I got spoiled in the early days with VRBO and then got burned when VRBO was acquired by Expedia several years ago.

Inquiries and bookings dried up! 

I didn't want to deal with their algorithms anymore or be subjected any longer to any future changes  that could impact my business.

I set up my own website, optimized it for Google searches and used Facebook and e-mail to generate inquiries and bookings!

When I wrote our first newsletter, we had 475 former guest emails sitting in a unorganized Excel document on the desktop gathering dust. Realizing that our former guests could be an untapped gold mine, I signed up with an email management service. Don't use your normal Gmail or Yahoo email address or risk having your account shut down. You need one of these services in order to make sure your emails look professional and that your emails are actually delivered. 

What it cost me to set everything up was equal to the cost of a two-night stay at my beach rental. I figured if I could generate just one new reservation then this investment would pay for itself. I know it works because I got the idea from a good friend who has several properties. In fact, he no longer even uses VRBO or any of the other services. All of his bookings are generated through his website so no more fees for him or his guest.

You see, guests who stay in my rentals are all good people and we tend to form great relationships while they are in town. But when they leave, our correspondence seems to fall off, so my newsletter proved to be the ultimate memory-jogging tool to reignite that line of communication! 
 
Of the 475 former guest who received my email, nearly 60% of them opened the email (the email management system will allow you to see who has actually opened your emails). Of those guests that opened the email 8 vacationers booked a repeat stay with us for a total of 34 nights, taking advantage of the special offer I made.

I sent this initial e-mail in mid September so all of the bookings I received were for fall and winter office season dates. I have no problem keeping my prime season booked so this was a real bonus for us.

 
I recouped my investment with one email. So as you can see, starting a newsletter is one of the fastest ways to generate bookings that I know. Do not overload their inbox, just reconnect, and remind them about their visit or inquiry! I send a monthly email to everyone on my list. It's that simple! 
 
Do not be dependent on services that you have no control over. 
 
There is another future for property owners with the right mindset, the right knowledge and the right tools, and the future can be one where you take control back from the listing sites, generate your own bookings, and keep the income for yourself!
 
I am not suggesting in any way that you make the move from these listing sites cold turkey, but at least consider starting the transition away to a point where you're at least generating some of your own bookings!

 
One of the things you can do right now to start the transition is to start sending out an Email newsletter (E-mail Blast) to all your previous guest!