Guides
Direct booking, explained by the people who build it
Five short pages: what a direct booking website is, what Airbnb's host-only fee costs, which PMS we connect to, how direct compares with the OTAs, and how to get more direct bookings.
Direct booking websites for short-term rentals
A direct booking website that books guests, not a brochure that sits there
The Luxe Programs builds direct booking websites for short-term rental hosts and property managers. Guests see live availability, real pricing and pay you directly, your property management system stays in sync, and no OTA takes 15.5% of the stay. Design, build and launch are done for you, a first version is targeted within 3 to 5 working days of receiving your content, and you own the result.
Open Direct Booking FunnelAirbnb host-only fee, explained for hosts
Airbnb now keeps 15.5% of every booking. Keep it instead.
Airbnb's host-only service fee deducts 15.5% of the booking subtotal from the host's payout, 14% to 16% for some hosts and 16% in Brazil and Mexico. It is mandatory for hosts connected to property management software, who previously paid about 3%. On $100,000 of Airbnb revenue that is $15,500 a year. The Luxe Programs builds the direct booking system that moves repeat guests and search traffic off that fee.
Open Host-Only FeeDirect booking websites that connect to your PMS
A direct booking website that connects to Hostaway, Guesty, Lodgify, OwnerRez and 27+ PMS
The Luxe Programs builds direct booking websites that integrate with your property management system through its API or booking engine. Availability, pricing and reservations sync in real time with your Airbnb and Vrbo calendars, payments run through your connected processor, and your PMS stays the system of record. We currently connect to 27+ platforms.
Open PMS Direct BookingDirect booking vs Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com
Direct booking vs Airbnb: the same stay, 15.5% more of it in your account
Per booking, direct is cheaper by a wide margin. Airbnb takes 15.5% from software-connected hosts, Vrbo charges a flat 12% including payment processing, and Booking.com typically takes about 15%. A direct booking costs about 3% in card processing plus whatever you spend on marketing. The Luxe Programs builds the site and the system that make direct your default channel while the OTAs keep feeding new guests.
Open Direct Booking vs AirbnbMore direct bookings for vacation rentals
Turn repeat guests, search and social into direct bookings
Getting more direct bookings means moving the guests you already have, repeat guests and referrals, onto your own site, then adding Google search, AI search and social traffic on top. The Luxe Programs builds the system: a website you own that books, pages for the searches travelers type, facts AI tools can cite, and social content that points to your booking site, with messaging that stays inside Airbnb's off-platform rules.
Open Get More Direct Bookings