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Haven Insights
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Featured guide · Direct Bookings
The Complete Guide to Direct Bookings for Short-Term Rental Hosts
A working playbook for short-term rental hosts who want more bookings off Airbnb and Vrbo — why direct booking matters, how to start, and how to keep the channel growing.
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Direct Bookings
How short-term rental hosts grow direct bookings — from first booking through a repeatable channel.
7 posts
Marketing
Practical marketing playbooks for short-term rental hosts: email, social, SEO, and seasonal campaigns.
3 posts
Airbnb & OTA Fees
What Airbnb and other OTAs actually charge hosts and guests — and how it affects payout, pricing, and direct-booking economics.
2 posts
Industry Insights
Trends and policy shifts shaping the short-term rental industry, and what they mean for independent hosts.
5 posts
Guest Experience
Guest retention, communication, and relationship economics for short-term rental hosts.
3 posts
Operations & Compliance
Insurance, taxes, and the operating stack hosts use to run short-term rentals like a business.
3 posts
Operations & Compliance
Hurricane Season 2026: What Short-Term Rental Hosts Should Have in Place Before June 1
Hurricane season starts June 1. Coastal short-term rental hosts: insurance and flood timing, property docs, vendors, and guest messaging belong in May.
Kathrine Swanson
May 1, 2026
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Marketing
Shoulder Season Marketing for Vacation Rentals: A Channel-by-Channel Playbook
Most short-term rental hosts market reactively: quiet calendars in May or October trigger panic with no lead time. This playbook treats shoulder season as its own campaign cycle — when to start, what to say, and which channels fit a solo host.
Kathrine Swanson
April 25, 2026
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Guest Experience
The Pre-Arrival Message Sequence That Eliminates Check-In Support Tickets
Most check-in support tickets repeat the same four questions. The fix is not more detail in one email—it is a four-touch message sequence timed so guests actually read and use the information.
Kathrine Swanson
April 25, 2026
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Industry Insights
What the World Cup Is Revealing About Short-Term Rental Supply Constraints
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is stress-testing short-term rental markets: where regulation caps legal supply, demand spikes show up as price pressure, shortfalls, and hotel spillover—not just higher host earnings.
Dustin Hofer
April 25, 2026
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Direct Bookings
What a Direct Booking Site Needs to Accept Its First Reservation
What a direct booking site needs before the first reservation clears: payments, calendar sync, signed agreements, guest verification, and confirmations.
Kathrine Swanson
April 24, 2026
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Industry Insights
The Quiet Shift to Monthly Rentals: What the Mid-Term Rental Boom Means for Short-Term Rental Hosts
Mid-term stays are scaling faster than nightly short-term rentals in the U.S.—host economics, platform shifts, and the 30-day tenancy threshold.
Kathrine Swanson
April 23, 2026
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Airbnb & OTA Fees
Airbnb Host Fees Explained: What Short-Term Rental Owners Actually Pay
Airbnb host fees: the split-fee (often 3%) and host-only (14-16%) models, how the booking subtotal is calculated, and what else affects your payout.
Trip
April 22, 2026
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Industry Insights
Inside Airbnb's New Damage Claim Rules: A Look at the April 2026 Terms Update
April 2026 Airbnb update: new AirCover evidence rules, consumable exclusions, tighter smoke claims, and a terms re-acceptance step for many hosts.
Kathrine Swanson
April 22, 2026
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Operations & Compliance
The Insurance Gap Most Short-Term Rental Hosts Don't Know They Have
Many STR hosts learn homeowners insurance may not pay guest-stay claims. How standard policies, platform help, and dedicated rental cover compare before a loss.
Kathrine Swanson
April 22, 2026
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Direct Bookings
How to Add Direct Booking Without a PMS or Tech Overhead
You don't need a PMS to add direct booking: how modern tools sync calendars, the usual host objections, and a lightweight start path you can use this week.
Trip
February 18, 2026
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Airbnb & OTA Fees
The Real Cost of Airbnb Fees (and How Direct Booking Offsets Them)
See the real cost of Airbnb: split host and guest fees, a simple before/after, and how direct booking changes what you keep on similar stays.
Trip
January 12, 2026
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Guest Experience
What Airbnb Won't Tell You About Owning the Guest Relationship
Airbnb limits guest data, messaging, and post-stay marketing. This covers those constraints and why owned email and direct booking support repeats.
Trip
December 8, 2025
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Industry Insights
Airbnb Policy Changes in 2024–2025: What Hosts Need to Know
Airbnb 2024–2025: fee display, cancellations, guest expectations, and enforcement shifts hosts should know about as they plan pricing and policy.
Trip
November 20, 2025
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Direct Bookings
Why More Hosts Are Moving Guests Off Airbnb and Booking Direct
Host economics: why a direct channel keeps more per stay, owns the relationship, and earns repeats while OTAs still handle discovery for you.
Trip
October 15, 2025
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Marketing
Get Ready for Peak Season: How to Prepare Your Direct Booking Site for Success
Get your direct booking site ready before peak season: past-guest outreach, fresh photos and copy, clear rates and policies, and a visible book-direct link.
Trip
April 16, 2025
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Operations & Compliance
How Short-Term Rental Hosts Maximize Profits (and Reduce Taxes)
Strategies many STR hosts use to lower liability legally: LLCs, ordinary and necessary expenses, depreciation, and planning with a qualified pro.
Dustin Hofer
March 4, 2025
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Marketing
Unlocking Hidden Bookings - How Direct Booking Hosts Can Capture More Guests and Higher Rates
Host-driven marketing: get your direct booking site in front of the right people so guests find you before they list-shop on the major OTAs.
Kate Swanson
March 1, 2025
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Guest Experience
The Value of Guest Retention in Short-Term Rentals: How to Build Long-Term Equity in Your Property
How repeat guests add asset value, why big OTAs complicate retention, and practical levers to own contact data and direct bookings over time.
Kate
February 16, 2025
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Direct Bookings
From Doordash to Google, What Short-Term Rentals Can Learn from the Restaurant Industry
Restaurants left delivery apps for first-party orders; STR hosts can do the same for bookings—lower fees, owned guests, a playbook in plain terms.
Kate Swanson
February 15, 2025
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Direct Bookings
How to Get More Bookings Through Your Direct Booking Website
Grow direct bookings with a trustworthy site, consistent email and social outreach, and perks for guests who book on your site rather than through an OTA.
Trip
February 9, 2025
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Direct Bookings
Why Every Vacation Rental Owner Needs a Direct Booking Website
OTAs take fees and limit the guest relationship. A direct booking site is how owners keep margin, build repeats, and stay in control—start here.
Trip
January 23, 2025
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Industry Insights
The Hidden Gap in Vacation Rental Software - Why Most Tools Aren't Built for Airbnb Hosts
Vacation rental software often targets big managers. Why solo STR hosts get the wrong fit—and what a usable stack should help you do day to day.
Kate Swanson
January 22, 2025
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