For short-term rental operators
Stop Renting Your Guests From Booking.com
Every reservation the platforms send you costs 15–20% and comes with a guest you never get to keep. We build direct booking websites that take reservations on your own site, sync availability back to the channels, and put the guest relationship in your hands.
What the OTAs cost you a year
Commission is charged on every booking, forever, and it scales with your success. Put your own numbers in and see the figure.
AED
%
%
%
Share of OTA bookings you move direct: 30%
Operators with an established direct channel typically move 20–40% of their volume off the platforms in the first year.
Commission paid per year
AED 312,732
Recovered at 30% direct
AED 93,820
Every year, against a one-time build cost.
An estimate, not a quote. It assumes commission is charged on gross booking value and ignores the payment processing fees you would pay on direct bookings — typically 2–3%, well below OTA commission.
What we build
A direct channel is not just a website with a contact form. It is the booking engine, the sync, the payments and the guest communication working together well enough that guests choose it over the app they already have installed.
A booking engine that converts
Live availability, instant confirmation, and a checkout that works on a phone at midnight. Multi-property search with the filters guests actually use.
Channel manager sync
Two-way sync with Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo through your existing channel manager, so a direct booking closes the dates everywhere else.
Payments and deposits
Take full payment, a deposit, or split payments at your own terms. Regional and international processors, with security deposits and damage waivers handled.
Guest communication
Automated confirmations, pre-arrival details, check-in instructions and review requests — sent from your brand, to an address you own.
Access and operations
Smart lock codes, cleaning schedules and housekeeping handoffs triggered by the booking, integrated with the tools your team already runs.
Rates and revenue control
Seasonal pricing, minimum stays, length-of-stay discounts and direct-only rates you cannot publish on the platforms without breaking parity.
Live in about eight weeks
A typical portfolio of 10 to 50 units. Larger operations or unusual channel setups take longer, and we will say so before you commit.
Week 1
Audit the portfolio
We look at your units, your channel manager, your rate structure and where your bookings actually come from today. You get the commission figure, calculated properly.
Weeks 2–3
Design and rates
Property pages, search, and the checkout flow. We set the direct-only rate strategy that gives guests a reason to book with you without breaking parity agreements.
Weeks 4–7
Build and integrate
Booking engine, payments, and two-way channel sync. We test double-booking scenarios hard, because that is the failure everyone fears and few vendors prove.
Week 8
Launch and shift
Go live, point your existing guest list at it, and start converting repeat stays away from the platforms. We stay on through the first booking cycle.
Booking platforms we have built
Which one are you?
A custom build is not the right answer for every operator, and we would rather tell you that now than three months in.
You run 10 or more units
The commission you are paying is large enough that a direct channel pays for itself, and your rate structure and operations are specific enough that off-the-shelf tools get in the way. This is the case for a custom platform you own outright.
You run fewer, or you are testing the idea
Start with an off-the-shelf booking tool and your channel manager's own website module. It will not be as good, but it will cost a fraction of a build and tell you whether guests will book with you direct. Ask us and we will point you at one — no charge, no pitch.
The questions operators actually ask
Will this get me delisted from Booking.com?
No. Running your own direct channel is normal and expected — most professional operators do it. What you cannot do is publish a lower public rate than the platforms while a parity clause is in force. We work around that the way the industry does: member rates, direct-only perks, longer-stay discounts and package inclusions that are not rate-comparable.
How does it avoid double bookings?
Your direct site becomes another channel on your existing channel manager, with two-way sync. A direct booking closes those dates on every platform within seconds, exactly as an Airbnb booking closes them on Booking.com today. If you do not run a channel manager yet, we will tell you which one fits before we build anything.
Which channel managers do you integrate with?
We have worked with the major ones and build against their APIs — Guesty, Hostaway, Smoobu, Beds24, Channex and others. If you are on something regional or in-house, send us the API documentation and we will tell you honestly whether it is workable.
What does it cost?
A direct booking platform for a portfolio of this size is a custom build, and the range depends on how many integrations you need and how unusual your rate structure is. We give a fixed price after a scoping conversation, not before. What we can say is that the calculator above is the number to weigh it against — most operators recover the build inside the first year.
I only have a handful of units. Is this worth it?
Probably not yet, and we will say so. Below roughly ten units the commission you would recover rarely justifies a custom build, and an off-the-shelf booking tool serves you better. Come back when the portfolio grows, or talk to us about the smaller version.
Do I own it?
Yes. You own the code, the guest data, the domain and the payment relationship. There is no per-booking fee to us, no commission, and no platform that can change its terms on you. Maintenance is a separate, optional arrangement.
What happens to my existing guests?
That is the fastest win. Guests who have already stayed with you are the easiest to move direct, because they have no reason to pay a platform markup to return. Launching with a campaign to your existing list is part of how we plan the go-live.
Tell us what isn't working
Thirty minutes, no pitch. Describe the operation and what keeps breaking, and we'll tell you what we'd do about it — including when the answer is that you don't need us yet.
What you walk away with
An honest read on whether software is even the right fix
A ballpark on timeline and budget before you commit to anything
Whether an existing platform gets you there faster than a build
The questions worth answering before you brief anyone
Contact Us
701, Opal Tower Business Bay, Dubai United Arab Emirates
P.O.Box 126732
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