Direct Booking Website

Your direct booking website is your own branded storefront where guests can search your properties, check real-time availability, and book directly — without paying Airbnb or Booking.com commissions. Every booking flows into the same Vanio inbox, calendar, and automations you already use.

Your Own Web Address

Every account comes with a free subdomain like yourname.vanio.ai, ready to share the moment you sign up. When you're ready to go pro, connect your own custom domain (yourdomain.com) in a few clicks. We handle the DNS instructions and everything stays live during the switch.

SSL and HTTPS are included automatically on every website — the padlock icon, the green checkmark, all of it. Guests see a secure, trustworthy site from day one and you never have to think about certificates.

Primary Website for Multi-Site Management

If you manage multiple direct booking websites — perhaps a main brand and specialty sub-brands for different property types or locations — you can designate one as your primary website. This ensures all guest communications maintain a consistent brand experience.

Your primary website becomes the canonical destination for:

• Magic login links sent to guests via email
• Guest portal access from automated messages
• Password reset and verification emails
• All guest-facing communication touchpoints

Even when your team sends invitations or messages while browsing a different website in your portfolio, guests always receive links that direct to your primary brand. This prevents confusion and maintains professional consistency across all guest interactions.

Setting Your Primary Website

1. Go to Settings → Websites
2. Find the Primary Website section
3. Select which website should be your main guest destination
4. Click Save

All existing and future guest communications will automatically use your primary website's web address. If you don't set a primary website, the system uses your oldest active website by default.

[Screenshot: Website settings showing primary website selection dropdown]

Branded to Look Like You

Upload your logo, pick your brand colors, choose your fonts, and drop in your best photos. The website matches your business — not a generic template. If you already have a style guide, you can match it exactly. If you don't, sensible defaults make it look polished out of the box.

Photo Galleries That Always Work

Your property galleries display all your best photos in full quality, automatically optimized for every device. Photos are pulled from all your connected channels and displayed seamlessly.

The system now includes automatic fallback handling to ensure photo galleries never appear empty or broken. If certain photo sizes are missing (which can happen with legacy imports from Airbnb or other channels), the website automatically uses the best available image quality so guests always see your properties looking their best.

Every photo gallery:

• Displays consistently across all devices and screen sizes
• Falls back intelligently when certain image sizes aren't available
• Loads fast with optimized compression and lazy loading
• Shows in order based on your photo arrangement preferences

Search, Map, and Categories

Guests can search your properties by location, check-in and check-out dates, and number of guests — just like the big OTAs. Results show up instantly with photos, pricing, and availability.

The search now shows more available properties than before. Previously, if a property had different night requirements during your stay (like a 3-night minimum on weekends but 2-night minimum on weekdays), it might not show up even if your check-in date met the requirement. Now the system correctly checks only your check-in date against the minimum and maximum night rules, so you'll see all properties you're actually eligible to book.

Pet-Friendly Search

When guests search for pet-friendly properties, the system now provides more accurate results by checking multiple sources. Properties appear in pet-friendly search results only when they truly allow pets, and guests can't accidentally book properties that don't allow pets.

The system automatically:

• Shows only verified pet-friendly properties in search results when guests filter for pets
• Prevents pet bookings on properties that don't allow them
• Pulls pet policies from both Airbnb settings and your custom property policies for complete accuracy

A built-in map view shows all your properties pinned on an interactive map, perfect for guests who want to explore a neighborhood or compare locations side by side.

You can also organize listings into categories like "Beachfront," "Mountain Cabins," "Pet-Friendly," or "Family Homes." Guests browse by vibe, not just by address.

Real-Time Availability — No Double Bookings

Your calendar is synced live with Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and any other channel you've connected to Vanio. The moment a property is booked anywhere, it disappears from your direct site. No overbookings, no awkward cancellations, no manual calendar juggling.

Pricing Control

Set a custom price markup per listing so your direct rates can match, undercut, or sit above your OTA pricing — your call. Reward direct bookers with better prices, or keep parity and pocket the commission savings yourself.

Coupons and Discount Codes

Create coupon codes for repeat guests, email campaigns, social media promos, or off-season deals. Percentage off, fixed amount off, minimum stay requirements — all configurable in a few clicks.

Secure Checkout with Stripe

Guests pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit cards, and saved cards through Stripe's secure checkout. It's the same checkout experience shoppers know from Amazon and Shopify — fast, mobile-friendly, and trusted.

The checkout process now includes enhanced booking validation to prevent booking errors. If a guest tries to add pets to a property that doesn't allow them, the system blocks the booking before payment and clearly explains the issue.

Guest Accounts for Repeat Bookings

Guests can create accounts so their details are saved for next time. One-click rebooking, saved payment methods, and a personal booking history. Returning guests are your highest-margin guests — make it easy for them to come back.

AI-Powered Guest Messaging

When guests message you through your website — whether through the booking portal or their guest account — they get the same intelligent, instant responses they'd expect from Airbnb or Booking.com. Your Vanio AI agent automatically detects what guests are asking about and responds immediately with helpful information.

Every message gets smart intent detection that understands whether guests are asking about check-in, Wi-Fi, parking, local recommendations, or anything else. The AI pulls answers from your property details and custom responses you've set up, so guests get accurate information 24/7.

When guests send messages through your website, your team gets notified just like messages from other channels — nothing falls through the cracks. All conversations flow into your unified Vanio inbox where you can take over anytime or let the AI handle routine questions automatically.

Built-In SEO

Every page is optimized for Google out of the box — clean URLs, fast load times, structured data, meta tags, sitemaps, and descriptive property pages. Google indexes your listings automatically so guests can find you by searching things like "pet-friendly cabin Aspen" without you lifting a finger.

Plug in your Google Analytics ID and track traffic, conversions, and top-performing listings just like any professional website.

Mobile-First Design

Most guests browse on their phones, and your site is built mobile-first. Photos swipe beautifully, search is thumb-friendly, and checkout works smoothly on any screen. Guests can even Add to Home Screen so your website sits on their phone like a real app.

Connected to the Guest Portal

After booking, guests are automatically connected to the Vanio guest portal where they get check-in instructions, Wi-Fi codes, house rules, local recommendations, and a direct line to you. One seamless experience from discovery to check-out.

Set It All Up With Clicks

Everything above is configured through the Vanio dashboard — no code, no developers, no web agencies. Upload photos, toggle categories, pick colors, connect your domain. You can have a professional direct booking website live in under an hour.

Tips & Best Practices

• Multi-brand strategy: If you run different property types (luxury vs. budget, city vs. mountain), consider separate websites with clear primary website designation
• Consistent messaging: Your primary website choice affects all guest communications, so pick the brand you want guests to associate with your business
• Photo quality: Use high-resolution photos when possible — the automatic fallback system ensures they'll display properly even if some sizes are missing
• Pet policies: Make sure your pet policies are clearly set for each property to ensure accurate search results and prevent booking issues
• Test guest experience: After setting a primary website, send yourself a test magic link to confirm guests land on the right brand

Common Questions

What happens to existing guest links when I change my primary website? New magic links and portal access will use your updated primary website immediately. Previously sent links remain valid and will still work with the original website they were sent from.

Can I have different primary websites for different property types? Currently, you can set one primary website per account. However, guests booking through a specific sub-brand's website will complete their entire booking flow on that site — the primary website setting mainly affects post-booking communications and login links.

Do I need to set a primary website if I only have one direct booking site? No, it's optional. The system automatically uses your active website when you only have one. Setting a primary website is most valuable for hosts managing multiple branded sites.

What if some of my property photos aren't showing up? The system automatically handles missing photos by using the best available image quality. If you notice any properties with incomplete galleries, the fallback system ensures guests still see your photos — and any missing images are typically resolved automatically during the next sync with your channels.

Why isn't my pet-friendly property showing up in pet searches? The system checks both your Airbnb settings and custom property policies to determine if a property allows pets. If a pet-friendly property isn't appearing, go to Properties → [Property Name] → Policies and ensure the pet policy is correctly set to "Allow pets."