Summary
Build your brand and boost your profits by creating a direct booking website. With Host Tools Direct Booking, you can accept reservations directly from guests, avoid platform fees, and maintain full control over your bookings. Create a branded site for a single listing or showcase multiple properties on one page—all in just a few minutes. Scroll to the bottom of this article to watch a one-minute video of me creating a single listing direct booking site from start to finish.
Before You Start
Before creating your direct booking site, make sure you have:
At least one listing or listing group set up in Host Tools
(Optional) A Stripe account if you want to accept automated payments
Steps
Accessing the Direct Booking Settings
You can create a direct booking site in two ways:
From the Listings page, click the + button next to a listing, then select Create custom site next to Direct Booking.
Navigate to
Settings > Direct Bookingand click Add Custom Site.
Either choice will open the add direct booking site modal. Follow the steps below to create your site.
Selecting Your Listing or Listing Group
Choose whether to create a site for a single listing or a listing group:
Single listing: Creates a dedicated site for one property
Listing group: Creates a site showcasing multiple properties on one page
Configuring Your Single Listing Site
For a single listing site, you'll configure:
Title: Enter a name for your site (or upload a logo instead)
Logo: Upload your brand logo (optional if you provide a title)
Subdomain: Choose a unique subdomain for your site (e.g., "yourname")
Payment: Connect your Stripe account for automated payments, or leave it disconnected to collect payments manually
Checkout Only: Enable this option to create a checkout page you can link from your own website
> 💡 Pro tip: If you don't connect Stripe, guests will submit booking requests that you can approve manually. You'll need to arrange payment details directly with your guests.
Configuring Your Listing Group Site
For a listing group site, you'll configure all the single listing options plus:
SEO Title: The page title that appears in browser tabs, bookmarks, and search results
SEO Description: A short description shown below your listing in search engine results
Hero Title: The text shown over the hero image (e.g., "The Best in Hudson Valley, NY Vacation Rentals")
Hero Image: The large image shown at the top of your website (a slightly darker image works best)
Completing Your Site Setup
Once you've configured all settings, click Save to create your direct booking site. Your site will be ready to use immediately!
After creation, you can use the buttons next to your site to View, Edit, or Delete it.
Watch this video to see me build a simple single listing direct booking site in one minute - It's that easy!
Troubleshooting
My subdomain is already taken
Subdomains must be unique across all Host Tools users. Try a different subdomain name or add numbers or hyphens to make it unique.
I can't connect my Stripe account
Make sure you have a valid Stripe account and that you're completing the OAuth connection process. You can also create your site without Stripe and connect it later, or collect payments manually.
The checkout only option is grayed out
Checkout only mode is only available for single listing sites, not listing groups. If you've selected a listing group, this option will be disabled.
Next Steps
After creating your direct booking site, explore these features to customize your setup:
How do I set up a custom domain for my direct booking site? — Use your own domain for professional branding
How do I receive payments from my direct booking site? — Configure Stripe or manual payment collection
How do I require ID verification for direct bookings? — Add guest identity verification
How do I require contract signing for direct bookings? — Have guests sign your rental agreement