only. This is the key differentiator vs VRBO.
Tech Stack
- Frontend: Single-file HTML/CSS/JS (or SvelteKit for dashboard)
- Backend: FastAPI on Core/app1 (Python)
- Payments: Stripe Connect (direct to owner's bank)
- Database: SQLite per property (simple, portable)
- Email: Resend or Postmark for transactional
- Hosting: Included in monthly fee
Go-to-Market
- Tim's site = first case study
- Cold outreach to VRBO-listed owners in Destin/Miramar Beach area
- "Save $X,XXX/year" calculator on our landing page
- Facebook groups — vacation rental owner communities
- Referral program — Tim refers other owners, gets free months
Revenue Math (per 10 clients at Pro tier)
- Setup: 10 × $2,497 = $24,970 (one-time)
- Monthly: 10 × $97 = $970/mo recurring
- Annual: $36,610
Differentiators vs VRBO/Airbnb
| VRBO/Airbnb | Beach Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Booking fee | 10-15% per booking | $0 per booking |
| Guest data | Platform owns it | Owner owns it |
| Branding | Platform-branded | Owner's brand |
| Pricing control | Algorithm-influenced | Full control |
| Guest relationship | Platform-mediated | Direct relationship |
| Email marketing | Not allowed | Built in |
Next Steps
- Complete Tim's reference implementation
- Document the build process as a playbook
- Register beachdirect.io or similar domain
- Build our own sales landing page
- Target first 5 beta clients (free/discounted for testimonials)
- Launch to Destin/Miramar Beach market