FOR AIRBNB & VRBO HOSTS
Airbnb's single fee comes entirely out of your payout, and Vrbo takes its own cut too. A guest who books on your own website pays you, not a marketplace. That makes direct your most profitable channel, and Hostyy builds it for you.
What you keep from the same $1,000 stay
That's $125 more in your pocket, on every $1,000 booked direct.
New booking · Casa Oliva
5 nights · booked on your own website
No rumors and no hype. Just what Airbnb and Vrbo publish about their fees, split into what already applies and what is still being rolled out.
See what going direct savesUnder Airbnb's single-fee structure, the whole service fee is deducted from the host payout. Airbnb says most hosts on it pay 15.5%, others typically 14–16%. It is already mandatory for most hosts who use property management software.
Airbnb says it is moving all home hosts to the single fee. The split fee (most hosts pay 3%, guests pay the rest) goes away once migration finishes. After you switch you can't switch back, and the new fee applies to new bookings only.
On Vrbo's pay-per-booking model, hosts pay a commission plus a payment-processing fee on each reservation. Vrbo also offers an annual subscription instead.
Airbnb's fee page says it reserves the right to change service fees at any time, under its Terms of Service.
Fee details last reviewed October 2026 against the Airbnb and Vrbo help centers. This is a summary of the platforms' own published terms, not a new policy announcement. Rates vary by account, listing location, and setup. Check your host dashboard for the fees that apply to you.
250+
hosts served
5/5
average host rating
0%
platform fees on direct
$74K+
booked for featured hosts
The fee is the part you'll notice first. But a booking on your own site also comes with your rules, your ranking, and your guest. On a platform, all of that belongs to someone else.
Every marketplace booking comes with a commission. Under a host-only fee, it comes straight out of your payout before it reaches your bank account. On a busy calendar, a percentage that sounds small adds up fast.
What it means for you
Know your true take-home per booking. A direct booking avoids the marketplace commission, though it has its own marketing and payment costs.
Illustrative booking
$2,000
*On the split fee, guests also pay roughly 14–16.5% on top, which raises the price they see. Illustration only. Actual fees depend on platform terms, your account setup, and listing location. Taxes and processing details vary.
Marketplaces can change their fee structures, checkout and pricing requirements, cancellation options, and host rules. When they do, you get a notice. You don't get a vote.
What it means for you
Each change becomes your problem to adapt to. A channel you own lets you set your own rules, pricing display, and guest experience.
Host inbox
Update to your service fee structure
Applies to new bookings
Changes to our Terms of Service
Effective in 30 days
New pricing display requirements
Action required
Example notification types, not specific announcements.
Where your listing shows up in marketplace search is decided by ranking systems you can't see or control. A dip in visibility can mean an empty calendar, even when nothing about your property has changed.
What it means for you
If most of your demand comes from one platform's search results, your income depends on its algorithm. Other sources of demand spread that risk.
Lakeview A-Frame 4.97
Pine Ridge Cabin 4.92
Shoreline Retreat 4.95Your listing
Page 2 this week · nothing changed but the ranking
Guests who loved their stay are your best future bookings. When they book direct, you can build a relationship with them, invite them back, and turn one stay into a repeat customer.
What it means for you
With proper consent and in line with privacy rules, a guest list you own becomes an extra source of demand that no algorithm can take away.
Your guest list
Opted in to updates
Megan R.
3 stays · Booked direct again
The Okafor family
2 stays · Returning in August
Daniel & Priya
2 stays · Referred a friend
Illustrative. Marketing contact only with each guest's consent.
Let Airbnb introduce the guest. Let them book with you next time.
A website on its own doesn't bring guests. Hostyy is your marketing partner. We build the site, then send the right travelers to it and give them reasons to come back.
A professional website designed to showcase properties, build trust, and turn visitors into guests.
Casa Oliva
4.98 · 4 bedrooms · Infinity pool
$420 / night
Check-in
Jul 12
Check-out
Jul 17
Best rate when you book here
Help travelers discover properties through relevant search queries on Google.
Includes AEO (answer engine optimization), so your property can surface when travelers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews where to stay.
casaoliva-stays.com
Casa Oliva | Luxury Villa with Infinity Pool
Book direct for our best rate. 4 bedrooms, sea views, steps from the old town…
AI answer
For a private-pool villa near the coast, guests often recommend Casa Oliva, which you can book directly on its own site…
Reach potential guests with targeted campaigns and compelling property content.
casaoliva.stays
Sponsored
Build a stronger foundation for returning customers and future direct reservations.
Includes guest newsletters we write and send for you, to past guests who've opted in.
To: Megan R. · past guest, subscribed
Your fall dates at Casa Oliva are open, Megan
Thanks for staying with us last summer. As a returning guest, you get first pick of our October dates before they go anywhere else.
Websites, SEO & AEO, Google Ads, social media, and newsletters. One team runs it all, so you don't have to.
Move the sliders to match your business. Even after paying for ads, marketing, and card processing, a direct booking keeps more of the stay than the same booking on a marketplace.
Total across all channels
Bookings that would otherwise come through a marketplace
Airbnb's single fee is 15.5% for most hosts; yours may differ
Ads, marketing, and payment processing, as a % of direct revenue
Extra profit from going direct, per year
$7,125
Before other operating costs · on $75,000 of direct revenue
You keep from a $1,000 stay
Marketplace
$845
Direct
$940
$95 more on every $1,000 booked direct
How this is calculated. Direct revenue = annual revenue × share shifted. Fees avoided = direct revenue × marketplace fee rate. Acquisition costs = direct revenue × acquisition cost rate. Net savings = fees avoided − acquisition costs.
An estimate, not a guarantee. Acquisition costs are built into the math because winning direct guests takes marketing. Your real numbers depend on your channel mix, the fees on your accounts, your market, and costs not shown here, like software, taxes, and Hostyy's service fees.
Three steps. We do the marketing work, and you stay in charge of your property.
Identify your property, audience, market, and booking goals.
Create a professional website and a marketing plan tailored to the property.
Use SEO, advertising, social media, and ongoing optimization to attract potential guests.
Every property and market is different. We don't promise a set number of bookings or a guaranteed return. We promise a clear plan and honest reporting.
Ambria Vacations
We run Ambria's social channels day to day and write the newsletters that keep past guests coming back to book again.
Happy Home Vacation Rentals
We built Happy Home's direct booking site, so guests can find, browse and book their stays without going through the platforms.
Blue Dolphin Inn
We manage Blue Dolphin Inn's social media — the content, the posting and the conversations — so the inn stays front of mind.
Get a personalized strategy for building a stronger direct-booking channel for your vacation rental.
Results vary by property and market, and we'll always tell you so. Have a question that isn't here?
No. Keep them for discovery, since they're good at introducing new guests. But every booking you move direct keeps the fee in your pocket, puts the guest relationship in your hands, and doesn't depend on anyone's algorithm. The goal is to make direct your most profitable channel, with the platforms as backup.
Keep more of every stay, own the guest relationship, and stop paying commission on guests who already love your place.
