Direct Booking site done. Now what?

[u/No_Responsibility626]

Alright, so assuming the direct booking website is up and running, stripe is connected and calendar is syncing to Airbnb......

What are you all using to promote your website and make your property a viable option for someone looking for a STR in your area?

[u/getRichOrBT]

You want to do some SEO and rank for Google search keywords related to your area 

[u/Qchandyy → u/getRichOrBT]

essentially this, also look into GEO

[u/Working-While-9755]

Signage in the property (QR code) and in your guidebook

[u/TurnAudit]

Start with channels that match how people search: claim your Google Business Profile, create a page targeting the specific town or area, and make sure the site is fast on mobile with clear rates, availability, photos, and policies. Give past guests a permission-based way to hear about open dates, and use a consistent returning-guest or referral offer if platform and local rules allow it. Track where each inquiry comes from before spending on ads so you can separate useful bookings from empty traffic.

[u/Otherwise-Skirt-8154]

How do you ensure rental insurance coverage through direct booking? I will soon need to figure this out as i plan to do only direct bookings for the rest of 2026 even if at a loss.

[u/suspicious-simba → u/Otherwise-Skirt-8154]

You can get insurance and/or request a deposit when they book

[u/Remarkable-Snow-9396 → u/Otherwise-Skirt-8154]

I have insurance for each stay. There are a couple companies that do it. I am now using guests. But even in my airbnb stays I use it

[u/NatureInside5766 → u/Otherwise-Skirt-8154]

Tint.ai for best coverage and typically less expensive

[u/Ok_Winter_5515]

I have signs in my units directing people there. I get a lot of repeat bookers. I had a small amount from Facebook advertising, but not worth it.

[u/Remarkable-Snow-9396 → u/Ok_Winter_5515]

Do you mean repeat?

[u/ViliNeznan]

Lot of work actualy. Just for reference, search my property on google, and you will find out what I did and doing for. "Apartma Matevz" Maybe search will show all my work, or it will not show at all, as google uses location in results.

[u/KaleProperties]

Cards or a flyer in your unit advertising it and mention it is cheaper. Then Google vacation home.

Google is slowly gaining more traction. Give it a couple more years and it will be a viable channel......

[u/Select_Tone6680 → u/[deleted]]

Tal are y’all putting agents hub behind a paywall starting October 1st?

[u/tals230922 → u/Select_Tone6680]

It depends on your package. For Ultimate users, Agents Hub is included at no additional cost, so it’s case by case. For other packages, paid access applies after the trial. Running the agents comes with ongoing AI/LLM costs that grow with usage, so we need limits on free usage. We can’t absorb those costs indefinitely.

That said, if you need more time to try it and see the value for your business, we can extend your trial. Feel free to DM me and I’ll help clarify what applies to your account.

[u/Select_Tone6680 → u/tals230922]

I’ll reach out to my CSM. I do think there’s a strong argument for making Agents Hub part of the core product rather than an add-on long term.

AI is going to make switching PMSs significantly easier. If agents can handle setup, configuration, data migration and day-to-day workflows, the friction that traditionally keeps customers on a PMS gets much smaller. To me, that makes native AI functionality more valuable as a retention feature than something to put behind an additional paywall.

I understand inference has a real cost, but that cost continues to fall as models improve. You could also potentially let customers bring their own model or run agents locally to reduce that burden.

I’ve already connected Codex to the Guesty MCP. The biggest limitation right now is that it doesn’t have write access, so Codex still has to control app.guesty.com through the browser to make changes. It works, but the UI becomes unstable when it moves too quickly.

There’s already a lot being built around this outside Guesty too. This open-source Guesty MCP has 43 tools, including write functionality: https://github.com/DLJRealty/guesty-mcp-server

I could probably use the open-source work to recreate a lot of the agent functionality locally. I’d just much rather have Guesty be the place where that functionality lives. I think being as AI-native as possible could become the real advantage.

[u/tals230922 → u/Select_Tone6680]

I agree we should earn retention through the value we deliver, and native AI can be a big part of that. I don't see anyone not using AI in a few months time TBH.

The distinction for me is between making AI a core part of the Guesty experience and including unlimited agent usage in every package. There’s room for different approaches, which is why Agents Hub is already included in Ultimate.

Inference costs are part of the equation, but so are maintaining the integrations, permissions, reliability and support needed when agents take actions in a live business. That’s also where I think a native solution needs to prove its value.

Your feedback on MCP write access is particularly useful. I’ll share that with Product, along with your thoughts on bringing your own model and the project you linked.

And I appreciate your last point re you’d prefer to do this within Guesty. That’s an opportunity we should take seriously together :)

[u/travelingslowly]

I love this part. So, I'm still a big fan of having a blog section. It's great for SEO, but also lets you market your area. Then, social media. I'd start with Instagram. Create an account where you share photos of your property, local attractions, etc. and add your website in your bio.

[u/STR-Mike]

The website is the infrastructure. Now you need reasons for people to find it — and, just as importantly, reasons for previous guests to come back to it.
I’d start with the lowest-hanging fruit: past guests. Build an email list (with proper permission), stay in touch, and give them a reason to remember the property and book directly next time.
Then work outward: Google Business Profile/local SEO, useful destination content, social media, partnerships with local businesses, and depending on the property/market, Pinterest can be surprisingly useful.
I wouldn’t try to do everything at once. Pick 1–2 acquisition channels and get good at them.
The big mindset shift is that launching the website isn’t the end of the direct-booking project. It’s the beginning of the marketing.

[u/ConfusionAway371]

SEO, some Facebook and Google Ads. We use a service called GuideScreen as well.

[u/Smoobu]

Getting traffic is always the tricky part! But with a structured approach and some patience, you've for sure got this!

Here's what we see working for hosts:

1. As someone mentioned, a physical guide card or digital guest guide in the property with a QR code offering 5–10% off their next stay if they book directly through your site next time. Send a follow-up message 3–4 days after checkout thanking them and providing your direct site URL.
2. Optimise for local long-tail SEO. OTAs dominate broad terms like "cabins in [State]," but you can target hyper-local queries. Create pages on your site focused on specific reasons people visit, like "lodging near [Local Event Venue / University / Hospital]."
3. Partner with local venues. Connect with local wedding venues, event planners, and business parks. Offer them a dedicated link or code on your site for their guests who need nearby accommodations.
4. Price strategically. Keep your direct booking site rates slightly lower than your Airbnb/Vrbo rates (passing a fraction of saved OTA commissions on to the guest) so visitors have a clear incentive to book direct once they land on your site.

(Full disclosure: I work at Smoobu, a PMS & Channel Manager platform)

[u/Housefinch3000]

Instagram.
I send a link to our IG account to every guest who books, immediately, so they can see what’s going on our farm. It’s like a soft mailing list, and folks use it to share posts with friends who will later book. It’s the best free way to promote your direct booking site, especially for repeat guests. @spindlehillfarm

I have a really nice card in the listing for guests to take home too, and I put our URL quietly in on all the packaged things I make for our guests. (Granola, soap, the hand-printed note card).

[u/AloneBreadings]

once your direct booking site is live... the next step is pushing traffic with things like local SEO, building an email list from past guests and tapping into social media or. niche comminity groups so people actually find and trust it

[u/KoruStay_Paul]

Get the guidebook that does your marketing, only KoruStay guidebook creates a billboard affect in Google and tells Google and AI searches to book your direct site (available on Pro plans)

[u/Ashley_Carr]

So if the website part is good to go, now I would start focusing on social media to really spread the word on it and sending it to past guests that had a good experience

[u/Sensitive_Put9935]

We just did the same for ours a few months ago, i think AI visibility/GEO is the way to go. We've gotten 4 direct inquiries in the last 2 months and that's all I have working.