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Case study · Vacation Rentals · UAE

Kensington Homes
41% direct bookings.

Marketing a hybrid portfolio of 50 owned and managed vacation rental apartments in Dubai — driving direct bookings that bypass platform commissions.

41%
Direct bookings as share of total
50
Apartments under active marketing
−60%
Cost per direct booking vs platform commission

Last updated May 2026

Booking mix · Apr → SepKensington Homes / 50 apartments
Direct vs platform bookings
DirectPlatform
APRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPNOW
Direct share+33 pp
41%
Cost per booking−60%
vs. platform
Apartments live+50
50
The challenge

Kensington Homes operates a hybrid model: a portfolio of 50 vacation rental apartments across Dubai, some owned directly and some managed on behalf of individual owners.

Kensington Homes operates a hybrid model: a portfolio of 50 vacation rental apartments across Dubai, some owned directly and some managed on behalf of individual owners. Listings live on multiple booking platforms — Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo — and each takes a meaningful cut of every booking.

There was no marketing engine driving direct bookings to the Kensington Homes website itself, which meant every booking was effectively paying a platform tax.

What we did

Rebuilt the account around what matters.

  • Built Meta and Google ad campaigns targeting Dubai short-stay travellers
  • Set up direct-booking conversion tracking through the Kensington Homes website
  • Localised creative for high-yield source markets (UK, Saudi, Russia, India)
  • Built dynamic remarketing audiences from each booking platform
  • Implemented a lead capture flow for seasonal enquiries and corporate stays
The results

Six months. A different account.

Direct bookings as % of total
8%Before
41%After
Cost per direct booking vs. platform commission
BaselineBefore
−60%After
Lead capture for corporate enquiries
BaselineBefore
Consistent monthly volumeAfter
Pixel Movers built us a booking engine that doesn't depend on Airbnb to function.
— Founder, Kensington Homes
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