How to accept direct bookings from your vacation rental website

Why direct bookings matter

OTAs provide reach, but commissions can reduce margins. A direct booking path on your website gives you a controlled acquisition channel, stronger guest relationships, and better long-term profitability.

• Own your guest relationship from first click
• Capture inquiries from organic website traffic
• Reduce dependency on commission-heavy channels
• Keep availability synced with existing OTA calendars
• Maintain full branding and website experience

What you need first

• A RentalBeam account and active property calendar
• Connected iCal source(s) from Airbnb/VRBO/Booking.com
• Booking widget enabled in your plan
• Access to your website editor

Setup steps

1. 1

   Connect and validate availability

   1. Open your RentalBeam dashboard
   2. Select the target property calendar
   3. Confirm iCal feeds are connected and syncing
   4. Check that blocked dates display correctly

   Availability comes first

   Your booking engine should only be published after synced availability is verified to avoid guest friction.
2. 2

   Configure booking and pricing settings

   1. Enable booking widget for the property
   2. Set base nightly rate and minimum stay
   3. Add cleaning fee and optional discounts
   4. Set contact email for request notifications
   5. Save and preview total calculations

   Learn more on the vacation rental booking widget page.

3. 3

   Embed the booking engine on your website

   Copy your iframe code from widget settings and paste it into your website page.

   html

   <iframe
     src="https://rentalbeam.com/embed/your-booking-widget-id"
     width="100%"
     height="620"
     frameborder="0"
     style="border: none; border-radius: 8px;">
   </iframe>

   WordPress

   1. Edit page
   2. Add Custom HTML block
   3. Paste iframe code
   4. Update

   Wix

   1. Open editor
   2. Add Embed Code
   3. Paste snippet
   4. Publish

   Squarespace

   1. Edit page
   2. Add Code block
   3. Paste snippet
   4. Save

   Custom HTML

   1. Paste iframe where booking form should appear
   2. Deploy
4. 4

   Run a real end-to-end test

   Submit a test request from an incognito window

   Verify request details arrive in your inbox

   Confirm mobile usability on iPhone and Android

   Ensure CTA and booking section are visible above fold

Conversion best practices

• Keep one primary CTA: focus attention on booking action, not too many competing buttons.
• Use trust context near form: mention response time, secure handling, and clear policy links.
• Prioritize mobile readability: larger tap targets, concise labels, and short paragraphs improve completion rates.
• Respond quickly: the first host reply strongly influences conversion outcome.

Troubleshooting