Why Stayoa instead of Airbnb or Booking.com?

With Stayoa, you receive 100% of the booking amount – no commissions. You have full control over design, pricing, and availability. Your booking page is SEO-optimized and visible to Google, leading to more direct inquiries. Independence from platforms means more freedom and higher profit margins.

How do direct bookings work without commissions?

Stayoa creates your own booking website with integrated payment system. Guests book directly with you – 100% of the money goes to your account. We use Stripe Connect for secure payments. No hidden fees, no per-booking commissions. You only pay the monthly platform fee.

How does synchronization with other platforms work?

Via iCal links, your Stayoa calendar automatically syncs with Airbnb, Booking.com, and other platforms. New bookings are imported in real-time, preventing double bookings. The synchronization runs in the background – you don't need to do anything manually.

Can I use my own domain?

Yes, from the Pro plan you can use your own domain. You keep your brand, and your guests see your own domain instead of a subdomain. We support you with the setup and ensure automatic SSL encryption.

Is my booking page SEO-optimized?

Yes, all Stayoa websites are fully SEO-optimized. Your page will be indexed by Google and can appear in search results. We use Schema.org structured data, optimized meta tags, and a clear page structure. This leads to more organic traffic and direct inquiries.

Stayoa is designed for vacation rentals, villas, and boutique accommodations that want to achieve more direct bookings through their own website. Perfect for hosts who want to be independent, maintain their brand control, and avoid the high commissions from platforms.

Product

Why we built Stayoa

Stayoa was built to give hosts back control over their bookings, pricing and guest relationships.

Lionel MurbachDecember 20, 20252 min read

The problem with modern booking platforms

Over the last years, booking platforms have become unavoidable for many hosts.
They promise visibility and convenience, but they come at a high cost.

High commissions.
Limited control.
No real ownership of guest relationships.

For many hosts, platforms slowly turned from a growth channel into a dependency.

What hosts actually want

Before — Platform

15–25% commission per booking
Guest contact owned by the platform
Dependent on algorithms
No own branding

After — Stayoa

Only ~1.5% Stripe fee
All guest contacts are yours
Own website, own Google ranking
Full control over pricing & brand

Talking to hosts made one thing very clear:

They want:

direct bookings
fair pricing without hidden fees
control over their brand and guest communication
a website that actually converts

Not another platform.
Not another middleman.

Our vision with Stayoa

Stayoa is built around a simple idea:

Your property. Your guests. Your revenue.

We help hosts create modern, high-converting booking websites that:

rank on Google
work perfectly on mobile
integrate payments seamlessly
focus on direct bookings first

No lock-in.
No unnecessary fees.
No platform dependency.

Built for 2026 and beyond

We believe the future of hospitality is:

independent
brand-driven
technology-enabled

Stayoa is not here to replace platforms entirely.
It is here to make them optional.

What’s next

We are currently working on:

automated SEO landing pages
smarter availability management
deeper payment integrations

If you are a host and want early access, we would love to hear from you.

Stay independent. Stay direct. Stayoa.

Create your own booking website with Stayoa and get more direct bookings without commissions.

Get started for free

Direct Booking vs. Platform 2026: What Does a Booking Actually Cost You?