Best fit
You already get bookings, but your own direct site is missing, weak, or dated.
Direct booking websites for vacation rental owners.
A direct home for the guests your listings earned.
Keep Airbnb and VRBO working for discovery. Add an owner-approved direct site for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries who want to understand the home before they ask about dates.
Start with one listing. Most owners can begin with a URL and 2-3 notes; the first preview is private, not public, and not bookable.
Owner controls
Nothing becomes public by accident.
1Private
2Needs owner review
3Approved later
01 — Where this fits
An honest read first
Good fit
You have repeat guests, referrals, or serious inquiries who need a better place to learn about the home.
Portfolio fit
Start with one property first. Expand only if the preview and owner handoff feel right.
Probably not the right fit yet
You already have a polished direct site and booking setup that works well for guests.
02 — What DirectStay does
We help turn a good rental into an owner-approved direct site.
Dates + party size
Rules + fees
Local context
Owner-ready reply
We study the property and prepare a first version that shows how guests could understand the home, ask about dates, and remember where to return.
The final site should protect the owner's standards: true photos, accurate details, clear rules, better-fit guests, and a voice that fits the home.
We did this for our own villa before offering it to anyone else — see Villa La Percha live.
03 — What owners get back
What you get if it is a fit.
The first review should make the choice clearer, not heavier.
A home base guests remember
Give repeat guests and referrals a polished place to revisit without searching a marketplace again.
A clearer first answer
Organize sleeping layout, amenities, location, rules, fees, date questions, and ideal guest fit in one place.
A low-risk next step
See the first version before deciding whether a public direct site is worth launching.
Property proof
See how a cared-for home can be represented.
Villa La Percha shows the goal: strong imagery, accurate guest answers, owner standards, and a direct inquiry path that still respects control.
Request a private reviewExample property page
StoryPhotosGuest fit
Example property
Villa La Percha
A real example of how a direct site can make the home easier to understand, remember, and ask about without flattening its personality.
Ask about datesOwner review
Guest confidence
Bedrooms, layout, occupancy, and stay details are organized before guests need to ask.
Property memory
Pool, kitchen, screened room, nearby beaches, and local context make the home easier to remember.
Owner-approved inquiry
Guests get a calm ask-about-dates path only after the owner decides how launch should work.
Human curation
- Photos and property facts
- Voice, standards, and ideal guest fit
- Rules, rates, fees, deposit language, and guest promises
Before launch
The owner approves content, launch, inquiry flow, booking options, and guest promises before guests use the site.
Example proof only. Villa La Percha shows one style of property page. DirectStay adapts the work to each home, owner, and guest audience.
Owner control
Every guest-facing decision stays owner-approved.
Not live
DirectStay concept
Owner preview
Property facts
Owner review
Photos
Confirm
Rates + fees
Separate approval
Inquiry path
Private
Approval path
1Private concept
2Owner corrections
3Launch decision
Locked until approved
No public launch
Facts, photos, rates, and inquiry setup stay private first.
How it starts
A first version, then your review.
- 01You share the property link, photos, or details you want reviewed.
- 02We prepare a private owner preview.
- 03You correct details, photos, rates, rules, fees, and guest information.
- 04You decide whether to revise, pause, remove, or launch.
04 — If you continue
What the site can become.
If the first version is worth continuing, the build turns it into an owner-approved direct inquiry and booking path.
Property story
Photography, voice, amenities, and local context that feel specific to the home.
Guest clarity
A clean direct inquiry path for guests to understand the stay and ask about dates.
Owner-approved launch
Inquiry and booking setup only move forward after owner review.
Booking economics
An owner-approved direct path may give owners more choices.
Marketplace bookings are still useful. When repeat guests and referrals come back directly, owners can choose how to think about margin, guest pricing, or a repeat-stay offer.
Illustrative only. DirectStay does not set rates or guarantee savings. Actual results depend on your rates, platform fees, processor costs, taxes, cleaning fees, and policies.
Marketplace-style booking
Convenient, but platform-shaped.
Guest sees
Nightly rate, cleaning, taxes, and marketplace charges in one platform checkout.
Owner controls
The listing content, but not the full guest path.
Repeat guests
Often return through the marketplace again.
Same stay, different control points
Owner-approved direct path
A branded path guests can remember.
Guest sees
Rates, fees, policies, and date questions in your branded setting.
Owner controls
How the inquiry path is presented once the owner approves it.
Repeat guests
Have a memorable direct home for future stays.
Possible fee tradeoffs are an owner choice
Keep guest fees at $0
Add only pass-through costs
Share value between owner and guest
The owner decides whether direct guests see no extra fee, only true pass-through costs, or a clearly disclosed owner-approved fee. The booking terms stay under owner control.
Hypothetical sample booking math
A marketplace total can become an owner-controlled direct offer.
This example starts with a $5,000 rental subtotal. It shows how an owner-approved direct path could let the guest pay less while the owner keeps more of the rental value. The owner controls rates, fees, discounts, and payment setup.
Airbnb / marketplace-style sample
Guest pays platform total.
Owner nightly/rental subtotal$5,000
Cleaning fee$450
TaxesVaries
Sample guest platform/service fee$650
Sample host-side marketplace fee-$150
Owner rental payout
$4,850
Before ordinary property expenses; cleaning is treated as pass-through in this example.
Owner-approved DirectStay sample
Owner chooses the direct terms.
Owner-chosen direct rental subtotal$5,300
Cleaning fee$450
TaxesVaries
Guest service/admin fee$0
DirectStay pilot fee on rental subtotal-$371
Owner rental proceeds
$4,929
Before processor and ordinary property expenses; payment setup is owner-approved.
Marketplace guest total before taxes
$6,100
$5,000 rent + $450 cleaning + $650 sample guest-side platform fee. Taxes vary by stay.
Direct guest total before taxes
$5,750
$5,300 rent + $450 cleaning + $0 guest service/admin fee. Taxes vary by stay.
Guest savings in this direct example
$350
The owner could also choose a smaller discount, larger discount, or no special direct discount.
Owner rental proceeds comparison
+$79
$4,929 direct rental proceeds before processor/ordinary expenses vs. $4,850 marketplace rental payout in this sample.
Taxes are excluded from these side-by-side totals because they vary by property, dates, jurisdiction, and collection method. Cleaning treatment, refundable deposits, payment processor costs, platform fee rules, and owner policies vary. This is a sample calculation, not a stated Airbnb or VRBO rate and not a promise of savings.
The key owner choice: charge no guest-side direct fee, pass through only real costs, or set an owner-approved fee while still giving guests a clearer direct path.
DirectStay does not set rates, approve bookings, collect guest payments, or guarantee savings.
Founder Pilot
Pilot fees apply only to owner-accepted attributed bookings.
Simple pilot terms: $0 upfront build fee, $0 monthly during the pilot, and 7% of the owner's rental subtotal for bookings accepted by the owner and attributed under written pilot terms.
Waived build fee
Typical upfront build fee
$0 upfront for founder pilot owners
The pilot fee is calculated excluding taxes, refundable deposits, cleaning, and pass-through fees. Attribution, pilot duration, updates, and cancellation handling are confirmed in writing before launch.
$0
founder pilot upfront build fee
$0
monthly fee during the pilot
7%
of the owner's rental subtotal for bookings accepted and attributed under written pilot terms
Included during the pilot
Property site concept and build
Hosting during the pilot
Included DirectStay subsite
Direct inquiry path and source tracking
Owner review and corrections
Basic search metadata
Basic owner-approved updates during the pilot
Comparison notes
Marketplace fee rules vary by platform. DirectStay pilot terms are confirmed in writing before launch.
A DirectStay subsite is included during the pilot so the owner can launch without buying a domain first.
An optional custom domain purchase and configuration can be handled as a paid setup item when the owner wants it.
DirectStay does not become the property manager, set rates, approve bookings, collect guest payments, change Airbnb/VRBO listings, or manage guests.
05 — Owner protections
Plain English
Clear boundaries, in plain English.
DirectStay helps with the site and source tracking. You remain the source of truth for the property and the booking decision.
Photos, property details, amenities, sleeping layout, rules, and local recommendations
Rates, available dates, fees, deposits, cancellation terms, and house rules
Whether the first look stays private, gets revised, is removed, or becomes a public site
We do not become your property manager.
We do not set rates, approve bookings, change Airbnb or VRBO listings, manage guests, or make guest-facing commitments for you.
Owners stay responsible for availability, quotes, calendar accuracy, payments, taxes, deposits, refunds, cancellations, disputes, and accepted bookings.
We do not give legal, tax, insurance, or accounting advice.
We do not help move Airbnb or VRBO guests off those platforms in ways that break their rules.
We do not take guest payments, handle refunds, or make the site bookable before you approve that setup.
06 — What happens next
A review first, then a clear choice.
Owners should know what happens after they submit a property, what is free to ask for, and what would require written pilot terms.
After you submit
Send one listing and a few notes. When requests are actively being reviewed, we usually reply the same day.
If it looks like a fit
When enough material is available, DirectStay can usually prepare a private preview in 1-2 days.
Then you choose
Correct it, pause it, remove it, or discuss founder-pilot launch terms.
07 — The practical pieces
What we review
The practical pieces.
- Current Airbnb, VRBO, website, social page, or public listing
- The property story, photos, amenities, layout, rules, guest quality, and repeat-stay opportunities
- Whether an owner-approved direct site would give repeat guests and serious inquiries a better path
- What still needs owner-provided photos, rates, rules, fees, and approval
Cost and safety
No hidden first step.
- No charge and no obligation to request a private review.
- The first preview stays private and is not bookable.
- Founder pilot: $0 upfront build fee, $0 monthly during the pilot, and a 7% pilot fee only on owner-accepted bookings attributed under written pilot terms.
- DirectStay does not contact guests, set rates, collect guest payments, manage listings, handle disputes, or become your property manager.
- No Airbnb, VRBO, or other marketplace photos, listing materials, ratings, or review references are published unless the owner approves them and confirms DirectStay may use them.
08 — Common questions
Practical answers before a call.
Do I need a direct booking website if I already use Airbnb or VRBO?
Maybe. Airbnb and VRBO are useful discovery channels. DirectStay is for owners who also want an owner-approved direct path for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries who come from outside restricted marketplace messaging.
Is this an instant checkout system?
No. The first version is a private, non-bookable preview. If an owner continues, DirectStay can help shape an approved inquiry and booking path, but the owner remains responsible for rates, availability, payments, taxes, deposits, refunds, disputes, and accepted bookings.
How does the 7% founder pilot fee work?
Pilot terms are confirmed in writing before launch. The 7% pilot fee applies to the owner's rental subtotal for owner-accepted bookings attributed under those written pilot terms, excluding taxes, refundable deposits, cleaning, and pass-through fees.
Can DirectStay work with one property first?
Yes. Multi-property owners can start with one listing, review the private preview, and expand only if the first property and owner handoff feel right.
Will DirectStay use my Airbnb or VRBO photos and reviews?
Owner-approved photos, listing materials, and wording are best. Public listing pages can help us understand the property for a private first look. Marketplace reviews are not republished or quoted unless the owner approves the use and confirms the necessary permission or allowed-use basis.
Can guests book from the first version?
No. The first version is private and not bookable.
What if the first version gets details wrong?
That is exactly why the first version is private. You can correct facts, replace photos, change the direction, pause the work, or ask us to remove it.
Why would I need this if Airbnb and VRBO already work?
Many owners should keep using them. DirectStay adds a branded path alongside those platforms for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries obtained outside restricted marketplace messaging.
First step
Start with a private review.
Share your property and current booking setup. We will review whether DirectStay can help and follow up with a practical next step.
A brand-forward guest page that makes each property easier to remember
A repeat-booking path for past guests and serious inquiries
Owner-approved inquiry flow, attribution, and launch options
For multiple properties
Start with one listing.
Review the private direction.
Expand to the full portfolio only when the first property feels right.