What's your view on Airbnb's Direct Booking Links?

Question

Would love to know your views and opinions on the latest Airbnb Direct Booking Links

If you have missed the news, Airbnb is testing giving hosts on the platform a special referral link for your properties

You take that link and go and post it on social media, in emails, or just send it to people you know (and past guests)

If a guest books via that link, the commission you pay Airbnb goes from 15.5% down to 10% (some have even reported 6%)

For those who have tuned into my podcast epsiodes with Bigger Pockets and Bigger Stays will know my views, but I would love to know yours

John Underwood · Answer

If I'm going to do my own advertising I'm going to give them my Vrbo link or a direct booking link.

Diana Khan · Answer

@Mark Simpson, from the business-owner side, the question I would ask is: if I’m doing the work to bring the guest in, what am I really getting in return besides a lower fee? If the guest is still booking through Airbnb, then Airbnb still controls a big part of the relationship, the rules, and the booking process.

I’ve learned in business that the real value is not always just saving a few percentage points. It is also about who owns the customer relationship, who controls the follow-up, and whether you can build repeat business over time. If I’m spending my own time and money to bring someone in, I would want to know whether I’m actually building my own audience or simply sending more business back through someone else’s platform. I sent you a connection request as well. I like the way you think about the business side of STRs, and I’d be glad to stay connected and keep up with what you’re seeing.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

Lydia, I'd extend that test past availability for anyone adding a separate direct-booking channel. Map how the reservation becomes a cleaner assignment, an access plan and a guest message, then test a date change and a cancellation too. The calendar can look right while the cleaner still has the old checkout date. I'd want one clear view of the live schedule and someone responsible for catching anything that doesn't transfer as expected.

James Folk · Answer

The math on this is worth spelling out because "15.5% to 10%" sounds like a minor tweak but it isn't. At 15.5% you keep 84.5% of the booking value. At the reported 10% referral rate you keep 90%, and at 6% you'd keep 94%. That's real money for effectively zero extra work, since you're not moving the guest anywhere, just handing them a different link. Worth comparing against what going fully off-platform gets you: after your own card processing (roughly 2.9% plus 30 cents on a US card), you'd keep around 97%. So even the best-reported referral rate doesn't fully close that gap, but it captures a meaningful chunk of it for the guests you'd probably never get to book direct anyway.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

Lauren's point about trust makes sense. I'd look at first time guests and repeat guests separately here. Someone who's never heard of you might need the Airbnb reviews to feel comfortable booking. Someone who's already stayed with you has a different reason to trust you.

Lauren Kormylo · Answer

Since I don’t do much direct booking, I would take advantage of the Airbnb link, if given the chance. I post direct booking links in a few local Facebook pages where guests look for rentals, and guests there still trust Airbnb and Vrbo over direct booking links. Or at least they want to know that you also have an account on the big platforms, with reviews. So I usually end up posting both links. I only get a handful of repeat direct booking guests, so using this Airbnb link wouldn’t take much away from that.

Mark Simpson · Answer

Loved seeing your opinions

Thank you

Andrew Steffens · Answer

I think it is smart on their behalf - but not necessarily smart on the host part.  If they are giving me a link to post out myself to bring a guest, all they are providing me is a simple booking site and they are cheaper than 6-10% of revenue.  However they are including AirCover, for what its worth, but there are alternatives to this as well.

Andrew Steffens · Answer

Where?

Mark Simpson · Answer

did you miss out a "not" there?

What's your view on Airbnb's Direct Booking Links?

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