Do you need one?
Does a holiday let need a website?
A fair question when Airbnb and the agencies list you. But the honest answer turns on repeat guests: without your own site, even the ones who return pay an agency's cut every time.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Does a holiday let need a website?
The honest answer
Does a holiday let need a website? If you are happy to pay an agency’s cut on every booking, including from the guests who return year after year, then perhaps not. But the honest answer turns on those repeat guests. Holiday lets are the kind of place people come back to, the same cottage, the same view, every summer, and a guest who loved their stay would happily rebook direct. But without your own site, they have nowhere to, so they go back through the platform, and you pay the agency’s cut all over again, even on the loyalty you earned. Your own website changes that: it showcases your property, takes bookings direct, and lets a returning guest book with you rather than the agency. The real question, then, is whether you want to own your bookings and your repeat guests, because without a website you pay a cut on everything, including the guests who came back specifically because they love your place.
Without a site, even loyal guests cost you commission
A holiday let that exists only on the platforms is renting its bookings from them, and paying a large cut on every week, which stings most on the bookings you least needed the platform for. A guest who stayed once, loved it, and wants to come back is a booking you have effectively already won, but without your own site they still book through the platform, so you pay commission on a guest who would gladly have booked direct. Over years, as loyal guests return again and again, that is a great deal of money handed to an agency for bookings that were yours. Your own site is where those guests can book with you directly, keeping the commission and turning a one-off holiday into repeat direct bookings, so its value grows with every guest who comes back. Without it, the platform takes its cut on your loyalty forever, which is the most avoidable cost a holiday let pays.
Your own site captures the guests worth most
The strongest objection is that the platforms already bring your bookings, so why build a site, and it is worth answering directly. The platforms do bring guests, and they are worth using for reach, but a large share of guests who find a property on a platform then look up its own site to see it properly before booking a whole week, and repeat guests would book direct if they could. A let with no site loses both, the platform-found guest who wanted to see more, and the loyal guest who would happily have booked with you, to the platform and its commission. A site captures exactly these, the guests worth most, the ready and the returning, converting them into commission-free direct bookings while you still use the platforms for the reach they bring. So relying only on listings means paying a cut on your most valuable bookings; your own site is how you keep them, and the money, yourself.
So the real answer to does a holiday let need a website is: yes, if you want to own your bookings and your repeat guests, because without your own site even returning guests book through an agency that takes a cut every time, so being absent means paying on your own loyalty. And finding out costs just £99 up front: I build the site on spec, from £297, and you see it finished before you pay the rest, so you can look at your actual site, ready to showcase the property and take bookings direct, and decide from there, knowing the agency’s cut you keep quickly outweighs the modest cost.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a holiday let site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
Does a holiday let really need a website?
If you want to own your bookings and your repeat guests, yes, because without your own site even returning guests book through an agency that takes a cut every time. Guests who love your place would happily rebook direct, but with nowhere to, they go through the platform and cost you commission. A site lets them book with you directly, so without one you pay a cut even on the loyalty you earned.
Isn't a listing on Airbnb or an agency enough?
A listing brings guests, but it takes a large cut of every week and presents your property on the platform's terms among rivals, whereas your own site showcases the property fully and takes bookings commission-free. So a listing fills some weeks but costs you on each one, especially on repeat guests who would gladly book direct. A site is how you own those bookings and keep the money.
Why do guests look at a holiday let's own site?
Because a guest choosing a holiday wants to see the property and its setting properly before booking a whole week, which a platform listing shows only partially, so many who find you on a platform then look up your own site. A let with no site loses those guests to the platform, and the commission, while one with a beautiful site captures the direct booking.
Most of my bookings come through the platform. Do I still need a site?
Yes, precisely because those bookings cost you commission, and many could be direct. A site lets guests who find you on the platform, and especially those who return, book with you directly and commission-free, so it converts your most valuable bookings, the loyal and the ready, off the platform. Relying only on the platform means paying a cut on all of them.
When could a holiday let skip a website?
Realistically, only if you are happy to pay an agency's cut on every booking, including from guests who return year after year. Because even repeat guests book through the platform without your own site, most lets without one leave significant money on the table. For any let wanting to own its bookings and repeat guests, the case for a site is strong.
Is a website worth it for a single holiday let?
Often especially so, because the agency's cut on a whole week is significant, and a single let's repeat guests are its most valuable bookings, which a site captures direct. A beautiful, direct-booking site can turn one property's loyal guests into commission-free repeat bookings. The cut saved on a few weeks covers the cost.
How much does it cost to find out if a website is worth it?
Just £99 to start with me, and it comes off your quote. I build the whole site first and you see the finished thing before you pay the rest, from £297. So you are not gambling on a maybe, you are looking at the actual site for your holiday let and deciding then. Given the agency's cut you keep on direct bookings, the risk of finding out is very low.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a holiday let site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.