I'm on Airbnb or Vrbo and I want direct bookings

James Mercer writes the direct booking strategy beat. The work is about how hosts and small managers add a direct booking channel alongside Airbnb and Vrbo, and how they decide what to do first. Guides under this name are produced with AI assistance and human editorial review. This is a pen name. Direct Booking Academy does not present it as a credentialed expert, property owner, or photographer.

1. Keep the channel while you add a site

   A direct site can sit next to Airbnb or Vrbo. Lodgify's public FAQ says its channel manager syncs listings with those channels. That is Lodgify's statement, checked on 13 Oct 2026, not a test by this publication. Hospitable's help center describes a hosted direct site that can also use a custom domain.

2. Price one real stay before you pick a tool

   Use the fee calculator with the host fee from a booking you already have and the card fee your payment setup charges. Do not use a percent you saw in an ad.

3. Then choose the tool you will actually open

   If you already use Lodgify, start with the Lodgify path. If you already use Hospitable, start with the Hospitable path. If you use neither, the comparison is not written yet.

   Placeholder. Lodgify vs Hospitable, and the "first direct booking" guide, are not written yet and have no pages.