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 opens your new site on its own page, with every setting grouped into labeled sections — Branding, URL, Listing Assignment, SEO, Analytics, Payment, Contract, and Access & Visibility. Scroll through the sections to fill them in; the Save button stays in view as you go. Follow the steps below to create your site.
[SCREENSHOT: the direct booking site editor page showing the labeled sections down the page and the Save button pinned at the bottom — this replaces the older popup shown in the screenshots further down this article]
Selecting Your Listing or Listing Group
In the Listing Assignment section, 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:
Branding: Enter a Title for your site, upload your Logo, or both
URL: Choose a unique Site Path for your site (e.g., "yourname"). This section is also where you add your own Site Domain if you have one
Payment: Connect your Stripe account for automated payments, or leave it disconnected to collect payments manually
Access & Visibility: Turn on Checkout Only to create a checkout page you can link from your own website
💡 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 the SEO and Hero Section sections:
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!
Saving returns you to your list of direct booking sites, where you can use the buttons next to a site to View, Edit, or Delete it. Opening Edit brings the site back up on its own page, and the breadcrumb at the top takes you back to the list.
Watch this video to see me build a simple single listing direct booking site in one minute - It's that easy!
Troubleshooting
My site path is already taken
Site paths must be unique across all Host Tools users. Try a different site path 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 in Listing Assignment, 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