Save More When You Book Direct: Why It Pays to Skip the Extra Platform Fees

When planning a trip, most travelers automatically turn to large vacation-rental platforms like Airbnb. They’re convenient, familiar, and make it easy to compare places to stay.

But what many guests don’t realize is that how you book can affect how much you pay.

The same property you discover on a third-party booking platform may also be available directly from the property owner. And when you book direct, you may be able to avoid some of the additional costs associated with booking through a large platform.

At Crossroads Properties, we want our guests to get a great stay—and a great value.

Vacation Rental Fees Are Changing

Large vacation-rental platforms charge service fees for providing their booking and payment services. Traditionally, Airbnb has used a split-fee structure for many reservations, where hosts pay a portion of the service fee and guests see an additional service fee during checkout.

Airbnb has also been moving more hosts toward a host-only fee structure. Under this model, a larger service fee is deducted from the host’s payout rather than appearing as a separate charge to the guest.

That may make the guest’s checkout screen look simpler, but the cost of using the platform doesn’t disappear.

Property owners still have to account for those fees when determining what nightly rate they can afford to offer through a third-party platform. As a result, a property may need to be listed at a higher rate on a booking platform than when it is booked directly.

That’s why it’s worth taking a moment to check the direct price before you book.

Higher Costs Can Affect Nightly Rates

Running a vacation rental involves much more than simply providing a place to sleep. Property owners have many of the same rising expenses as other businesses, including:

Property taxes
Insurance
Utilities
Cleaning and maintenance
Repairs and property improvements
Guest supplies and amenities
Booking and payment fees

When these expenses increase, owners have to decide whether to absorb the additional costs or adjust their rates.

Third-party booking fees create another expense that has to be factored into the cost of offering a property through those platforms.

By booking directly, you’re removing a third party from the reservation process, which can help reduce some of those additional costs.

Why Booking Direct Can Be Better

When you find a vacation rental you love on Airbnb or another booking platform, take a few minutes to see whether the property has its own official website.

You may discover that you can reserve the exact same property directly from the owner or property manager.

Booking direct can offer several advantages, including potentially better rates, fewer third-party fees and direct communication with the people actually managing your stay.

Have a question about check-in? Need recommendations around town? Want to extend your stay? When you book directly, you can communicate with the property management team without having a third-party platform in the middle.

Just make sure you’re booking through the property’s legitimate official website before providing payment information.

Vacation Rental Operating Costs Continue to Rise

Vacation-rental owners in Missouri are also facing increases in many of the costs associated with operating and maintaining short-term rental properties.

Property assessments, insurance, taxes, utilities, maintenance, repairs and other expenses all contribute to what it costs to provide guests with a clean, comfortable and well-maintained place to stay.

For independently owned vacation rentals, every additional expense matters.

Booking directly is one simple way travelers can support local property owners while potentially getting a better value on their stay.

Staying With Crossroads Properties? Book Direct With Us

If you’re planning a trip to Carthage, Missouri, there’s no need to go through a third-party booking platform to reserve one of our properties.

You can book directly with Crossroads Properties through our official website.

When you book directly with us, you can see our direct rates and availability while communicating directly with the people managing your stay.

Whether you’re coming to Carthage for business, visiting family, planning a weekend getaway or staying a little longer, our goal is to provide a comfortable place that feels like home.

Before You Book, Check Direct

The next time you find a vacation rental on a major booking platform, take one extra step before completing your reservation:

Search for the property or property management company online and see if they offer direct booking.

You may find the exact same property at a better overall value.

Same great stays. Fewer third-party fees. More value for your next trip.