15.5%
Airbnb’s fee now comes out of your payout.
CNBCFor hosts who want more than the apps
Your property. Your guests. Your rules.
Keep your listings while you build a home base Airbnb and Vrbo can't take away. A beautifully designed website that's all yours, for one price.
4.95 from 1,000+ guest reviews on our own rentals- Built by Smokies hosts and a licensed builder
- $799 once, no monthly fee
- Usually live within 10 days
4.95
We're hosts, not a software company.
4.95 average from 1,000+ guest reviews across the rentals we host on Airbnb. We bring the same care to your site.
“This is our second time coming back and it won’t be the last.”
“Leora was a great host and made the whole experience easy.”
“Felt right at home as soon as we walked in.”
What changed this fall
The apps keep changing the deal.
You own the property. They keep writing the rules.
12%
Vrbo’s new flat commission, up from 5 to 8% for many hosts, plus price-match rules that reach your own site.
The Host ReportNov 20
Airbnb limits checkout requests, rental agreements, ID checks and collecting guest contact details.
AirbnbNo notice
Airbnb says it can suspend an account and cancel upcoming stays without warning.
Airbnb Help CenterGo direct at your own pace.
- 1Keep your listings. Add your own site.
- 2Past guests and Google find you there.
- 3Add a booking calendar when you’re ready.
- 4The apps become one channel, not your only one.
Why it matters
On Airbnb, you’re one listing in a long scroll. On your site, you’re the only one.
A QR card, a welcome email and a real website give past guests a way back.
Repeat guests can find you
A QR card in the house and a short welcome email give past guests a way back without searching the app.
Your name shows up on Google
Every page is set up for search, and your site is submitted to Google Search Console on day one.
Ready for direct booking
If you use Hospitable, OwnerRez or similar, we add your booking widget so guests can book on your site.
Why your own site
The math is on your side.
Keep listing on Airbnb. Your own site is where guests come back, stay longer and skip the fees.
$232
Airbnb’s 15.5% host fee on a $1,500 stay. Card fees on a direct booking run about $44.
45%
Longer stays on direct bookings than on booking sites, across 1.6 million U.S. bookings in 2025.
95%
Of guests would book direct, or are open to it, to save 10 to 15%.
75%
Of guests who booked on a hotel’s own site looked at a booking site first. The app is where guests find you. Your site is where they book.
3×
Direct guests came back 28.3% of the time, compared with 8.9% through Airbnb.
Data from Airbnb Cornell University Lodgify TouchStay hostAI
Industry figures from third-party studies. Results vary by property and market.
How it works
Less than one guest turnover.
Four steps and about 20 minutes of your time, all online. No calls required, and you get an email when it's your turn.
Laurel Ridge CabinStatus
- Paid
- Intake received
- Building your site
- Preview ready
- Live
You'll see this page after checkout. See a sample
- 01
Check out
Pay once, securely. Add extra properties or the monthly care plan if you want them.
2 minutes
- 02
Fill out one form
Paste your listing links, upload your photos as they are, and tell us your story and favorite local spots. Account steps are walked through on screen.
About 15 minutes
- 03
Review your preview
We build the site with your photos and write the pages in your voice. You get a private preview link and send one list of changes.
About 3 minutes · preview in about 7 days
- 04
Go live
We connect your domain, turn on your email list and Google setup, and send your print-ready QR cards and a one-page handoff.
Nothing for you to do · live within a few days
What you get for $799
Everything a host needs. Nothing to babysit.
Your website
Home, your story, a page for each property (up to 3), FAQ, contact and sign-up. Written in your voice and checked on phones.
Photos handled
Up to 150 photos picked, cropped and compressed. House numbers and personal items blurred.
Guest guides and QR cards
A guide page for each property with your favorite hikes, food and tips, plus a 5x7 QR card to print for inside.
Guest email list
MailerLite set up on your own free account, with a sign-up form and a welcome email you approve.
Domain and email
Your domain connected and hello@yourdomain forwarding to your inbox. Hosting is free.
Google setup
Titles, descriptions, sitemap and share images, plus Google Search Console verified with you as the owner.
Your best reviews
Paste your favorite guest reviews into the intake form. We put them on your home and property pages with your rating. See ours
Book direct
Your calendar and checkout from Hospitable, OwnerRez, Lodgify, Guesty or Hostaway, right on your site. Your software takes the payment. No calendar yet? We link to your listings.
Designs
See your rental in a few styles.
Mountain, beach, lake, ski, desert, farmhouse and modern. Open any of them, try another color or font, and picture your own photos in it.
Live site
Merrell Cabins
Our own cabins, live today. Several properties under one family name, with guides, reviews and an email list. Every design below starts from this build.
Visit merrellcabins.com
Beach
Sea Grape House
Bright, airy and photo-led, with a booking calendar up front. For beach houses and pool homes.
Open the design
Lake
Kettle Cove
Quiet and editorial, with a summer and fall switch. For lake cottages and river cabins.
Open the design
Ski
Ridgeline Chalet
Dark, bold and built for big groups, with winter and summer modes. For chalets and ski homes.
Open the design
Desert
Casa Ocotillo
Warm colors and arched photos. For desert homes, mid-century houses and design-forward stays.
Open the design
Farmhouse
Far West
One property, clean and classic. Great for farmhouses and big groups.
Open the design
Modern
Harmony Haus
Bold type and big photos. Good for modern cabins, A-frames and city stays.
Open the designThe beach, lake, ski and desert designs each include a booking calendar, photo gallery, room-by-room tour, area guide, reviews, FAQ, email sign-up and a matching guest guide page.
Your guide to the cabin
Welcome to Cumorah
Wi-Fi, house tips and our favorite places nearby.
Try it now
What guests see when they scan.
This is a real card from one of our cabins. Open your phone's camera and point it at the code to see what your guests will see: house tips, Wi-Fi and local picks, and a way to stay in touch.
On a phone already? Open the sample guide.
How we build
5-star hosts, a licensed builder and web developer build your site.
Plan, frame, finish, and check every board twice.
- PlanYour answers become the floor plan: pages, story, guides.
- FrameWe lay out every page and check it on phones first.
- FinishYour photos, your words, your colors. Ready to show guests.
SheetA-1 Plan
Built by hosts
We’re hosts and we understand.
We're Mike and Leora Merrell. We host cabins in the Smoky Mountains and a farmhouse in Virginia, and Mike is a licensed contractor who built some of them himself. Our own site is the template every Host Builder site starts from.
“Every option was a monthly platform or a $5,000 agency. So I built the version I wanted, with nothing to babysit.”Mike Merrell
“After all the time, money and effort I put into hosting, it is rewarding to see the same guests come back again and again.”Leora Merrell
- 98
- Mobile speed score on Google's Lighthouse test
- 100
- Score on our free website checkup
- 4.95
- Average rating across 1,000+ guest reviews
Measured on merrellcabins.com in November 2026. Every site we build starts from the same code.
Visit merrellcabins.com
What it costs over time
Pay once. Keep it forever.
Do-it-yourself: Lodgify website plans start at $26 a month billed yearly, and you build the site yourself. Done-for-you: Boostly’s starter tier is reported at $997 setup plus $97 a month. Agency: custom builds run $5,000 to $25,000 before upkeep. Prices as published in November 2026. Your domain, about $11 a year, is extra in every case.
Pricing
One price. No commission. No monthly platform.
Host website
$799 one time
- Up to 3 properties
- Guest guides and QR cards
- Your reviews and booking calendar
- Email list and welcome email
- Google setup and Search Console
- One preview, one round of changes
- 30 days of fixes, privacy page, handoff sheet
- Free hosting, fast and secure
- Your domain and hello@ email forwarding
Secure checkout. Your intake form opens right after.
Portfolio, for managers
$1,299 one time
- 6 to 15 properties$1,299
- 16 to 40 properties$2,299
- More than 40Quoted
- Everything in Host website
- A search page to filter by town, beds and pets
- Property pages built from a spreadsheet you send
- A "list your home with us" page for owners
Care plans
$39 / month, optional
- Monthly Google search report
- Monthly speed and broken-link check
- Downtime alerts, day or night
- Domain renewal reminders
- Automatic backups of every change
- Up to 2 small text or photo edits a month
- Cancel anytime, no contract
Portfolio care, $99 / month. Adds and removes properties as your list changes.
Add-ons
- Extra property (4 or 5)$149 each
- Booking calendar setupIncluded
- Rush preview (3 days)$199
- Photo day (Smokies only)Quoted
You pay for your own domain, about $11 a year. Booking software and card fees are separate.
Questions first? Email hello@thehostbuilder.com.
$100for you
Know another host?
Help another host feel freedom.
$50 off for them, $100 for you. Every Host Builder client gets a referral code, and you get $100 back once their site goes live. No limit.
$50off for them
Free Two tools for any host
Free for any host. No sign-up.
Website checkup
Enter your rental website and get a score with plain-language fixes for speed, phones, Google and guest features.
Check my site
Wi-Fi QR card
Type your network name and password, pick a look, and print a 4x6 or 5x7 card guests scan to join. Add your own photo if you like.
Make my cardThe host letter
Hear about the next rule change before it hits.
Fee changes, new platform rules and free tools for hosts. A short email a couple of times a month. Unsubscribe anytime.
Questions
What hosts ask us.
Do I really own it?
Yes. The domain, the email list and the Google account are in your name. If you ever leave, you keep them and we send you a copy of your site files.
Can guests book on my site?
If your booking software offers a widget (Hospitable, OwnerRez, Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify and others), we add your calendar and checkout at no extra cost. Your booking software handles payments and the rental agreement. If not, your site links to your Airbnb and Vrbo listings until you're ready.
Will Airbnb or Vrbo penalize me for having a website?
Having your own site is allowed. What the platforms restrict is moving their guests off-platform through their messages and listings, so we never ask you to. Guests find your site through Google, your QR card and past stays.
What happens if Airbnb suspends my account?
Your website, your domain and your guest list are still yours. Past guests and Google can still find you while you sort it out.
Can direct guests sign my rental agreement?
Yes. For guests who book on your site, your booking software (Hospitable, OwnerRez, Lodgify and others) handles the rental agreement, payment and deposit.
How much of my time does it take?
About 20 minutes in all: 2 to check out, about 15 for the form and a few to review your preview.
What if I don't like the preview?
Send one list of changes and we make them. If we can't get it right, you get a full refund before launch.
I manage a lot of properties. Does this work for me?
Yes. The Portfolio site starts at $1,299 for 6 to 15 properties. Send a spreadsheet of your properties and listing links, and we build a page for each one plus a search page. Portfolio care at $99 a month keeps the list current as owners come and go.
How does the referral credit work?
After launch you get a code. A host who uses it saves $50 at checkout. When their site goes live, we send you $100, as a refund on your order or a credit toward your care plan.
Can I ask a question before I buy?
Yes. Email hello@thehostbuilder.com. Most hosts don't need to, since the form walks you through everything.
Do you promise more bookings?
No. Your website gives guests a way back and helps you show up on Google. Results depend on your guests, your market and how you use it.
