OTAs bring guests. They also take 15-20% of your revenue. You need both channels.
Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com are not free marketing. They are paid distribution channels, and the price is a significant chunk of every booking.
- Airbnb - 3% host fee plus up to 14.2% guest service fee (the guest pays more, which affects perceived value) or a flat 15% host-only fee
- VRBO - 15% of the booking total (some markets vary)
- Booking.com - 15-20% commission depending on your market and visibility settings
On a £150/night booking for 7 nights (£1,050), a 15% commission is £157.50. Over a year of solid bookings, that is thousands in commissions. On a property earning £20,000/year gross, 15% commission is £3,000 straight off the top.
The answer is not to abandon OTAs. They bring visibility and bookings you would never get otherwise. The answer is to build a direct booking channel alongside them so that a growing proportion of your revenue avoids the commission entirely.
The role of OTAs
Be honest about what OTAs do well:
- Discovery - guests searching for "Edinburgh flat 2 nights" will find your Airbnb listing. They will not find your personal website unless you invest in SEO or advertising
- Trust - guests trust Airbnb's review system, payment processing, and dispute resolution. A direct booking from an unknown website feels riskier to the guest
- Payment handling - the platform collects payment, holds it, and releases it to you. No chasing invoices
- Guest communication - messaging, booking confirmations, check-in instructions all handled
- Insurance/guarantees - AirCover and equivalents provide a safety net (limited, as covered in our insurance guide)
Pulling your listings from OTAs entirely is almost always a mistake unless you have an established brand and a strong repeat-guest base.
The case for direct bookings
Direct bookings give you:
- No commission - the full nightly rate goes to you
- Guest relationship - you have their email address, their phone number, and a direct line of communication. On Airbnb, guest contact details are masked
- Repeat booking potential - a guest who books direct can book again next year without going through a platform. A guest who booked on Airbnb will probably go back to Airbnb
- Pricing freedom - you set the price without platform algorithms, smart pricing, or competitor undercutting
- Brand building - over time, your property becomes known as a destination, not just another Airbnb listing
- Data - you know who your guests are, where they found you, how long they stayed, and what they spent. OTAs keep most of this data
How to build a direct booking channel
1. Have a bookable web presence
You need somewhere guests can see your property and enquire or book. This does not have to be a custom website. Options:
- A property listing page - a single page with photos, descriptions, pricing, availability, and an enquiry form
- A simple website - one or two pages with your property details, reviews, and a booking form
- Social media - Instagram and Facebook can drive direct enquiries, though they are not bookable in themselves
The key is that the guest can find your property outside of Airbnb and take action (enquire, book, or contact you).
2. Offer a direct booking incentive
Give guests a reason to book direct rather than going back to Airbnb:
- Lower price - if you are saving 15% in commission, you can afford to offer 5-10% off and still be ahead. A £150/night listing on Airbnb at £135/night direct is a win for both sides
- Flexible cancellation - OTAs push strict cancellation policies. Offering a more flexible policy on direct bookings is a low-cost differentiator
- Welcome extras - a bottle of wine, local produce, a late checkout. Small gestures that cost you £10-20 and make the direct booking feel like VIP treatment
- No guest service fee - on Airbnb, the guest pays a service fee on top of your nightly rate. Direct bookings have no service fee, so the guest's total cost can be lower even at the same nightly rate
3. Convert OTA guests to direct
This is the long game. A guest who books on Airbnb this year should book direct next year.
- Include your direct booking details in the welcome pack. A card that says "Book direct next time at [your URL] and save 10%" is legal and effective
- Follow up after checkout. If you have the guest's email (from check-in registration), send a thank-you with a direct booking link. Do this within Airbnb's terms - do not explicitly ask guests to circumvent the platform for their current booking
- Collect email addresses at check-in. A guest registration card (which you should have anyway for security and compliance) gives you a direct contact point
- Build a mailing list. An annual email to past guests about availability, local events, or seasonal offers brings repeat direct bookings
4. Use social media for visibility
Instagram is particularly effective for STL properties. Good photos of your property, local area shots, guest reviews (with permission), and seasonal content build awareness. Every post should include your direct booking link.
Facebook groups for local tourism, "visiting Edinburgh" type communities, and holiday let directories are also worth your time.
5. List on free or low-cost directories
Not all listing sites charge 15% commission:
- Google Vacation Rentals - free listing, appears in Google search results
- Holidu - aggregator, lower commission than OTAs in some markets
- Local tourism websites - many councils and tourism boards have free accommodation directories
- Sykes / Cottages.com - higher commission but relevant for holiday cottages
Calendar sync is essential
The moment you take bookings from multiple channels, double-booking becomes a real risk. You need calendar synchronisation.
iCal sync is the standard. Most platforms support iCal export and import:
- Export your Airbnb calendar as an iCal feed
- Import it into VRBO, Booking.com, and your direct booking system
- Export those calendars back to Airbnb
This keeps availability in sync across all channels. When a guest books on Airbnb, the dates are blocked on VRBO and your direct booking calendar automatically.
The sync is not instant - there is typically a 15-minute to 2-hour delay depending on the platform. For high-demand dates, you may need to manually block calendars as a belt-and-braces measure.
Pricing strategy across channels
With multiple channels, your pricing needs a strategy:
- OTA price = your base rate (the platform adds its own fees on top for the guest)
- Direct price = 5-10% below your OTA rate (incentive for the guest, still higher net revenue for you)
- Do not undercut OTAs by too much - if your Airbnb listing says £150/night and your website says £100/night, it looks unprofessional and may violate some platform terms
The maths on a £150/night booking:
| Channel | Nightly rate | Commission | You receive | Guest pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb (host-only fee) | £150 | 15% (£22.50) | £127.50 | £150 |
| Airbnb (split fee) | £150 | 3% (£4.50) | £145.50 | ~£170 (incl guest fee) |
| VRBO | £150 | 15% (£22.50) | £127.50 | ~£170 |
| Booking.com | £150 | 15% (£22.50) | £127.50 | £150 |
| Direct | £140 | 0% | £140 | £140 |
Direct at £140 gives you more than any OTA at £150. The guest pays less. Everyone wins except the platform.
How SelfLet Stays helps
SelfLet Stays manages bookings across all channels - Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and direct bookings - in one calendar with iCal sync. Every property gets a public listing page with an enquiry form for direct bookings, so you have a commission-free channel from day one. The finance module breaks down revenue by channel so you can see exactly how much you are paying in commissions and how your direct booking channel is growing.