Save on Airbnb and Vrbo service fees - book direct!
Owners and managers of vacation rentals already pay to advertise on the big travel websites, but did you know that the big online travel agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, VRBO, Expedia, Tripadvisor also charge YOU, the traveler, a service fee to make your reservation through their websites?
Here's an example of our Hale O' Honu'ea vacation rental in Hawaii, showing quotes for the same dates across three different booking websites.
First lets start with the lowest quote - what you would see if you tried to book with us direct from our Houfy website listing
Here's the VRBO quote for the same week; same nightly rate, same cleaning fee, same state tax, but notice that extra "Service Fee":
Here's the Airbnb quote for the same week. Airbnb doesn't let us show the mandatory Hawaii state taxes that have to be charged on accommodation, so the nightly rate on Airbnb is inclusive of taxes for our Airbnb Hawaii listing:
Have you ever wondered what you get for paying that service fee? It's as high as $499 on Vrbo, and as much as 20% on Airbnb. Are you "Booked with Confidence" or do you feel like "Anyone can belong Anywhere" because you paid that fee?
How can you book direct? A great place to start is a hosting website like Houfy or local listing sites where there are no hidden traveler service fees. But these sites are newer and don't have the reach and volume of listings that are on the big OTAs. So what do you do if you find a great place on an OTA site that you think is perfect for your trip?
So my Savvy traveler friends - Book Direct - and Enjoy the money you save when you do - maybe it can pay for an extra night stay or an extra adventure!
If your travels bring you to the Big Island of Hawaii, we hope you find us and book direct! Notice how we have our name and signature photo on each site? Happy travels!
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