The numbers
The case for the direct channel, in other people’s data.
We would rather show you the industry's figures than our own marketing. Everything on this page is sourced and linked. If you find a number that has moved, tell us and we will update it.
01 — The sector
How big the market actually is.
Self-catering in England and Wales is not a cottage industry any more, whatever the name suggests.
Dedicated holiday lets across England and Wales — 0.6% of total housing stock.
Source 1Gross value added to the England and Wales economy by the self-catering sector.
Source 1Jobs supported across England and Wales by dedicated holiday lets.
Source 102 — What the channels cost
Commission, by channel.
Rates vary by contract, location and portfolio size. These are the published and widely reported ranges.
| Channel | Commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sykes Cottages | 18–22%4 | Including VAT. Multi-property owners occasionally negotiate lower. |
| cottages.com | 17–22%4 | Comparable UK agency rates on booking value. |
| holidaycottages.co.uk | 15–20%4 | Toward the lower end of the UK agency range. |
| Booking.com | ~15%3 | Averages 15%, ranging 10–25% by location and property type, plus up to 2.2% payment processing in some regions. |
| Airbnb (host-only fee) | 14–16%3 | Of the booking subtotal. The split model charges the host 3% and the guest up to 14.2%. |
| Vrbo (pay-per-booking) | 8%3 | 5% commission plus 3% payment processing. |
| Your own website | 0% | Payment processing only. The guest relationship, the data and the repeat booking stay with you. |
On a portfolio turning over £250,000 a year, moving ten per cent of bookings from a twenty per cent agency channel to your own website is roughly £5,000 back into the business, every year, compounding.
03 — The direct booking gap
Having a website is not the same as booking through it.
The direct channel's share of vacation rental bookings. Airbnb alone accounts for 46%.
Source 2Of operators run a direct booking website. It is table stakes, not an advantage.
Source 2Of those take under a quarter of their bookings through it.
Source 2Take no direct bookings at all through their own site.
Source 2Longer average stays on direct bookings than on OTA bookings.
Source 2Longer booking windows on direct bookings.
Source 204 — How guests actually behave
Long research windows. Small screens. Fast pages.
By the time a guest reaches your website they have already seen dozens of others. The site has to work on a phone, load immediately, and answer the question they arrived with.
Of the online accommodation booking market is now mobile.
Source 2Average time spent with travel content in the 45 days before booking.
Source 6Pages of travel content viewed on average before a booking is made.
Source 6Of travellers visit an OTA at some point before purchase — but not always to book.
Source 6Use a search engine during that research window.
Source 6Increase in travel booking rates from a 0.1 second mobile speed improvement.
Source 5