Frequently Asked Questions

GetDirectStay is a website builder designed specifically for vacation rental owners. It lets you create a professional, mobile-friendly website for your property in minutes — no coding or design skills needed.

Your site gets its own URL (e.g., yourname.getdirectstay.com) where guests can view your property, see photos, check amenities, and contact you directly — without paying platform commissions.

It's simple — 3 steps:

• Build: Fill in your property details, upload photos, and customize colors in our builder. You see a live preview as you go.
• Subscribe: Choose a monthly or yearly plan. Pay securely via Stripe.
• Go live: Your site is deployed instantly at your chosen subdomain.

Not at all. If you can fill out a form, you can build your website. Everything is point-and-click — just enter your property name, description, upload photos, and hit publish. No coding, no design experience needed.

Most people create their site in 10–15 minutes. If you already have your property photos and description ready, it can be even faster.

Yes! You can use the builder and see the live preview for free. You only need to subscribe when you're ready to publish your site online.

We offer two plans:

• Monthly: $12.99/month (€9.99/month in Europe) — cancel anytime, no commitment.
• Yearly: $10.99/month (€8.49/month in Europe) — save 15%.

Both plans include all features. No hidden fees, no commissions on your bookings.

Absolutely not. You pay a flat subscription fee — that's it. We take 0% commission on your bookings. Every dollar your guests pay goes directly to you.

All payments are processed securely through Stripe, one of the world's most trusted payment platforms. We never see or store your credit card details.

You're charged immediately when you subscribe. After that:

• Monthly plan: Charged every 30 days automatically.
• Yearly plan: Charged once per year ($131.88 or €101.88).

You'll receive an email receipt for each payment.

Yes! You can switch between monthly and yearly directly from your Account Settings page. Just click the plan you want.

You don't need to re-enter your card details — the change is applied automatically to your existing subscription. The new price takes effect at your next billing cycle, so you won't be double-charged.

We do not offer refunds for partial billing periods. If you cancel, your site stays online until the end of your current paid period. We encourage you to try the free builder preview before subscribing.

You can access all your invoices and payment receipts from your account:

• Go to Account Settings
• Click "Open Billing Portal" in the Billing & Invoices section
• You'll be redirected to our secure Stripe billing portal where you can view, download, and print PDF invoices for every payment

You also receive an email receipt automatically after each payment.

Your site will be at a subdomain like: yourname.getdirectstay.com

You choose the subdomain name during setup. For example, if your property is "Malibu Beach House", your URL could be malibu-beach-house.getdirectstay.com.

Yes! Every site is fully responsive and looks great on phones, tablets, and desktops. Most guests will visit your site from their phone, so this is essential.

Yes, absolutely! You can edit your site anytime from your dashboard. Update photos, change descriptions, adjust pricing — changes go live immediately.

You can upload up to 15 photos. The first photo will be your cover image. We recommend using high-quality, well-lit photos to attract guests.

Yes, every site gets a free security certificate automatically. Your site will show the secure padlock icon in browsers.

However, the security setup may take up to a few hours after your site is first created. During this time, your browser may show a "Not Secure" or "Dangerous site" warning — this is completely normal and temporary. It will disappear on its own once the setup is complete.

If the warning persists after a few hours, try opening your site in a private/incognito window or clearing your browser cache.

Yes! You can create a separate website for each property. Each site has its own subscription and subdomain.

Yes! You can connect your Airbnb, Booking.com, or VRBO calendar using an iCal link. Your site will display an interactive availability calendar that syncs automatically.

• Booked dates on Airbnb/Booking.com will show as unavailable on your site
• You can connect up to 2 calendar sources
• Calendar data refreshes automatically
• No double bookings — everything stays in sync

Just paste your iCal export URL in the builder under "Availability Calendar". You can find this URL in your Airbnb or Booking.com calendar settings (look for "Export Calendar" or "iCal link").

No. Your website is an informational showcase for your property. Guests contact you directly using the phone number, email, or booking link you provide. You handle bookings and payments yourself — keeping 100% of the revenue.

Google typically discovers new sites within 1–2 weeks, and your site may start appearing in search results within 2–4 weeks. Ranking well for keywords can take 1–3 months. This is normal for all new websites.

Here are the best ways to improve your Google ranking:

• Add your site to Google Business Profile — This is the #1 most important step. Go to business.google.com and add your website URL to your property listing.
• Share on social media — Post your link on Facebook, Instagram, and local tourism groups.
• Add to directories — List your property on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and local tourism board websites.
• Ask guests for Google reviews — Reviews on your Google Business profile directly improve your ranking.
• Put your URL everywhere — Email signature, business cards, welcome guide at the property.

Yes! Every site we generate includes:

• Proper page title and meta description with your property name and location
• SEO-friendly heading structure
• Alt text on images
• Mobile-responsive design (Google favors mobile-friendly sites)
• Fast loading speed
• SSL certificate (HTTPS)

Custom domain support is not available at this time. All sites are hosted on subdomains of getdirectstay.com (e.g., mybeachhouse.getdirectstay.com). We may offer custom domain support in the future.

You can cancel anytime from your dashboard. Click "Cancel" on the site you want to cancel. Your site will remain online until the end of your current billing period — no immediate cutoff.

When you cancel:

• Your site stays online until the end of the current paid period.
• After that, your site goes offline but your data is kept for 90 days.
• During those 90 days, you can resubscribe and your site will come back exactly as it was.
• After 90 days, your site data may be permanently deleted.

If your card is declined, Stripe will retry the payment automatically over the next few days. You'll receive an email notification. If payment isn't resolved, your site will go offline after a short grace period. You can update your payment method and resubscribe anytime.

Click "Forgot your password?" on the login page. Enter your email address and we'll send you a link to reset your password. The link expires after 1 hour for security.

Yes. You can delete your account directly from your Account Settings page — click "Delete My Account" at the bottom. This will permanently remove your account, all sites, and all associated data.

If you need help, you can also contact us at contact@getdirectstay.com.

Your site is deployed instantly after payment. However, the security certificate may take up to a few hours to be fully set up.

During this time, your browser may display a "Not Secure" or "Dangerous site" warning when you visit your site — don't worry, this is completely normal and will go away automatically. If it persists, try a private/incognito window.

Yes. We take security seriously:

• All connections use SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS).
• Passwords are encrypted with bcrypt (one-way hashing) — even we can't read them.
• Payment is handled by Stripe — we never see your credit card number.
• We don't use tracking cookies or third-party analytics.

We strive for maximum uptime, but like all web services, occasional downtime may occur. If you experience issues, contact us at contact@getdirectstay.com and we'll investigate as quickly as possible.

The website code and templates are the intellectual property of GetDirectStay and are not available for download or export. Your content (text, images) remains yours and can be retrieved from your dashboard.

Airbnb charges 3–15% per booking in host fees. On a $200/night stay for 5 nights, that's up to $150 gone in fees — per booking.

With GetDirectStay, you pay from $10.99/month (€8.49 in Europe) and keep 100% of your rental income. One single direct booking can pay for your entire year's subscription.

We don't recommend leaving Airbnb — use it for discovery. But having your own direct site means repeat guests can book directly, saving both of you money.

Absolutely! Most of our customers use both. The platforms are great for getting new guests. Once a guest has stayed with you, share your direct website for future bookings. That way, neither of you pays platform fees on repeat stays.

You can! But GetDirectStay is built specifically for rental properties. You don't need to figure out layouts, design, or which pages to create. Just fill in your property info and you get a professional site optimized for vacation rentals — in minutes, not hours.

Plus, general website builders typically cost $16–30/month and require a separate domain purchase ($10–15/year).