Every booking that comes through Airbnb, Booking.com, or a similar platform comes with a commission attached — often 15-20% per stay. A well-built direct-booking website gives guests a reason to book with you instead.
Room and Unit Galleries
High-quality, fast-loading photos of each room or unit are doing most of the persuading before a guest ever books — this deserves real investment.
Clear Availability Information
Guests want to know quickly whether their dates are available without having to email and wait for a reply — a visible calendar or availability indicator reduces this friction significantly.
Direct Booking Forms
A straightforward way to inquire or book directly, ideally with M-Pesa deposit collection built in, gives price-conscious and returning guests a real incentive to skip the OTA commission.
Should You Drop OTA Listings Entirely?
Not necessarily — most properties keep OTA listings for discovery by new guests, while actively directing repeat and referred guests toward booking directly instead.
Fast-Loading Pages Matter More Than You'd Think
A slow-loading gallery on mobile data can lose a booking before a guest even sees your rooms — see our guide on why website speed matters.
Building This
See our hotel & lodge website page for the full feature set.