How Jungle Den grew bookings 68% and stopped paying booking commission
Jungle Den, a PALI member with play and activity venues in Naas and Newbridge, worked with PALI trusted partner Myk Baxter Marketing on a new website and booking system. Here's what changed in the first full month, and what other PALI members can take from it.
Confirmed bookings in August 2026
Up from 221 in August 2025
Year-on-year booking growth
150 extra bookings
Commission kept in one month
Versus the old 1% booking fee
Booking commission charged
Previously 1% per booking
Bookings compare confirmed Jungle Den bookings in August 2025 and August 2026. The saving is measured against the venue's previous 1% booking fee. Standard payment-processing charges may still apply.
The challenge
Jungle Den's venues were busy, but the online side was holding them back. Many PALI members will recognise the same problems:
- A booking journey that put families off before they finished
- A 1% commission taken from every online booking
- Hourly charges every time the website needed changing
- Two venues with no single place to manage availability
- Little control over their own customer data
- A website that didn't reflect the quality of the venues
What was put in place
A website built to convert
A mobile-first site that takes parents straight to the right venue, party or session, launched on 24 July 2026.
One booking system, two venues
Naas and Newbridge run from one system with shared availability, deposits, online payments and gift vouchers, a brand new online income stream.
No booking commission
Myk Baxter Marketing charges 0% commission, so booking revenue stays with the venue. Standard card-processing fees may still apply.
Local search and marketing
Local SEO, Google Business Profile work, Google Ads, Meta ads and email reminders bring families in and back again.
From Google search to confirmed booking
Step 1
Found
98 searches in Google's top ten, 69 in the top three and 24 at number one.
Step 2
Visited
6.2K website sessions and 4.2K new users in August 2026.
Step 3
Booked
371 confirmed bookings, 150 more than August 2025.
Google ranking moves
| Search | 29 July | 1 Sept |
|---|---|---|
| School tours Naas | 50 | 1 |
| Kids party venue Naas | 21 | 2 |
| Football parties Newbridge | 21 | 2 |
| Parent and toddler activities Newbridge | 10 | 1 |
| Indoor play centre Kildare | 8 | 3 |
| Laser tag Kildare | 3 | 1 |
Rankings from independent keyword-tracking software; positions vary by location and device. Website figures from Google Analytics 4.
Lessons for other PALI members
Check what your booking platform really costs
A 1% fee sounds small. For Jungle Den it was over €1,000 in a single busy month. Add up a year of fees before you renew any contract.
Make booking easy on a phone
About 3.5K of Jungle Den's 4.3K active users were on mobile. If booking a party takes more than a few taps, families go elsewhere.
Own your customer list
Holding your own booking data, in line with GDPR, means you can send birthday reminders and quiet-period offers without paying a platform to reach your own customers.
Be found for what parents search
Jungle Den now ranks in Google's top ten for 98 searches, including "indoor play centre near me". Local pages and an up-to-date Google profile make the difference.
What could this mean for your venue?
PALI members can start with Myk Baxter Marketing's short digital questionnaire. Tell them how many bookings you take and what your platform charges, and they'll show where you could keep more revenue and make booking easier.
Myk Baxter Marketing is a PALI trusted partner. Results are specific to Jungle Den and aren't a guarantee for other venues. Full methodology on Myk Baxter Marketing's site.