How Commission Works for Holiday Rentals?

Do You Really Understand Commission in the Holiday Rental World

If you own a holiday rental or vacation rental, chances are you have listed your accommodation on one or more booking platforms. These platforms promise visibility, convenience, and bookings — and in many ways, they deliver. But behind every booking, every guest enquiry, and every stay, there is something affecting your income more than you may realise:

Commission.

Commission is often accepted as just “how the industry works”. Many property owners assume it is simply the cost of being visible online. But commission is not fixed. It is not universal. And it is not always necessary.

In fact, the commission model has one consistent outcome across the holiday rental world:

The property owner earns less than they should.

This is exactly why Search and Stay operates differently. Instead of charging commission per booking, Search and Stay provides a commission-free platform designed specifically to help owners keep more of what they earn from each stay.

What Commission Actually Is

Commission is the percentage fee that a booking platform deducts from every reservation made through their site. The fee is taken from the booking total, meaning it comes directly out of the money earned from your holiday rental.

Most major booking platforms charge between 10 percent and 20 percent commission.

So, when your vacation rental earns a booking worth 1,000:

At 10 percent commission, the platform keeps 100
At 15 percent commission, the platform keeps 150
At 20 percent commission, the platform keeps 200

And that is for just one stay.

Property owners who depend on bookings year-round are losing thousands to commission without realising it.

How Commission Affects the Price of Your Stay

Commission does not only affect your income — it changes how you price your accommodation.

As an owner, you usually only have two choices:

1. Increase Your Nightly Rate to Cover the Commission

This keeps your earnings stable, but makes your listing appear more expensive. In a competitive market where guests compare prices quickly, even a small price difference can cause your listing to be overlooked.

2. Keep the Price the Same and Absorb the Commission

This keeps your listing competitive, but reduces your earnings. Your cleaning costs, maintenance, check-in support, upgrades, and personal time remain the same — but your return becomes smaller.

Either way, you lose.

One option reduces income.
The other reduces demand.

This is the quiet, constant pressure commission places on every holiday rental listing.

The Domino Effect on Guest Perception

Guests are more price-aware than ever. They compare platforms, dates, amenities, and final costs before deciding where to stay.

If your accommodation appears more expensive because you increased your rates to cover commission, guests will often simply choose the more affordable option next to yours — even if your property is higher quality.

And if you absorb the commission instead, your accommodation becomes:

Harder to upgrade
Harder to maintain
Less profitable to operate

In both scenarios, commission shapes the guest experience, even though the guest may have no idea it exists.

The Real Cost Over Time: A Silent Loss

Commission does not feel dramatic when seen as a one-off amount — for example, losing 120 or 200 from a single booking.

But holiday rentals are rarely about single bookings. They are about seasons, calendars, years, and growth.

Let us imagine a moderately-booked property:

3,500 earned per month in bookings
15 percent commission charged by the platform

That is 525 lost every month.

Per year, the total commission becomes:
6,300 gone to the platform

Over five years, without doing anything differently in your business, that becomes:
31,500 lost

For many owners, that is:

A new roof
A renovated bathroom
New furnishings
A swimming pool upgrade
A vehicle
Or simply more income for your family

The money is not disappearing.
It is simply going somewhere else.

Where Does Commission Actually Go

Platforms often claim that commission funds:

Advertising
Guest acquisition
Brand visibility
Secure payments

But here is the truth:

Commission fuels the platform, not the individual listing.

Your commission does not guarantee:

Priority placement
Higher ranking
More direct visibility
Better guest targeting

Platforms promote properties that already perform well, because those properties already generate commission. It is a cycle designed to benefit the platform — not the owner.

This is why many property owners feel like they are “paying for the platform to promote itself”.

A Different Approach: Why Search and Stay Does Not Charge Commission

Search and Stay was built from a simple principle:

Property owners should keep what they earn.

That means:

No commission charged to owners
No hidden deductions from your listing revenue

Instead of charging commission, Search and Stay uses a fair, clear, low-cost listing model.

This model allows:

Owners to keep 100 percent of their earnings
Guests to pay a fair price
Listings to remain competitive in every market
Owners to invest earnings back into their accommodation

It is a system designed to support your profit, not the platform’s.

Building Long-Term Success Without Commission

When commission is removed from the equation, something very important happens: you gain back control. Instead of shaping your prices, your strategy, and your guest relationships around the needs of the platform, you can shape them around what works best for your property.

Without commission, your pricing becomes clearer and more stable. You can set your nightly rates based on the true value of your accommodation, rather than adjusting them to cover platform fees. This means your listing can stay competitive in the market without sacrificing your earnings. Guests appreciate fair pricing, and owners appreciate keeping more of the revenue. Everyone benefits.

You are also able to reinvest in your property much more easily. Every time you choose to upgrade a feature, refresh décor, add amenities, or improve guest experience, those improvements directly support your future bookings. When commission is constantly reducing your income, these investments are harder to prioritise. When your full earnings stay with you, the property naturally grows in value over time.

In simple terms: removing commission allows you to focus on quality, service and guest satisfaction — rather than battling financial deductions.

A Better Experience for Guests

Guests notice when a stay is fairly priced. They compare rates, and they remember how they felt after booking. When they feel that they have paid a fair price for a holiday rental, they are more likely to recommend the property, return for another stay, and leave positive reviews.

A guest who trusts the booking experience is far more likely to become a loyal guest.

Your Accommodation, Your Earnings, Your Future

Commission has been presented as a standard part of the holiday rental industry, but it does not have to be. When you remove commission, you make room for better business decisions, more transparent pricing, stronger guest relationships, and greater long-term financial stability.

Your accommodation is your investment. Your hosting is your work. Your earnings should belong to you.

With Search and Stay, you keep what you earn — and you grow on your terms.

Ready to Keep More of Your Profit?

Create your listing with Search and Stay today and experience the difference of a commission-free booking platform designed for property owners.

Your listing. Your price. Your profit.