Direct bookings
How to get direct bookings for your holiday rental in Australia
Where Australian hosts actually get direct bookings, a typical 10–30% share to aim for, and the eight things that move the needle – in order.
Direct bookings
Does Stayz require rate parity? What it means for your direct-booking site
No. As at 30 October 2026, Stayz's published Partner Terms don't require your own website to match your Stayz price. The 12% commission started on 29 October. A parity rule didn't come with it.
We first published this on 6 October, when Vrbo's new host terms looked set to bring a parity rule to Stayz. Stayz hasn't adopted those terms, so we've rewritten it.
Where the parity talk came from
When Vrbo announced the 12% commission in late September, it also updated its host terms in other markets. Those terms say a listing must be at least as favourable as anywhere else you sell it, your own website included, covering rates, fees, discounts and cancellation policies.
Stayz hosts are on different terms. You contract under the Stayz Partner Terms, and the version on stayz.com.au is still the one effective from 1 August 2025. It has no clause comparing your Stayz prices with your own site.
Vrbo has since said it plans to drop the own-website part of the rule anyway, after pushback from property managers.
Could it still arrive?
Yes. Stayz can change its terms with 30 days' notice by email (clause 1.6). If a parity rule is coming, you'll get a month's warning. Read the version linked from that email.
What Stayz's terms already say
These are the rules more likely to catch you out, and they're in the current terms:
- Enquiries and bookings that come through Stayz have to stay on Stayz (clause 3.3.2).
- You can't encourage a Stayz guest to avoid Stayz's service fee (clause 4.10).
- Your listing's rates, taxes and cancellation policy must be accurate, and you can't impose different conditions on a Stayz guest (clause 3.3.6).
- Your calendar must be kept up to date (clause 12.5).
Sending your website to someone who enquired on Stayz is the risk. A guest who finds your own page another way isn't.
How Airbnb and Booking.com compare
Airbnb doesn't require your own website to match its prices. Its rules are about not moving Airbnb guests off the platform. Where Airbnb's line sits.
Booking.com has used parity clauses for years. After an ACCC investigation in 2016, Expedia and Booking.com agreed to stop requiring Australian accommodation providers to match their rates on other travel sites and offline. They kept the narrower rule that your own website can't publicly advertise a lower rate. Check your own Booking.com agreement.
Direct still pays at the same price
You don't need to undercut Stayz for a direct booking to be worth more. A 7-night stay at $324 a night, the same price on both:
| Stayz, GST ID on file | Stayz, no GST ID | Direct, domestic card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking subtotal | $2,268 | $2,268 | $2,268 |
| Commission | $272.16 (12%) | $299.38 (13.2%) | $0 |
| Card processing | Included | Included | $37.72 |
| Your payout | $1,995.84 | $1,968.62 | $2,230.28 |
That's $234 to $262 more for the same price. The direct figure uses Stripe's domestic card rate of 1.65% + $0.30. International cards are 3.5% + $0.30, plus 2% if the currency is converted.
The bigger win is the guest who comes back, and the friend they tell. How to get those bookings.
What to do
1. Price your direct page on its merits. A modest book-direct saving is fine under the current Stayz terms. If you advertise a saving, keep it accurate when your Stayz price changes.
2. Keep Stayz guests on Stayz. Don't send your website to someone who enquired there.
3. Keep your calendars in step. How calendar sync works.
4. Read any terms email from Stayz. If it adds a parity rule, get advice before the 30 days are up.
Sources
Common questions
- Can my direct-booking page be cheaper than Stayz?
Under Stayz's published terms as at 30 October 2026, yes. Stayz can change its terms with 30 days' notice, so read any update it emails you.
- Did Stayz bring in rate parity on 29 October?
No. The 12% commission started that day. The parity rule is in Vrbo's terms for other markets, not the Stayz Partner Terms.
- Can I send my website to a guest who enquired on Stayz?
No. Enquiries and bookings that come through Stayz have to stay on Stayz.
- Does Airbnb require rate parity?
No. Airbnb's rules are about not moving guests who found you on Airbnb off the platform.
- Is rate parity legal in Australia?
In 2016 Expedia and Booking.com agreed with the ACCC to drop parity with other travel sites, keeping a narrower rule for the provider's own website. Whether a broader clause raises competition concerns is a question for the ACCC or a lawyer.
General information, not legal advice
This is a plain-English summary of publicly available platform policies as at 30 October 2026. Each platform's own terms are the authority and they change – read the current version in your host account before making decisions.
Related articles
Direct bookings
Direct booking vs Airbnb and Stayz: what actually changes
What a direct-booking page does and does not do for an Australian holiday rental, and how it sits alongside your Airbnb and Stayz listings.
Fees & pricing
Stayz's 12% commission from 29 October 2026: what Australian hosts need to do
Stayz moved to a flat 12% commission on 29 October 2026. What Australian hosts paid before, the repricing maths, and the GST to check on your invoice.