If you rent out a holiday home, apartment or B&B, most of your bookings probably come through Booking.com or Airbnb. Convenient, but you pay a lot for it. With your own website, part of your guests book directly, without commission, and you build a relationship with people who come back. In this article you will learn what that delivers, what such a site needs and how to make sure guests actually book direct.
What do the booking platforms cost you?
Booking.com usually charges hosts 15 to 18 percent commission per booking. In 2025 and 2026 Airbnb moved most hosts to a single fee of around 15.5 percent, deducted from your payout. A worked example:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Revenue per year (for example 80 nights at €150) | €12,000 |
| Commission at 15% via platforms | €1,800 per year |
| Saving if a third of your guests book direct | €600 per year |
| Saving if half book direct | €900 per year |
It is not just about money. With a direct booking you have your guest’s email address, you set your own terms and you depend less on the algorithms and rules of a single platform.
Platforms and your own site, not either-or
Don’t stop using Booking.com or Airbnb. They bring new guests you would never reach otherwise. The smart approach: let new guests find you through the platforms, and make sure that next time, they and their friends book directly with you. Your own website is the foundation for that.
What a good holiday rental website needs
- Photos that sell. Bright, sharp photos of every room, the outdoor space and the surroundings. This is the most important part of your site; invest in a photographer if needed.
- An availability calendar and direct booking. Guests want to see straight away whether their dates are free and book and pay immediately. A “send us a message” form costs bookings.
- A link with the platforms. Your calendar must sync automatically with Booking.com and Airbnb (via iCal or a channel manager). Otherwise you risk double bookings.
- Clear prices and rules. Show the total price including cleaning and tourist tax, and set up your minimum stay, arrival days and cancellation policy properly.
- Several languages. If your guests come from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy or France, they expect your site in their own language.
- Fast and mobile-friendly. Most guests do their research on their phone, often on the go.
- Trust. Real reviews (including those from the platforms), your contact details, secure payment and clear house rules.
How to get more direct bookings
- Delight returning guests. After their stay, send a personal email with a thank-you and a small discount for booking direct next year.
- Leave a card in the property with your website and a QR code. Guests who enjoyed their stay share it with friends.
- Be cheapest direct. A slightly lower price or an extra (free late check-out, a bottle of wine) on your own site gives guests a reason to book there. Within the EU, Booking.com has not been allowed to stop you offering lower prices on your own site since 2024.
- Make sure you are found. Set up your Google Business Profile properly and link it to your own site, not to your platform listing.
- Use social media to show the atmosphere of your place, always with a link to your own site.
Measuring is knowing: keep track of how many bookings come in directly and how many via the platforms. With statistics on your site you can also see where your visitors come from and where they drop off. That way you know which actions really work.
From our own experience
We run our own accommodation in Italy, Borgo Vista Serena, with its own booking website. So we know from practice where things go wrong: a calendar that doesn’t sync with the platforms, a minimum stay that isn’t set up correctly, or guests asking the same questions in four languages. We bring that knowledge to every website we build for hosts.
Want more direct bookings?
Tell us briefly about your accommodation. We will think along about the set-up, the booking module and the link with your platforms, and you will get a clear, tailored price. Already have a website? Then we will first take a free look at where it is missing bookings.
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Prefer to call? +31 (0)166 700204, Mon–Fri 9:00–17:30 (CET).
