Direct bookings for Asheville cabin hosts.
Your returning fall guests pay Airbnb's 15.5% every single year. We build custom direct-booking sites for cabins and mountain homes around Asheville, on the booking software you already use, so the guests who love your place can book you directly.
Where Blue Ridge hosts lose bookings
The fall regulars
The same guests come back every October, and the platform charges you again each time. Your own site gives them a way to book you directly next year.
The quiet months
January through March is slow in the mountains. Winter getaway pages, return-guest offers and an email list fill nights that a listing can't.
The towns guests search
Guests search "Black Mountain cabin with hot tub" and "Weaverville mountain view rental", not your listing number. Your site can rank for your town. A listing ranks for Airbnb.
Your own name
When past guests search your cabin's name, they should land on your site, not a listing page that suggests three other cabins.
Your Night Math in the Blue Ridge
At $250 a night, a four-night stay is about $1,000. Airbnb keeps about $155 of it. Booked direct, you pay about $30 in card fees. That's about $125 back in your pocket every time a guest books you directly, and about 36 direct stays cover a Host Direct site.
We know this market: fall color weekends that book up months ahead, cabins tucked between Black Mountain, Weaverville, Marshall and Brevard, guests driving in from Charlotte and Atlanta. See how we think about a Blue Ridge place in Slate Hollow, our concept retreat outside Brevard. Keep Airbnb and Vrbo for new guests. Your site is for the ones who come back.
Airbnb's new rules from November 20 limit rental agreements, deposits, fines and ID checks on its bookings. On your own site, those terms are yours to set. What changes on November 20.
See what's includedWhat the platforms take from a rental
Fees come out of every night the platforms send you. Here's the same $3,000 in bookings on each channel.
Run your Airbnb numbers in the fee calculator
Read what Vrbo's 12% fee changes
On $3,000 in bookings
Airbnb
About $465
One host-paid fee. Airbnb says it's mandatory for most hosts, including hotels and similar listings. Most pay 15.5%.
Vrbo
About $360
12% on bookings from October 29, 2026, and up to 15% in some regions.
Your own site
About $90
Card processing, usually around 3%, plus the cost of your website.
Keep the platforms, and follow their rules. Vrbo's fee comes from its October 29, 2026 change. Airbnb's figure is the 15.5% most hosts pay; yours may differ, so check your account. Returning guests, referrals and people searching your name are where a direct site pays off.
Runs on the booking software you already use
Listings, rates and availability stay where they are. Your new site sends guests into your booking engine, with your calendar and your payments.
Hostaway
OwnerRez
Guesty
Lodgify
Booking features depend on your provider and plan. On different software? Ask on the call.
How it works
A short call
We look at your homes, your booking software and where your guests come from.
Design and build
Brand direction and a site designed around your home, taking bookings through your own engine. Usually four to six weeks.
Launch and get found
We connect Search Console and analytics, set up Google booking links through your software, then track direct share month by month.
Host Direct in Asheville and the Blue Ridge
From $4,500
A one-time build. Hosting is billed separately. Add Search Care for $500 a month to cover ongoing search work, updates and maintenance.
Book a call- A custom site designed around your home, never a template
- Brand direction: name, type, color and photo direction
- Built on your booking software, with your calendar and payments
- SEO, local guide pages and Google booking links
- A reason to book direct: better rate, perks, flexible terms
Not ready for a build? The Walk-In. $450.
We arrive like a first-time guest: search for your home the way guests do, review your site, brand and listings, and run your real fee numbers. Then we walk you through it all on a 60-minute call. You keep a one-page plan either way. Book Host Direct within 30 days and the full $450 comes off the build.
Questions Asheville and the Blue Ridge hosts ask
How many direct bookings pay for the site?
At $250 a night, each four-night stay booked direct instead of through Airbnb keeps about $125. About 36 of those cover a $4,500 Host Direct site. Returning guests and referrals are usually the first to book direct. Run your own numbers in the fee calculator.
Do Asheville's short-term rental rules affect my website?
Your website doesn't change which permits or zoning rules apply to your home. The City of Asheville and Buncombe County each have their own short-term rental rules, so check with the city or county for your address. Your site should show your permit details where they're required.
Will Airbnb penalize me for having my own site?
No. Many hosts run their own site alongside their listings. What platforms don't allow is steering guests off the platform inside their messages. Your site is for returning guests, referrals and people who search for you.
Which booking software do you work with?
We build around Hostaway, OwnerRez, Guesty, Lodgify and Hospitable, and other software with a booking engine your guests can use. We review your setup on the first call.
Do you come out to see the property?
When we can. The Walk-In can be in person or on a guided video call, and we've designed for the Blue Ridge before. Either way we search for your place the way guests do before we design anything.
Will a website bring me bookings?
A website gives guests a way to book direct. It doesn't guarantee traffic, rankings or reservations. Search setup, local guide pages and a reason to book direct help, and returning guests are usually the first direct bookings.
Have a question about your home or booking setup?
Book a call