“The fortune’s in the follow up.” It’s a classic sales phrase, and for good reason.
New data from Hospitable, a leading property management platform, reveals a hidden yet highly profitable opportunity: abandoned bookings.
In the first half of 2025 alone, hosts recovered over $1.2 million in revenue through Hospitable’s new Abandoned Bookings feature. Instead of offering steep discounts or running costly paid ads, hosts are turning hesitant clicks into confirmed reservations with simple, automated follow-up emails.
Launched in November 2024, this feature has already recovered over 300 bookings, each averaging nearly $4,000. Even more striking is the engagement rate, almost 70% of travelers interacted with the follow-up email. This underscores that travelers aren't necessarily abandoning their plans; they’re just pausing, needing extra reassurance or more information before committing.
In today’s economic climate, hesitation at checkout is more common than ever. Hospitable’s tool meets guests in that moment, offering a light touch that reactivates the booking flow without pressure. These aren’t cold leads, they’re high-intent guests who dropped off just before confirming.
Hospitable CEO Pierre-Camille Hamana highlights this as a critical shift: "Today’s travelers pause at the final hurdle. Understanding and addressing their hesitation at the right moment turns passive losses into active wins."
The numbers back it up. In 2024, Hospitable reported a 571% increase in direct bookings, totaling $28.7 million. With abandoned bookings now being actively recovered, that figure is on pace to climb even higher in 2025.
The bottom line: a strong direct booking strategy doesn’t end at checkout. It extends to anticipating uncertainty, offering reassurance, and following up when it counts.
