How to take short-let bookings without the 15.5% platform fee

By Zyntra · 13 October 2026

Airbnb has moved most hosts onto a single fee taken from every payout. For a busy apartment in Abuja or Lagos that adds up fast. Here is what changed, what it costs you, and how to take more bookings direct without losing guests.

What changed

Airbnb used to split its fee: about 3% from the host and a separate service fee from the guest. It has now moved most hosts to a single host-only fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal, taken from the payout. Independent hosts outside the EU moved on 15 September 2026.

What it costs, in naira

Take a two-bedroom apartment at ₦150,000 a night. A five-night stay is ₦750,000. At 15.5%, ₦116,250 goes to the platform.

If one in four of your stays comes from a returning guest or a referral, those are bookings you could take direct and keep the full amount.

Keep the platform, add a direct channel

You do not have to leave Airbnb. It is good at finding new guests. A direct-booking page is for the guests who already know you: returning guests, friends of past guests, and companies booking staff stays.

Put your link on your WhatsApp status, in your Instagram bio, and on the welcome card in the apartment.

What a direct-booking page needs

• Real photos of every room, and the beds, size and what is included.
• The full price for the guest's dates, including any long-stay discount and your caution fee, shown before they ask.
• The nights that are already booked, so guests only ask for dates you can give.
• Clear house rules, check-in and check-out times, and how the caution fee is refunded.
• One clear way to book. In Nigeria that is usually a WhatsApp message with the dates and total already written.

Taking payment safely

Confirm the dates before asking for payment, and only take payment into an account in your business name.

Send a receipt for every payment, and refund caution fees on the day you said you would. Your reputation is what brings guests back direct.