Fewer repeated questions
Bedrooms, rules, fees, location, and guest fit answered before the owner has to repeat the basics.
Direct booking websites for vacation rental owners.
A direct home for the guests your listings earned.
Keep Airbnb and VRBO working for discovery. Add an owner-approved direct site for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries who want to understand the home before they ask about dates.
Start with one listing. Most owners can begin with a URL and 2-3 notes; the first preview is private, not public, not bookable, and built around owner-approved guest communication.
Cleaner inquiries
Dates, party size, source, special needs, and preferred contact captured in one owner-reviewed path.
Owner-ready replies
Reply drafts can be prepared for owner review once the communication setup is approved.
Owner controls
Nothing becomes public by accident.
1Private
2Needs owner review
3Approved later
01 — Where this fits
An honest read first
Best fit
You already get bookings, but your own direct site is missing, weak, or dated.
Good fit
You have repeat guests, referrals, or serious inquiries who need a better place to learn about the home.
Portfolio fit
Start with one property first. Expand only if the preview and owner handoff feel right.
Probably not the right fit yet
You already have a polished direct site and booking setup that works well for guests.
02 — What DirectStay does
We help turn a good rental into an owner-approved direct site.
Dates + party size
Rules + fees
Local context
Owner-ready reply
We study the property and prepare a first version that shows how guests could understand the home, ask about dates, and remember where to return.
The final site should protect the owner's standards: true photos, accurate details, clear rules, better-fit guests, and a communication path that stays under owner control.
We did this for our own villa before offering it to anyone else — see Villa La Percha live.
03 — What owners get back
What you get if it is a fit.
The first review should make the choice clearer, not heavier.
A reusable answer hub
Give repeat guests and referrals one owner-approved place to understand the stay before asking you the basics.
A better inquiry packet
Collect dates, group size, stay questions, policies, and reply channel before the owner has to answer.
Less manual sorting
Separate serious requests from vague questions while keeping the owner in control of quotes, rules, and booking decisions.
Property proof
See how a cared-for home can be represented.
Villa La Percha shows the goal: strong imagery, accurate guest answers, owner standards, and a direct inquiry path that still respects control.
Request a private reviewExample property page
StoryPhotosGuest fit
Example property
Villa La Percha
A real example of how a direct site can make the home easier to understand, remember, and ask about without flattening its personality.
Ask about datesOwner review
Guest confidence
Bedrooms, layout, occupancy, and stay details are organized before guests need to ask.
Property memory
Pool, kitchen, screened room, nearby beaches, and local context make the home easier to remember.
Owner-approved inquiry
Guests get a calm ask-about-dates path only after the owner decides how launch should work.
Human curation
- Photos and property facts
- Voice, standards, and ideal guest fit
- Rules, rates, fees, deposit language, and guest promises
Before launch
The owner approves content, launch, inquiry flow, booking options, and guest promises before guests use the site.
Example proof only. Villa La Percha shows one style of property page. DirectStay adapts the work to each home, owner, and guest audience.
04 — Example inquiry packet
Illustrative only
What an owner could receive.
A direct page should turn a vague guest message into a cleaner owner review packet. This is an example format, not a live customer result.
Guest request
Repeat guest referral for a family week
- Dates requested
- July 12-18
- Guests
- 4 adults, 2 kids
- Found you through
- Past guest referral
- Best reply channel
- Owner email first
Answered before owner reply
Sleeping layout and kid fit
Parking and arrival basics
Pet and quiet-hour rules
Fees that need owner confirmation
Owner still decides
Confirm availability
Choose the quote
Approve or edit the reply
Accept, decline, or ask a follow-up
Owner-ready reply draft
Thanks for reaching out. The dates may be possible. Before I quote it, can you confirm whether the kids will use the twin room and whether you need pet approval? I will confirm final availability and rate before anything is held.
Draft only. DirectStay does not send guest replies without owner-approved setup.
05 — Communication advantage
Less back-and-forth
Better guest questions before they reach you.
A direct site should not just look better. It should make early guest communication cleaner, more specific, and easier for an owner to review.
Cleaner inquiry packets
A direct inquiry can arrive with the useful basics already organized: dates, guest count, source, questions, and what still needs owner confirmation.
Owner-ready reply drafts
DirectStay can help prepare replies for owner review after the owner approves the communication path. No surprise guest messages.
Fewer repeated questions
Common questions about layout, rules, fees, location, and guest fit can live on the page so owners spend less time repeating the same first answer.
Owner control
Every guest-facing decision stays owner-approved.
Not live
DirectStay concept
Owner preview
Property facts
Owner review
Photos
Confirm
Rates + fees
Separate approval
Inquiry path
Private
Approval path
1Private concept
2Owner corrections
3Launch decision
Locked until approved
No public launch
Facts, photos, rates, and inquiry setup stay private first.
How it starts
A first version, then your review.
- 01You share the property link, photos, or details you want reviewed.
- 02We prepare a private owner preview.
- 03You correct details, photos, rates, rules, fees, and guest information.
- 04You decide whether to revise, pause, remove, or launch.
06 — If you continue
What the site can become.
If the first version is worth continuing, the build turns it into an owner-approved direct inquiry and booking path.
Property story
Photography, voice, amenities, and local context that feel specific to the home.
Guest clarity
A clean direct inquiry path for guests to understand the stay, ask better questions, and arrive with more context.
Owner-approved launch
Inquiry routing, response expectations, and booking steps only move forward after owner review.
Booking economics
An owner-approved direct path may give owners more choices.
Marketplace bookings are still useful. When repeat guests and referrals come back directly, owners can choose how to think about margin, guest pricing, or a repeat-stay offer.
Illustrative only. DirectStay does not set rates or guarantee savings. Actual results depend on your rates, platform fees, processor costs, taxes, cleaning fees, and policies.
Marketplace-style booking
Convenient, but platform-shaped.
Guest sees
Nightly rate, cleaning, taxes, and marketplace charges in one platform checkout.
Owner controls
The listing content, but not the full guest path.
Repeat guests
Often return through the marketplace again.
Same stay, different control points
Owner-approved direct path
A branded path guests can remember.
Guest sees
Rates, fees, policies, and date questions in your branded setting.
Owner controls
How the inquiry path is presented once the owner approves it.
Repeat guests
Have a memorable direct home for future stays.
Possible fee tradeoffs are an owner choice
Keep guest fees at $0
Add only pass-through costs
Share value between owner and guest
The owner decides whether direct guests see no extra fee, only true pass-through costs, or a clearly disclosed owner-approved fee. The booking terms stay under owner control.
Hypothetical sample booking math
A marketplace total can become an owner-controlled direct offer.
This example starts with a $5,000 rental subtotal. It shows how an owner-approved direct path could let the guest pay less while the owner keeps more of the rental value. The owner controls rates, fees, discounts, and payment setup.
Airbnb / marketplace-style sample
Guest pays platform total.
Owner nightly/rental subtotal$5,000
Cleaning fee$450
TaxesVaries
Sample guest platform/service fee$650
Sample host-side marketplace fee-$150
Owner rental payout
$4,850
Before ordinary property expenses; cleaning is treated as pass-through in this example.
Owner-approved DirectStay sample
Owner chooses the direct terms.
Owner-chosen direct rental subtotal$5,300
Cleaning fee$450
TaxesVaries
Guest service/admin fee$0
DirectStay pilot fee on rental subtotal-$371
Owner rental proceeds
$4,929
Before processor and ordinary property expenses; payment setup is owner-approved.
Marketplace guest total before taxes
$6,100
$5,000 rent + $450 cleaning + $650 sample guest-side platform fee. Taxes vary by stay.
Direct guest total before taxes
$5,750
$5,300 rent + $450 cleaning + $0 guest service/admin fee. Taxes vary by stay.
Guest savings in this direct example
$350
The owner could also choose a smaller discount, larger discount, or no special direct discount.
Owner rental proceeds comparison
+$79
$4,929 direct rental proceeds before processor/ordinary expenses vs. $4,850 marketplace rental payout in this sample.
Taxes are excluded from these side-by-side totals because they vary by property, dates, jurisdiction, and collection method. Cleaning treatment, refundable deposits, payment processor costs, platform fee rules, and owner policies vary. This is a sample calculation, not a stated Airbnb or VRBO rate and not a promise of savings.
The key owner choice: charge no guest-side direct fee, pass through only real costs, or set an owner-approved fee while still giving guests a clearer direct path.
DirectStay does not set rates, approve bookings, collect guest payments, or guarantee savings.
Founder Pilot
Pilot fees apply only to owner-accepted attributed bookings.
Simple pilot terms: $0 upfront build fee, $0 monthly during the pilot, and 7% of the owner's rental subtotal for bookings accepted by the owner and attributed under written pilot terms.
Waived build fee
Typical upfront build fee
$0 upfront for founder pilot owners
The pilot fee is calculated excluding taxes, refundable deposits, cleaning, and pass-through fees. Attribution, pilot duration, updates, and cancellation handling are confirmed in writing before launch.
$0
founder pilot upfront build fee
$0
monthly fee during the pilot
7%
of the owner's rental subtotal for bookings accepted and attributed under written pilot terms
Included during the pilot
Property site concept and build
Hosting during the pilot
Included DirectStay subsite
Direct inquiry path and source tracking
Owner review and corrections
Basic search metadata
Basic owner-approved updates during the pilot
Comparison notes
Marketplace fee rules vary by platform. DirectStay pilot terms are confirmed in writing before launch.
A DirectStay subsite is included during the pilot so the owner can launch without buying a domain first.
An optional custom domain purchase and configuration can be handled as a paid setup item when the owner wants it.
DirectStay does not become the property manager, set rates, approve bookings, collect guest payments, change Airbnb/VRBO listings, or manage guests.
07 — Owner protections
Plain English
Clear boundaries, in plain English.
DirectStay helps with the site and source tracking. You remain the source of truth for the property and the booking decision.
Photos, property details, amenities, sleeping layout, rules, and local recommendations
Rates, available dates, fees, deposits, cancellation terms, and house rules
Whether the first look stays private, gets revised, is removed, or becomes a public site
We do not become your property manager.
We do not set rates, approve bookings, change Airbnb or VRBO listings, manage guests, or make guest-facing commitments for you.
Owners stay responsible for availability, quotes, calendar accuracy, payments, taxes, deposits, refunds, cancellations, disputes, and accepted bookings.
We do not give legal, tax, insurance, or accounting advice.
We do not help move Airbnb or VRBO guests off those platforms in ways that break their rules.
We do not take guest payments, handle refunds, or make the site bookable before you approve that setup.
08 — What happens after yes
A review first, then a clear choice.
Owners should know what happens after they respond, what is free to review, and what would require written pilot terms.
Private direction
Send one listing and a few notes. When requests are actively being reviewed, we usually reply the same day.
Owner correction
When enough material is available, DirectStay can usually prepare a private preview in 1-2 days. You mark what is wrong, what should be removed, and what guests should understand before asking about dates.
Communication setup
If you continue, the direct page can collect better guest questions and help prepare owner-ready replies for review.
Written pilot terms
Before anything becomes public or operational, launch terms, attribution, fees, owner responsibilities, and exit options are confirmed in writing.
What the owner chooses
Guest intake
Which questions guests must answer first, from dates and group size to pet, parking, and stay-fit details.
Reply channel
Where requests should route and whether DirectStay may prepare owner-ready drafts for review.
Booking boundary
What remains owner-only: rates, availability, deposits, refunds, exceptions, and final acceptance.
Public launch
What wording, photos, rules, attribution, and pilot terms must be approved before guests see anything.
09 — Pilot terms at a glance
Simple enough to evaluate before a contract.
These are the founder-pilot basics. The exact launch terms are confirmed in writing before any public or operational site goes live.
$0 upfront build fee during the founder pilot.
$0 monthly platform fee during the pilot.
7% pilot fee only on owner-accepted bookings attributed under written pilot terms.
A DirectStay subsite is included so a custom domain is optional, not required on day one.
The owner controls rates, availability, fees, rules, guest approval, and accepted bookings.
The owner can pause, revise, or decline before public launch.
10 — The practical pieces
What we review
The practical pieces.
- Current Airbnb, VRBO, website, social page, or public listing
- The property story, photos, amenities, layout, rules, guest quality, and repeat-stay opportunities
- Whether an owner-approved direct site would give repeat guests and serious inquiries a better path
- What still needs owner-provided photos, rates, rules, fees, and approval
Review candidates
Property types we can evaluate.
- Single-home vacation rentals with strong Airbnb or VRBO demand
- Condos with repeat guests, referrals, or owner-rental sheets
- Cabins, lake homes, and local stays with recurring guest questions
- Small portfolios that should start with one property first
Cost and safety
No hidden first step.
- No charge and no obligation to request a private review.
- The first preview stays private and is not bookable.
- Founder pilot: $0 upfront build fee, $0 monthly during the pilot, and a 7% pilot fee only on owner-accepted bookings attributed under written pilot terms.
- DirectStay does not contact guests, set rates, collect guest payments, manage listings, handle disputes, or become your property manager.
- No Airbnb, VRBO, or other marketplace photos, listing materials, ratings, or review references are published unless the owner approves them and confirms DirectStay may use them.
11 — Common questions
Practical answers before a call.
Do I need a direct booking website if I already use Airbnb or VRBO?
Maybe. Airbnb and VRBO are useful discovery channels. DirectStay is for owners who also want an owner-approved direct path for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries who come from outside restricted marketplace messaging.
Can DirectStay route inquiries to my email, phone, or current process?
Potentially, after approval. The owner decides who receives requests, what guests must provide first, and which reply channel should be used. Nothing routes publicly until the owner-approved setup is written down.
Is this an instant checkout system?
No. The first version is a private, non-bookable preview. If an owner continues, DirectStay can help shape an approved inquiry and booking path, but the owner remains responsible for rates, availability, payments, taxes, deposits, refunds, disputes, and accepted bookings.
How does the 7% founder pilot fee work?
Pilot terms are confirmed in writing before launch. The 7% pilot fee applies to the owner's rental subtotal for owner-accepted bookings attributed under those written pilot terms, excluding taxes, refundable deposits, cleaning, and pass-through fees.
Can DirectStay work with one property first?
Yes. Multi-property owners can start with one listing, review the private preview, and expand only if the first property and owner handoff feel right.
Will DirectStay use my Airbnb or VRBO photos and reviews?
Owner-approved photos, listing materials, and wording are best. Public listing pages can help us understand the property for a private first look. Marketplace reviews are not republished or quoted unless the owner approves the use and confirms the necessary permission or allowed-use basis.
Can guests book from the first version?
No. The first version is private and not bookable.
Will DirectStay answer guests for me?
Not by default, and never as a surprise. DirectStay can help organize guest questions and prepare owner-ready reply drafts after the owner approves the communication path. Owners still control availability, rates, promises, and accepted bookings.
What work does this remove from me?
It can move repeated pre-booking basics into the page and inquiry packet: layout, rules, fees, location fit, date intent, guest count, and common questions. The owner still makes the decisions.
What proof do you have beyond your own villa?
Villa La Percha is the live founder property. For other owners, the first step is intentionally a private review candidate, not a public case study claim. DirectStay can evaluate condos, cabins, lake homes, single-family rentals, and small portfolios without implying those owners are live customers.
What happens after I say yes?
First comes a private direction and owner correction pass. If the owner wants to continue, DirectStay can shape the direct page, inquiry packet, reply draft path, attribution, and written pilot terms before anything becomes public or operational.
What if the first version gets details wrong?
That is exactly why the first version is private. You can correct facts, replace photos, change the direction, pause the work, or ask us to remove it.
Why would I need this if Airbnb and VRBO already work?
Many owners should keep using them. DirectStay adds a branded path alongside those platforms for repeat guests, referrals, and serious inquiries obtained outside restricted marketplace messaging.
First step
Start with a private review.
Share your property and current booking setup. We will review whether DirectStay can help and follow up with a practical next step.
A brand-forward guest page that makes each property easier to remember
A repeat-booking path for past guests and serious inquiries
Owner-approved inquiry flow, attribution, and launch options
For multiple properties
Start with one listing.
Review the private direction.
Expand to the full portfolio only when the first property feels right.