How Airbnb’s New “Direct Booking” Feature Is Misleading and How to Truly Book Direct

If you missed it, Airbnb has rolled out what they’re calling “direct bookings.”

Yes, you heard me correctly. Direct bookings.

Except… they aren’t exactly what you might think.

And this is an important distinction for short-term rental owners because the way you think about direct bookings can have a pretty significant impact on your bottom line.

Airbnb has made some major changes to its host fee structure, and now they’re encouraging hosts to bring guests to Airbnb through what they’re calling a direct booking.

But there’s a catch.

It’s not actually a direct booking.

So let’s talk about what Airbnb’s new feature really means, why I think the terminology is misleading, and what a true direct booking actually looks like.

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What Is Airbnb’s New “Direct Booking” Feature?

I first heard about this change after setting up Google Alerts for Airbnb, Vrbo, boutique hotels, and micro resorts.

I was at a podcast conference where they encouraged us to set up alerts for things happening in our industry, and this one immediately caught my attention.

According to Airbnb’s rollout, they are now encouraging what they refer to as “direct bookings.”

At first glance, that sounds like a great thing for hosts.

But when you dig into what Airbnb actually means by a direct booking, the definition gets a little fuzzy.

With Airbnb’s version of a direct booking, you are still sending the guest to Airbnb to complete the reservation.

So maybe the guest found you through Instagram. Maybe they found you through TikTok. Maybe they heard about your property from a friend.

You did the marketing.

You found the guest.

You created the demand.

But instead of sending that guest directly to your own website to book, you send them over to Airbnb.

And Airbnb still takes a cut.

That’s not what I think of when I hear the words direct booking.

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The Airbnb Host Fee Has Changed

This conversation becomes even more important when you look at Airbnb’s host fee changes.

Last October, hosts using a property management system were moved from a 3% host fee to a 15.5% host fee.

That was a pretty significant change.

For hosts who were already using a PMS because they managed multiple properties, that meant suddenly giving up an additional 12.5% of their revenue to Airbnb.

And Airbnb had already told hosts that this structure would eventually roll out more broadly.

Now it has.

For hosts in the United States, the 15.5% host fee is being reflected across accounts.

So Airbnb’s solution?

If you bring the guest to Airbnb yourself, you can pay a lower 6% host fee.

And at first, you might think:

Okay, that’s better.

And technically, it is better than 15.5%.

But let’s take a step back.

Why are you sending that guest to Airbnb at all?

If you found the guest yourself through your own marketing, why not complete the booking directly?

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What a TRUE Direct Booking Looks Like

This is where I think we need to redefine what we mean when we say “direct booking.”

A true direct booking is when someone discovers your property through your marketing and goes directly to your website to make the reservation.

Maybe they discover you through Instagram.

Maybe they find your property on TikTok.

Maybe they see a blog post.

Maybe a friend sends them your website.

Maybe they discover you through Google.

Regardless of how they find you, the important part is what happens next.

They go from:

Awareness → Your Brand → Your Website → Booking

There’s no Airbnb middleman.

There’s no Vrbo middleman.

And you aren’t paying an OTA a percentage of a guest you brought to yourself.

That’s the difference.

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Why Your STR Needs a Direct Booking Website

I don’t think Airbnb or Vrbo are bad.

In fact, they can be incredibly valuable marketing channels for short-term rental owners.

They put your property in front of people who are already searching for somewhere to stay.

But here’s the problem:

They shouldn’t be your entire marketing strategy.

We’ve seen over and over again that these platforms can change their policies, fees, algorithms, and rules whenever they want.

And you don’t get to vote on it.

Airbnb is going to make decisions that are best for Airbnb.

That’s their job.

But as a business owner, your job is to build something that works for your business.

A direct booking website gives you another path to revenue that you actually control.

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Your Website Should Be More Than a Booking Page

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that a direct booking website is just a place where someone can enter their credit card information.

It should be so much more than that.

Your website is an extension of your brand.

It’s where you get to tell the story of your property.

It’s where you can showcase the experience you’re creating.

It’s where you can answer questions before someone even thinks to ask them.

And it’s where you can take someone from “This place looks cool” to “I want to stay here.”

That’s why branding and marketing matter so much in the STR space.

Your listing can get someone interested.

But your brand gives them a reason to remember you.

And your direct booking website gives them a place to take action.

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Why I Use Lodgify

If you’re thinking, Okay, Ali, this sounds great, but how do I actually create a direct booking site?

The first step is choosing a property management system that can support your business.

I personally use Lodgify, and it’s one of the tools I recommend because it allows you to build a direct booking website while also managing many of the behind-the-scenes pieces of running an STR.

And this is where it gets really helpful.

Lodgify can give you a unified inbox, so whether a guest books through Airbnb, Vrbo, or your direct booking website, you can manage those conversations in one place.

It also syncs your calendars across channels.

So if someone books directly through your website, those dates are blocked on your other connected platforms.

Because a double booking?

Never a good time.

I learned that lesson once, and thankfully we were able to find the guest another place to stay. But it’s definitely not a lesson I want to learn twice.

Lodgify also gives you analytics across your different booking channels, which makes it easier to see what’s happening with your occupancy and overall performance without manually piecing together information from multiple platforms.

And they’re continuing to build out their AI capabilities, including AI-powered guest messaging and tools designed to help direct booking websites become more discoverable as consumer search behavior changes.

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And Let’s Talk About Guest Messaging

Because if you’re going to start driving more direct bookings, you also need to think about what happens after someone books.

Your inbox can get crazy.

Especially heading into fall and the holiday season.

Everyone starts planning trips at the same time, and suddenly you’re answering the same questions over and over again.

I used to think answering every single guest message myself was just part of being a host.

It turns out it was just a job I never signed up for.

Lodgify’s AI co-host is designed to help with that by answering guest messages across Lodgify, WhatsApp, and iMessage.

The goal isn’t to replace you.

It’s to protect your time.

Because building a business where you own the booking relationship doesn’t mean you should spend your entire life glued to your phone.

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You Don’t Have to Stop Using Airbnb

Let me make this very clear:

I’m not telling you to stop using Airbnb.

Airbnb is still a valuable channel for many STR owners.

What I am saying is that you shouldn’t be completely dependent on it.

Think about your booking strategy like a portfolio.

Airbnb can be one piece.

Vrbo can be another.

Your social media can be another.

Google can be another.

And your direct booking website can become the place where all of that marketing ultimately leads.

The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate OTAs.

The goal is to make sure you have other options.

Because when all of your bookings come from one platform, you don’t really own the relationship.

You’re renting access to their audience.

And the moment their rules change, your business feels it.

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Your Property Needs a Marketing Strategy Beyond Airbnb

This is really the bigger point I want you to take away from this episode.

Your Airbnb listing is not your marketing strategy.

It’s one channel within your marketing strategy.

If you want to build a property that has staying power, you need to think beyond the listing.

You need a brand.

You need a strategy.

You need content that gets people interested.

You need a way for people to discover your property.

And you need somewhere to send them once they’re ready to book.

That’s where a direct booking website becomes so valuable.

Because instead of relying on someone else’s platform to control the entire customer journey, you get to build the journey yourself.

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So, Is Airbnb’s “Direct Booking” Actually Direct?

In my opinion?

No.

Not in the way most business owners would define a direct booking.

If you bring the guest to Airbnb and Airbnb processes the reservation, you’re still relying on Airbnb.

A true direct booking happens when the guest goes directly from discovering your brand to booking through your own website.

That’s the model I want STR owners to start thinking about.

Use Airbnb.

Use Vrbo.

Use the OTAs.

But don’t let them become the only way people can find and book your property.

Because at the end of the day, you didn’t build your business so you could be completely dependent on someone else’s platform.

You built it to own an asset, create an experience, and build a brand.

Your booking strategy should reflect that.

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Listen to Episode 120 of the Brand & Market Podcast: How Airbnb’s New “Direct Booking” Feature Is Misleading and How to Truly Book Direct.

And if you’re ready to start building a stronger direct booking strategy for your property, this is exactly the kind of work we do here at Brand & Market.

Because your property deserves more than a listing.

It deserves a brand.