Free Resources

Everything you need to know
about direct bookings.

Practical guides for STR hosts who are ready to stop relying on Airbnb and VRBO — and start owning their bookings.

All Articles

Guides for STR hosts.

The Real Cost of Airbnb & VRBO Fees — Direct Booking Math for STR Hosts

Airbnb charges hosts up to 15.5%. VRBO takes 8% per booking. Here's the real math on what OTA fees cost your short-term rental — and what even a 20% shift to direct bookings is worth.

What is AEO? Why Short-Term Rental Hosts Need to Care About AI Search

Guests are asking ChatGPT and Perplexity where to stay. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is how your property gets found — and recommended — by AI search engines. Here's what it means and what to do about it.

How to Write Vacation Rental Property Descriptions That AI Can Rank

Most STR descriptions are written for guests browsing Airbnb. Learn how to write descriptions that also get found — and recommended — by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

The 12-Point STR Website Checklist: Does Your Vacation Rental Site Have These?

Before your vacation rental website goes live, run through this 12-point checklist. Most template sites fail on 6 or more of these. Here's what separates a site that books from one that just exists.

Ready to build your direct booking site?

Everything you've read here is built into every Stay Web Solutions site by default — SEO, AEO, professional design, and your booking widget embedded. Launch in under an hour.

Build My Site

$197 launch fee · $49/mo or $490/yr · 30-day money-back guarantee