How to reduce Booking.com and Airbnb commission?
By Ismail Bentounsi · Updated
In short
The commission rate is set by your contract with each platform: what you can reduce is the number of bookings that pay it. Guests who find you on Google or Instagram, or who come back, must be able to book direct and get a quick reply in their language. Keep Booking.com and Airbnb to be found, and change the split.
Keep the platforms, change the split
Booking.com and Airbnb bring guests you would not have found alone. The aim is not to leave them, but for bookings that can happen direct to happen direct.
Worked example
With the calculator’s values: 6 rooms at 900 MAD a night, 60% occupancy, 70% of bookings via platforms at 18% commission (example, editable). You pay about 149 000 MAD in commission a year. Moving 25% of those bookings to direct keeps about 37 300 MAD a year with you. The calculator on the home page redoes the maths with your numbers.
The 5 steps
A website guests can book on
Room pages, photos, prices and an availability request or booking engine, without going back to a platform.
A Google profile that leads to you
When a guest types your riad’s name, your Google Business Profile should show your website and WhatsApp, not only the platforms.
Reply fast, at any hour
At 11 pm a guest asks if you have a room. An AI assistant on WhatsApp and on your website replies straight away, in their language, and hands over to you when it doesn’t know.
A direct channel for your guests
Happy guests may come back: give them your website and WhatsApp, within your contract with each platform.
Measure what you keep
Count direct and platform bookings every month and redo the calculation with your numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I negotiate Booking.com or Airbnb’s commission rate?
The rate depends on your contract and each platform’s programmes. The lever in your hands is the share of bookings that go direct.
Can I offer a lower price on my own website?
That depends on your contract with each platform: check it before changing prices. A direct site can also stand out through service: quick replies, transfers, advice.
How much can I save?
It depends on your numbers. The calculator on the home page gives you the order of magnitude from your rooms, prices and commission rate.
Let’s look at your numbers
Send me your numbers on WhatsApp and I’ll tell you what a website and an AI assistant could change for your riad.
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