Understanding services, travellers, costs...
And how a concierge service optimises everything for you
Putting a property up for seasonal letting quickly raises an essential question:
«Which booking channels should I use to maximise my revenue, attract the right travellers and keep management simple?»
Between Airbnb, Booking, Abritel and direct bookings, each platform has its strengths, limitations and different costs.
A concierge service, on the other hand, makes it possible to get the best out of them without complexity.
This article proposes a full comparison, based on :
- the services actually offered,
- the type of customers attracted,
- the management of guarantees and disputes,
- and net costs, In other words, what is actually left in the owner's pocket.
⭐ 1. understand what each platform really offers
Before discussing commissions, it is essential to understand how each platform influences visibility, safety, the type of traveller and the quality of the stay.
🟧 Airbnb - Global visibility + the power of reputation
Benefits
- Very large international audience
- Extremely powerful notification system → boosts the credibility of the accommodation
- Identity checks for travellers
- Secure payment
- Intuitive messaging
- Centralised litigation process
Limits
- Non-pre-authorised deposit (virtual deposit)
- Significant real commission (~16 % in practice)
- Strong competition between similar goods
- Downward pressure on prices in certain areas
👉 Relevant for developing the visibility and building the reputation of the accommodation.
🟥 Booking.com - Volume and international travellers
Benefits
- A large number of quick bookings
- The most powerful platform for global visibility
- Large international customer base
- No costs on the passenger side → very high conversion rate
Limits
- Highest commission (~17 %)
- A platform historically designed for the hotel industry
- No identity check
- No-show risk if the reservation is not prepaid:
- Invalid bank card
- Traveller who doesn't come
- Lost night
👉 Efficient for filling up quickly, especially in season or for premium goods.
🟦 Abritel / Vrbo - The natural choice for families and long stays
Benefits
- Reliable family customers
- Longer stays (1 to 3 weeks)
- Guarantee actually pre-authorised
- Fewer disputes
- Moderate commission (~15 % at real cost)
- Annual subscription available for large volumes
Limits
- Less volume than Airbnb and Booking
- Subscription sometimes misunderstood or underused
👉 Ideal for houses, villas and stays of a week or more.
🟩 Direct booking (CLM site) - Optimised margins + more committed passengers
Benefits
- Very low commission (~2 % via Stripe Connect)
- No passenger charges
- Secure payment
- Booking page without competition
- Building loyalty :
- QR-code in the home
- Automatic email after your stay
- Direct and transparent relations
- Better control of sureties and conditions
Limits
- Less visibility than the major platforms
- Initial (quick) configuration of the payment account
👉 The most profitable channel as soon as the traveller discovers you or returns.
⭐ 2. Visitor's tax: what changes depending on the channel
✔ Airbnb, Booking and Abritel
- Collect automatically tourist tax
- Pay it directly to the local authority
→ The owner has nothing to do
✔ Direct booking
- The amount of tax is included in the advertised price
- The owner then declares on the local platform :
https://royanatlantique.taxesejour.fr
To simplify this step, a concierge service can provide :
- exact number of adults
- number of children
- number of nights
- precise amounts to be declared
👉 The process is simple, but not automated.
⭐ 3. Comparison of actual costs (including concierge services)
The most concrete criterion for an owner is often :
«How much do I really have left after expenses?»
Here are the real costs, including :
- the platform committee,
- payment charges,
- 20 % Management (cleaning, laundry, support, maintenance, communication, etc.).
📌 Example for €1,000 paid by the traveller:
| Channel | Platform commission / payment | Management (20 %) | Total expenses | Net owner's equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🟩 Direct website | 2 % | 20 % | 22 % | 780 € |
| 🟦 Abritel / Vrbo | 15 % | 20 % | 35 % | 650 € |
| 🟧 Airbnb | 16 % | 20 % | 36 % | 640 € |
| 🟥 Booking | 17 % | 20 % | 37 % | 630 € |
✔ What this painting highlights
- La direct booking maximises net income.
- Abritel offers a very good volume/quality/profitability trade-off.
- Airbnb and Booking provide a high level of visibility, but on the highest cost.
- A single overnight stay can earn up to €150 difference depending on the channel used.
⭐ 4. Final ranking - from most cost-effective to most expensive
| Rank | Platform | Net income | Special features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟩 1 | Direct website | 780 € | Most profitable channel |
| 🟦 2 | Abritel | 650 € | Excellent for long stays |
| 🟧 3 | Airbnb | 640 € | Excellent visibility + reviews |
| 🟥 4 | Booking | 630 € | Highest commission |
⭐ 5. The winning strategy in 2026: don't choose... but combine intelligently
No platform is perfect.
Each attracts a different type of traveller at a different time.
The really effective strategy :
✔ Airbnb & Booking → Visibility + volume
- Fast fill rate
- Excellent public credibility
✔ Abritel → Families + long stays
- Greater stability
- Fewer disputes
- Higher revenue per stay
✔ Direct website → Maximum profitability
- No intermediaries
- A lasting relationship with travellers
- Maximised net income
✔ A multi-channel concierge service to orchestrate it all
- Calendar synchronisation
- Smart pricing based on season / demand
- Centralised message management
- Optimising visibility
- 7/7 Travellers Helpdesk
- On-site service management
- Help with declaring tourist tax
- Clear and transparent reporting
⭐ Conclusion: your property deserves a strategy, not a default choice
Choosing a platform is not just a question of commission:
is a balance between visibility, quality of the traveller, security, easy to manage, and net income.
The best approach in 2026 is to :
✔ understand what each channel really contributes
✔ choose a combination suited to your home
✔ let a concierge optimise the whole thing
✔ monitor transparent and measurable results
✔ maximise profitability over the long term
Visibility + service + profitability = an effective multi-channel strategy.
A simple, intelligent and sustainable choice for your benefit.
