Every booking through Airbnb costs you 15.5% in host fees. On a property generating £20,000 per year, that is £3,100 going to Airbnb for the privilege of being listed. A direct booking website lets guests book with you directly, cutting the platform out. This article compares the options: platform-built websites, bespoke direct booking systems, and the booking volume at which each pays for itself.
Online travel agencies (OTAs) charge commission on every booking. As of April 2026, Airbnb charges a flat 15.5% host fee on all bookings (replacing the previous split-fee model). Booking.com charges a flat 15%. Vrbo charges approximately 5%.
A direct booking bypasses the OTA entirely. The guest books on your own website, pays you directly (minus payment processing of around 1.4% + 20p per transaction via Stripe), and you keep the rest. No commission. No platform taking a cut of your revenue.
The trade-off is that OTAs bring you visibility. Guests search Airbnb and find your property. A direct booking website only works if guests know it exists. This means your direct booking strategy needs to work alongside OTA listings, not instead of them: use OTAs for discovery, then convert repeat guests and referrals to direct bookings.
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Several holiday let management platforms include a website builder:
| Platform | Website Quality | Cost | Payment Processing | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodgify | Good (template-based, customisable) | From £16/month | Stripe integration | Templates can look similar to other Lodgify sites. Limited design control. |
| Bookster | Moderate (widget-based) | From ~£26/month | Stripe integration | Booking widget embedded on your own site rather than a full website builder. |
| Bookalet | Basic | From £115/year | Stripe / PayPal | Simple booking calendar. Limited design options. |
| Smoobu | Basic | From ~£26/month | Stripe integration | Functional but not visually distinctive. |
Platform-built websites get you live quickly at low cost. The trade-off is design limitations: your website will look like a platform template, which can undermine the premium feel that higher-end holiday properties need to convey. For properties charging £200+ per night, the website needs to match the experience.
A bespoke booking website is built specifically for your properties. It handles:
A bespoke direct booking system typically costs £8,000-£18,000 as a one-off investment. There are no monthly platform fees and no booking commissions. You pay only Stripe's payment processing fee (1.4% + 20p per UK card transaction).
| Scenario | Annual Revenue | OTA Commission (15%) | Direct Booking Saving | Bespoke Payback Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 property, moderate bookings | £15,000 | £2,325 | If 30% book direct: £700/year saved | 12-18 months (at £8,000 build cost) |
| 2 properties | £35,000 | £5,425 | If 30% book direct: £1,625/year saved | 5-10 months |
| 5 properties | £80,000 | £12,400 | If 40% book direct: £4,960/year saved | 2-4 months |
Even at a conservative 30% direct booking rate, the bespoke system pays for itself within the first year for hosts with two or more properties. The key variable is how effectively you drive returning guests and referrals to your own website rather than back to Airbnb.
Speak to us about holiday let software · +44 7494 618 651 · Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm