Are direct bookings worth it? Measure more than commission.

The Houfy and IntelliHost analysis tried to reduce a common distortion. Larger homes may attract longer stays and may also be more likely to have a working direct channel. Comparing all direct bookings with all OTA bookings could confuse property mix with channel behaviour.

Instead, the researchers included US rentals with at least five direct and five Airbnb reservations in the previous 24 months, then compared each property with itself. Direct stays had a median length of four nights against three on Airbnb. The median booking window was 41 days against 19. Nearly 30% of direct stays ran for seven nights or more, compared with 12.4% of Airbnb stays.^[1]

Lodgify found a similar pattern in a broader US dataset. Its 2026 report analysed more than 1.6 million 2025 bookings and surveyed 270 hosts and property managers. It reported 45.2% longer stays and 51.3% longer booking windows for direct reservations, plus a slightly higher average daily rate.^[2]

Two commercial datasets pointing the same way are useful. They are not proof that moving a guest from an OTA to your website will change that guest's trip. The same-property study is explicitly correlational: people planning longer trips may simply be more inclined to seek out the operator.^[1]

Start with the fee you actually pay. Airbnb says most hosts on its single-fee structure pay 15.5%, while remaining hosts typically pay 14% to 16%.^[4] Vrbo's standard pay-per-booking explanation lists a 5% commission and 3% payment-processing fee, with different arrangements for software-connected listings and some regions.^[5] Your dashboard and agreement beat any generic comparison.

Then add the less obvious numbers:

• booking value;
• length of stay;
• booking lead time;
• turnovers required;
• payment and website costs;
• cancellations and refunds;
• repeat bookings.

Review them property by property. A portfolio average can hide the cottage that wins week-long direct stays and the city apartment whose OTA demand still performs better.

Many operators have not captured the opportunity. Hostaway's survey of more than 300 operators in 46 countries found that 70% had a direct-booking website, yet nearly two thirds received less than 25% of bookings through owned channels. Eighteen per cent received none.^[3][7]

A website that exists but attracts no qualified guest is an invoice, not a channel.

OTAs can supply reach, checkout and guest familiarity. Direct booking gives you another route, with its own economics and guest relationship. Measure both without pretending one must erase the other.

OpenStays.AI adds discovery rather than processing the reservation. A free Property Passport publishes owner-approved property facts and points interested guests to the operator's chosen direct route. OpenStays.AI charges no listing fee or booking commission.^[6]

Create your free Property Passport, choose the direct route you want guests to follow and start measuring what that route earns.