Mark Simpson breaks down whether short-term rental hosts should build their own booking site in 2026. If you cut Airbnb's 14% fee in half, you can lower guest prices while keeping more money yourself, but only if you split the savings instead of pocketing it all.
14% off the rate.
Around 7%.
By the end of this video, you will know if launching a direct booking site in 2026 is a gold mine or a colossal faff. I made notes and found four questions every host asks before they pull the trigger on their own direct booking website. The first is are the savings only for guests? If you knock 14% off the rate, the guest wins and you stand still. The fix is simple. Split the difference, drop the nightly rate a touch, Add a lean service fee around 7%, remove your host fee, both sides save and you net more.
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