Why every smart traveler checks the host's direct site

There is a trick that experienced travelers know and most people don't. It works on roughly half of all vacation rentals and saves an average of 13 percent on a typical booking.

The trick is to find the rental on Airbnb or Vrbo, then check whether the same property has its own direct booking site. About half the time, it does. The price is usually lower because there is no platform fee.

The retail industry has a name for this. They call it showrooming. You walk into the store, try on the shoes, walk out, and order them online for less. Stores hate it. Direct booking is the same idea applied to lodging, and the platforms hate it for the same reason.

How big is the savings

Airbnb's standard guest service fee is 14 percent. Vrbo's is similar. On a $1,500 weekend stay that's $210 you can keep.

The savings is not always 14 percent. Some hosts charge slightly more on their direct site to keep the margin. Some charge slightly less to encourage direct bookings. Some charge exactly the same because they got tired of haggling.

The average across our index is roughly 13 percent in savings when both options exist.

How to find a host's direct site

Three approaches, ordered by speed.

The fast way: use a metasearch engine like AllRoost. We index direct booking sites and route you to the host. Search by location, click through to the host. Free, no account needed.

The medium way: search Google for the property name plus the city. "Casa Vista Fraser CO" or whatever the listing is called. The host's direct site is often on the first page of results, even when Airbnb dominates the rest.

The slow way: look for clues in the Airbnb or Vrbo listing itself. Some hosts put their property name in the photo watermark, in the description, or in the welcome book. Search for that name.

When the trick doesn't work

About half of vacation rentals are listed only on Airbnb and Vrbo. There is no direct site to find. In that case, you book on the platform and pay the fee. That's life.

The hosts who are the easiest to find direct fall into a few categories:

• Larger property managers (10+ properties)
• Hosts on a PMS (OwnerRez, Hostfully, Lodgify)
• Hosts with strong local brands (the well-known cabin in your favorite ski town)
• Hosts who have been doing this for 5+ years

Solo hosts with one property and only an Airbnb listing usually do not have a direct site. That is fine. Pay the platform fee for those.

What you give up by booking direct

Booking direct is not free of trade-offs. Things you do give up:

• Airbnb's review system. Direct sites have reviews but not the standardized 5-star Airbnb reputation. You have to use judgment.
• Airbnb's payment protection. If something goes catastrophically wrong, Airbnb mediates. Direct booking, you and the host figure it out.
• One-tap rebooking. Airbnb remembers your preferences. Direct sites do not.

For most people, those trade-offs are worth 13 percent. For some, they aren't. Both are valid.

The honest summary

Showrooming is not a hack. It is just rational shopping. You compare prices, you pick the lower one, you book.

The platforms call it disloyal. The hosts call it Tuesday.