Direct booking guides for rental hosts
How to take bookings on your own website, pay less in platform fees, and get more guests to book direct. Short, practical, no fluff.
Direct booking website: the complete guide for rental hosts (2026)
What a direct booking website is, what it needs, what it costs, and how short-term rental hosts use one to take bookings with 0% commission.
7 min read
Direct booking basics
What is direct booking? Meaning, benefits and how it works
Direct booking means guests book straight with the host, not through Airbnb or Booking.com. The benefits, the downsides, and how it works.
5 min read
Direct booking vs Airbnb: fees, control and what you actually keep
Direct booking vs Airbnb compared: fees, who owns the guest, traffic, payments and protection, with a worked example of what you keep on each.
5 min read
Platform fees
Airbnb host fees in 2026: the 15.5% host-only fee explained
Airbnb now takes 15.5% from most hosts. See what changed, what the fee is calculated on, how to reprice, and a free host fee calculator.
6 min read
Airbnb vs Vrbo vs Booking.com fees for hosts (2026)
What Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com charge owners in 2026: 15.5%, 12% and about 15%. Side-by-side table and a worked example on one booking.
6 min read
Build your site
How to make a direct booking website in 7 steps
A step-by-step guide to building your own direct booking website: photos, template, calendar sync, rates, domain, and a pre-launch checklist.
6 min read
Best vacation rental website builders in 2026: an honest comparison
An honest comparison of vacation rental website builders: general builders, PMS suites, and rental-specific tools. Pricing models and who each one fits.
6 min read
Airbnb iCal sync: find your calendar link and avoid double bookings
Where to find your Airbnb iCal link, how to sync it with Vrbo, Booking.com and your own website, and how to avoid double bookings.
6 min read
Holiday let website: how to build one and take direct bookings
How to build a holiday let website and take direct enquiries: what it needs, design tips, templates, domains, and calendar sync for UK owners.
6 min read
Get more bookings
How to get direct bookings instead of Airbnb: 9 ways that work
Nine practical ways to get direct bookings as an Airbnb host: your own site, a searchable name, a direct discount, repeat guests, and more.
5 min read
Airbnb direct booking policy: what hosts can and can’t do
What Airbnb's off-platform policy forbids, what hosts are still allowed to do, and a safe way to grow direct bookings without risking your listing.
5 min read
How to market a vacation rental: 12 ideas that do not need a big budget
A simple vacation rental marketing strategy: 12 ideas from Google and Instagram to local partnerships, a weekly routine, and how to measure it.
6 min read