A homestay website for direct bookings and lower OTA fees
What an OTA is, how platform fees work and when guests should book direct. With a comparison table and a booking page checklist for small homestays.
Written by Phan Lam Duy Khoi
A homestay website lets returning guests and people who already know you book direct, without a platform fee, and see the price for each night clearly. OTAs such as Booking.com, Agoda and Airbnb are still needed for new guests, so run both side by side.
What does a direct booking website do for a homestay?
A direct booking website is your homestay's own site, where guests see the rooms and the price for each night, then book with you instead of through a platform. It lets you keep the full room rate from returning guests and people who already know you. It does not replace booking platforms at bringing in new guests.
This article explains what an OTA is, how OTA fees work, when direct booking makes sense, and what a booking page needs. It is written for small homestay owners, no technical background needed.
What is an OTA?
OTA stands for online travel agency. Put simply, these are online booking platforms such as Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb or Traveloka.
They work much like an online marketplace. You list your rooms. Guests search by place and dates, compare options, read reviews and book. For each completed booking, the platform keeps part of the money as a fee, usually called a commission.
For many homestays, platforms bring most of the guests, especially in the early months. That is why almost every homestay is on at least one of them.
How are OTA fees calculated?
Each platform charges differently, and the rate can vary by region, property type and the programmes you join. The safest place to check is your contract or the host dashboard of each platform.
Airbnb publishes its fees on its help pages. There are two structures today:
- Host-only fee: most hosts pay 15.5% of the booking subtotal; others typically pay 14% to 16%. Airbnb deducts it from your payout.
- Split fee between host and guest: most hosts pay 3%, and the guest pays a separate service fee. Airbnb says this structure is being phased out.
Illustrative example: for a room at 1,000,000 VND a night with a 15.5% fee, you pay about 155,000 VND in fees for each night booked. The real figure depends on how Airbnb treats your extra charges.
For Booking.com and Agoda, I do not quote a number here because I could not open their official pages to check. Look up your commission in your contract or the platform's partner dashboard.
What do OTAs still give a homestay?
Before trying to cut fees, be fair about what the platforms do for you:
- New guests find you, including people who have never heard your name.
- International guests book more easily, with familiar languages and payment methods.
- Reviews on the platform help strangers trust you.
- The platform handles payment and has a process for disputes.
The fee is what you pay for that. So the sensible goal is not to leave the platforms. It is to give guests who already know you a clear way to book direct.
When should guests book direct?
A booking website fits these guests best:
- Regulars who come to you directly, not through a platform. For example, people who booked by Zalo or phone before.
- People who know you from Instagram, TikTok, your Facebook page or a friend's recommendation.
- People who found you on Google Maps and want to see prices before messaging.
- Groups or companies renting several rooms who need clear prices to report back.
One point needs care. Airbnb's rules say that for guests who booked through Airbnb, payments for current, future or repeat bookings must stay on Airbnb. You also may not ask guests to communicate off the platform before booking. For other platforms, read your contract terms before doing anything.
In short: the website is for guests who come through your own channels. Do not use it to pull guests away from a platform booking.
How does OTA booking compare with direct booking?
| Point | Through an OTA | Direct on your website |
|---|---|---|
| Who finds you | Includes new guests who never knew you. | Mostly guests who already know you. |
| Fee per booking | The platform keeps part of the room rate. | No platform fee. You still pay to build and run the website. |
| Payment | The platform collects and pays you. | You collect the deposit yourself, usually by bank transfer. |
| Cancellations and disputes | Follow the platform's policy and process. | You set the policy and handle it yourself. |
| Staying in touch | Depends on each platform's rules. | You have the guest's phone number or Zalo. |
| How rooms are shown | In the platform's format. | You tell the story of the rooms, the area and how to get there. |
| Your workload | Lower; the platform does a lot. | Higher: update availability, reply, take deposits. |
The two channels fill each other's gaps. Platforms bring new guests. The website keeps the relationship with guests who already know you.
How do you run a website and OTAs together without a mess?
- Update availability on every channel whenever a booking comes in. If you are slow, two guests can book the same room.
- Show clear prices on the website. If you plan different prices across channels, check your platform contracts for any rules on this.
- Link the website from Google Maps, Instagram and your Facebook page, the channels you own.
- Write down your deposit and cancellation policy. Direct guests have no platform in the middle, so clarity matters more.
- Pick one person to reply and confirm bookings every day.
What does a homestay booking page need?
This is the checklist I use when reviewing a homestay booking page:
- Real photos of each room, with maximum guests and bed type.
- A calendar for check-in and check-out dates showing the price for each night. Weekends and holidays often differ.
- The total shown before guests tap book, so they do not add it up themselves.
- The deposit amount, how to pay it and when it is refunded.
- Cancellation and date-change policy, in short sentences.
- Check-in and check-out times, plus house rules such as pets or smoking.
- Address, map and directions, especially when the way in is hard to find.
- One clear button to book or message, for example opening Zalo with the chosen room and dates filled in.
- Easy to read on a phone.
What does a homestay booking page look like?
I built a template you can look at: Pinefold. It is a template for a fictional brand. Room names, prices and the deposit rate are for illustration only.
In the template, the check-in and check-out calendar shows the price for each night. Guests compare four rooms for the same dates and see the total and the deposit straight away. Then they tap a button to book on Zalo.
You can take only the part closest to your homestay, such as the nightly price calendar, and start there.
Want to see more templates or ask about your homestay?
On the templates page you can see more examples for cafés, restaurants, spas and other businesses. Each one is a fictional brand, made to show how a website can help guests book.
If you are not sure your homestay needs a website yet, message me. Tell me where your guests usually come from and what they ask, and I will tell you honestly whether it is worth building now.
Frequently asked questions
What is an OTA?
OTA stands for online travel agency: booking platforms such as Booking.com, Agoda or Airbnb. Guests search, compare and book on the platform, and the platform charges a fee on each booking.
Once I have a website, should I leave Booking.com, Agoda or Airbnb?
Usually not. Platforms still bring new guests, especially people from far away and from abroad. A website suits returning guests and people who already know you through social media or friends.
Can I invite a returning Airbnb guest to book direct?
Airbnb's rules say payments for current, future or repeat bookings by guests from Airbnb must stay on Airbnb, and you may not ask guests to communicate off the platform before booking. For other platforms, read the terms in your contract.
What does a homestay booking page need?
Real photos of each room, the price for each night by date, the total before booking, the deposit and cancellation policy, check-in and check-out times, the address with a map, and one clear button to book or message.
Sources to check
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