01 / Direct booking websites
Why holiday rental owners build their own booking website
Airbnb, Booking.com, Viator and GetYourGuide are good at one thing: putting your listing in front of people who have never heard of you. You pay for that with a commission on every booking, typically around 15 % on Booking.com and Airbnb and often 20–30 % on tour platforms. Our commission calculator shows what that adds up to for you over a year.
A direct booking website does not replace the platforms. It catches the guests who already know you: people who stayed last year, who saw your name on a sign or a business card in the apartment, who searched for you by name or were recommended by a friend. For those bookings, paying a platform makes little sense.
02 / Direct booking websites
What a direct booking website needs
One calendar, no double bookings
Availability synced with Airbnb and Booking.com through your channel manager or property management system, or via iCal for a single property.
Booking and secure payment
Either the booking engine of the system you already use, built into your site, or a simple request form for small properties that confirm by hand.
Several languages
Your guests come from everywhere. We build proper multilingual sites, written natively in English, German and Portuguese, other languages on request.
Photos that sell the stay
Fast-loading galleries, room by room, plus the view, the beach or the street outside. On a phone, without waiting.
Practical answers
Check-in, parking, distance to the beach or the old town, house rules and cancellation terms, written before guests have to ask.
Found by name
A clean site and a Google Business Profile, so a guest who searches your property's name lands on your site first.
03 / Direct booking websites
Which booking setup fits you
| Your situation | What we usually build |
|---|---|
| One or two apartments, you confirm each guest yourself | Availability calendar and a request form, payment by link after confirmation |
| Several units, already using a channel manager or PMS | Your PMS booking engine built into the site, in your design |
| Tours or activities with time slots | Your tour booking system's widget built into the site |
| You do not use any system yet | We help you choose one first, then build the site around it |
04 / Direct booking websites
For tour and activity operators
Boat trips, food tours, surf lessons: the logic is the same, but the commissions are higher. Platforms like Viator and GetYourGuide stay useful for reach, and your own site handles the guests who find you through your hotel partners, your boat on the quay or your reviews. We build the site around the booking system you use, so time slots, capacity and payment stay in one place.
05 / Direct booking websites
Rules to know before you take direct bookings
This is not legal or tax advice; check the details with your accountant or the local authority.
- Platform terms: do not move a guest who booked through a platform off that platform for the same booking. Platforms forbid it. Inviting guests to book directly next time is a different thing.
- Price freedom in the EU: since November 2024 the EU Digital Markets Act stops Booking.com from forbidding lower prices on your own website. Check your current contract for the details that apply to you.
- Alojamento Local in Portugal: your AL registration number must appear in all advertising, including your website, and you need a link to the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações).
- Tourist tax: where platforms collect the local tourist tax for you, on direct bookings you collect and pay it yourself.
- Germany: a commercial rental site needs an Impressum and a privacy policy, and prices must show the total including mandatory extras such as final cleaning.
06 / Direct booking websites
An honest note on references
We do not have a tourism case study to show yet. What we can show is how we build fast, photo-led and multilingual sites in other industries: the Daradiant Interiors portfolio, where images carry the brand, and the Drop Bike store, built for speed on mobile. Our guide to multilingual websites explains how we set up several languages so each one can be found on Google.
07 / Direct booking websites
How a project runs
- 01
Short call
We talk about your property or tours, the platforms you use and the share of guests who come back.
- 02
Booking setup
We decide together: request form, your PMS booking engine or your tour booking system.
- 03
Fixed quote
You get a fixed price and timeline. 50 % at the start, 50 % at launch.
- 04
Design and build
Photos, texts in your languages, calendar, payment and the legal pages.
- 05
Launch and first direct guests
We connect your Google Business Profile and give you simple ideas to invite past guests back.
08 / Direct booking websites
What it costs
Websites start at €1,500 and most go live in 2–6 weeks. A site with several languages, many units or a booking engine integration costs more; you get a fixed quote after a short call. Monthly fees of a PMS, channel manager or booking system are paid directly to that provider. Compare that with your yearly commissions in the calculator and you know quickly whether it pays off.
FAQ
Common questions
01Does a direct booking website replace Airbnb and Booking.com?
No. Platforms are where new guests find you. Your own site captures the guests who already know you: returning guests, recommendations and people who search for you by name.
02How do I avoid double bookings?
Use one calendar as the source of truth. With one property, iCal sync between your site and the platforms can be enough; with several units, a channel manager or property management system keeps availability in sync.
03Can I offer lower prices on my own website than on Booking.com?
In the EU, since November 2024 the Digital Markets Act stops Booking.com from forbidding this. Check your own contract and the terms of every platform you use.
04Will a website bring me bookings on its own?
Not by itself. It converts people who already know you. You fill it by inviting past guests back, placing your address in the property and on your Google Business Profile, and by being easy to find by name.
05What does a direct booking website cost?
Our websites start at €1,500. The price depends on languages, number of units and the booking integration. Fees for a PMS or booking system are separate and paid to the provider.
06Do you have a tourism reference?
Not yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. Our case studies are from other industries; they show fast, multilingual, photo-led websites like the one your guests expect.