What a night really nets
Airbnb moved most professional hosts to a single 15.5% host fee in 2025: guests see your price, and the whole fee is deducted from it. That includes hosts using property management software and traditional hospitality listings. Booking.com sets commission per agreement and charges it on the total, cleaning fees included.
A one-bedroom example on Airbnb, with an illustrative nightly price:
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Price the guest sees | AED 500 a night |
| Airbnb single fee 15.5% | − AED 77.50 |
| Payout before costs | AED 422.50 |
| Tourism Dirham (Standard, 1 room) | AED 10, collected from the guest and paid to DET |
| A 4-night repeat guest booking direct instead | 4 × AED 77.50 = AED 310 kept |
The Tourism Dirham is AED 10 per room per night for Standard units and AED 15 for Deluxe, charged for up to the first 30 nights of a stay regardless of the number of guests, according to current DET guidance as summarised by QuickPass. Show it clearly on your direct price.
Rules first: no permit, no marketing
Every unit needs a DET Holiday Homes permit before the first guest, on any channel. Published fee figures disagree: ProPick cites Executive Council Resolution 49 of 2014 at AED 300 per bedroom capped at AED 1,200 a year, while Royale Stays lists AED 370 for the first bedroom and AED 300 for each additional, capped at AED 1,270. Check the DET portal before you budget. Short stays are a taxable supply for VAT at 5%, with mandatory registration above AED 375,000 in taxable turnover, as ProPick summarises the FTA guidance.
Winning the platform search
On Airbnb and Booking.com your listing competes on three things you control: photos, reviews and response speed.
- Photos in walking order: entrance, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, balcony and view, then building amenities and the street. The cover shows the single strongest feature.
- Wide, bright, true colour. No fisheye distortion; guests who feel misled leave the reviews that sink a listing.
- Every unit shot the same way, so a portfolio looks like one brand.
- Reviews: a clean, stocked unit and a fast check-in produce them. Ask every guest the same way.
- Reply speed: a guest who messages three listings books the first one that answers.
Building the direct channel
Platforms bring first-time guests. The second stay, the corporate traveller and the monthly tenant can come direct.
| Guest type | Direct channel | What it saves |
|---|---|---|
| Returning guest | WhatsApp or email to past guests, with consent | The full platform fee on the repeat stay |
| Corporate and project stays | A rate sheet and a person on WhatsApp | Fee on long, high-value bookings |
| Monthly stays | Direct listing on your site, Google profile | Fee on 30-night bookings |
| Referrals from guests | A simple "send a friend" message | Fee on new guests who already trust you |
Three pieces make it work: a booking site with live availability (many channel managers include one), a Google Business Profile for the operator brand with photos and reviews, and WhatsApp that answers in minutes in English, Russian or Arabic. If your booking engine supports it, Google's free booking links can show your direct rate in search at no cost per click. Marketing messages to past guests need opt-in; see our WhatsApp rules guide.
What nobody tells you
- Platform terms limit off-platform contact. Don't push guests who booked on Airbnb to pay you outside it during that stay. Build the direct relationship after checkout, through consent you collected yourself.
- Content of guests needs consent. Filming or photographing people without consent is an offence under Federal Decree-Law 34 of 2021.
- Your building may have its own rules. Some towers restrict filming in common areas; ask the building management before a shoot.
- The fee changes the maths of discounts. A 10% weekly discount on Airbnb costs 10% plus 15.5% of what's left. Run it on your own channel first.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: the operator is the brand, not the unit
Opinion. Many operators market units one by one, and guests never remember who hosted them. Pretty photos win the first booking but don't build a business. The operators who grow treat their brand as the product: one look across the portfolio, a Google profile and site under one name, a WhatsApp that answers instantly, and a list of past guests. Our Sri Lanka boutique hotel project moved 55% more guests to direct booking with the same logic (results on our home page).
Holiday home operator checklist
- DET permit for every unit before listing.
- Tourism Dirham included clearly in direct prices.
- Photos in walking order, same style across the portfolio.
- Reply in minutes on every platform and WhatsApp.
- Consent for follow-up collected at check-in.
- Direct rates for repeat, corporate and monthly guests.
- Operator brand on Google with reviews.
