How much do platform fees cost you?
Set your average nightly rate and how many nights you let a year. The big number is what those bookings could be paying the platform each year.
Money lost to platform fees
£2,700 a year
£120 a night × 150 nights = £18,000 of bookings a year, at an assumed 15% host fee.
About the 15% assumption
Airbnb's fee depends on your host fee model. On the split fee, most hosts pay around 3% and guests pay a service fee on top. On the host-only fee, which many professional hosts and property managers use, the host pays around 15% and guests pay no service fee. Booking.com charges hosts a commission that varies by property. The fee is usually worked out on the whole booking, including cleaning fees, so your real figure may be higher. Your payout statements show your actual rate. If you pay around 3%, divide the big number by five.
Compared with a Signature booking site
Hosting is a separate £49 a month. It keeps your site secure and properly maintained, and pays for fixing problems if they occur.
Each night booked direct instead saves about £18 in fees. About 28 direct nights would cover the Signature site itself, and about 3 a month cover hosting.
Not every guest will book direct, and your own site needs guests to find it: returning guests, word of mouth and your social pages are the usual start. Payment processing fees on direct bookings aren't included here.
Some examples
| Nightly rate | Nights a year | Bookings | Lost to fees at 15% |
|---|---|---|---|
| £90 | 120 | £10,800 | £1,620 |
| £120 | 150 | £18,000 | £2,700 |
| £150 | 180 | £27,000 | £4,050 |
| £200 | 220 | £44,000 | £6,600 |
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