Best way to build direct booking site? Need help

[Hunter Beck]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to build a direct booking site. In my research, it feels like there are two broad routes to do this.

1. Airbnb look-alikes: Houfy, Airbook.direct, OnNinth
2. Stand-alone sites with plugin: You build your own website on WordPress, Wix, Setmore, etc., and get a direct booking plug-in or widget to attach (BnBForms).

We aren’t sure if the first category looks unprofessional or untrustworthy for guests.

Question: Does a super sleek, polished website through Wix/Wordpress/Setmore convert better than the Airbnb look alikes? We assume that most folks booking will be return guests (not new bookings). We are open to building our own stand alone Website, we just want to make sure that is the best approach before investing the time, energy, effort, and money into it. The stand alone sites seem to require a lot more integration points and opportunities for failure (e.g. calendar syncing, PriceLabs connection, calendar widget, etc.). 

Any insight or guidance you can share would be super appreciated! 

Blessings,
Hunter

[Lisa Graesser]

Instead of building your own direct booking site, check out Houfy.com

It is free for host and guests, unless you want to pay for add-ons. I dont pay for any extras so can't speak of how useful the are. I have been accepting direct booking through Houfy for years now and I am very happy to have this option.