Owner-first rental management · Zell am See

Your accounts.
Your money.

Most agencies take over your Booking.com account and decide what to pay you. We don't touch any of it — we just run the day-to-day.

01 Ownership
100%
Booking.com & Airbnb stay registered in your name — revoke our access any time
02 Payouts
Direct
The platform pays straight to your bank — we are never in the middle of your money
03 Our fee
10%
Charged on the nightly rate only — never on cleaning, linen, city tax or platform commission
Typical agency
Your account is registered to them
They collect the guest's money first
20–30% of your total revenue
HOSTDIRECT
Accounts stay in your name
Guests pay you directly
10% — nightly rate only
Panoramic view across Lake Zell toward the mountains around Zell am See
Local in Zell am See Serving Zell am See, Kaprun & Saalbach · Photo: Kotu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
01 — Pricing

All costs, upfront

Four costs, each fully predictable before the season starts. No percentages on cleaning, no commission on extras, nothing beyond what is listed here. The maintenance subscription is the only recurring item — and it is optional.

10%
Management fee · nightly rate only

Charged on the room rate — and nothing else

A guest books for €900 in nightly rate. Cleaning, linen, city tax and the platform's own commission are all separate line items — none are part of our 10%. So our fee is €90, and you can verify it yourself in your Booking.com or Airbnb payout report any time.

Cleaning
✓ Guest-paid · pass-through
m² × €1.80 + VAT
Set once as a fixed amount in your listing. Guests pay it at booking on top of the room rate — it flows straight through to the cleaning company and never comes out of your pocket. Four vetted companies in the region, so there is always coverage.
Linen kit (all-in)
✓ Guest-paid · pass-through
Beds × €18 + VAT
Calculated from the number of beds and set as a fixed "Bed linens fee" in your listing. Like cleaning, guests pay it at booking and it is passed through to cover linen service — never deducted from your room-rate income.
Maintenance subscription
~ Optional · owner
€60 / month
Routine seasonal upkeep: bulb replacements, minor touch-ups, on-site checks. Two hours per month included — anything beyond is quoted separately and only proceeds with your go-ahead. Properties managed on-site may not need it.
02 — Comparison

HOSTDIRECT vs traditional agency

Traditional agencies often ask you to hand over your Booking.com account — which means they control your listing, your reviews, and your revenue. Our model is deliberately different: you stay the account owner from day one.

What matters
HOSTDIRECT
Traditional
Who owns the Booking.com / Airbnb account?
Always in your name
Registered to agency
Where does the guest payment go first?
Straight to your bank
Agency collects first
What is the management fee charged on?
10% of nightly rate only
20–30% of total revenue
Do extra charges require your approval?
Every time, in writing
Charged without notice
Can you use your apartment when you want?
Block any date, any time
~Requires negotiation
Can you see all your bookings in real time?
Live in your dashboard
Report once a month

✓ yes · ~ partial / negotiable · ✗ no — icons carry the meaning, not colour alone

02 — Real numbers

One-bedroom, Zell am See — full year 2025

Real Booking.com payouts for a one-bedroom apartment in Zell am See — the full calendar year 2025. These are the amounts actually transferred to the owner's bank account, already net of the platform's own commission. The highest month was January (ski season), the lowest October (shoulder season).

Total payout received
€27,034
Booking.com → owner's bank · full year 2025
Peak month
€4,262
January 2025 · ski season
Average monthly payout
€2,253
Across all 12 months, incl. low season
Monthly payouts → owner's bank
Jan
€4,262
Feb
€4,168
Mar
€3,271
Apr
€2,087
May
€1,352
Jun
€919
Jul
€1,875
Aug
€3,252
Sep
€1,688
Oct
€589
Nov
€739
Dec
€2,831
Where the payout money goes

The payout combines room rate, cleaning and linen. Cleaning & linen are guest charges that flow through to the cleaning company — they don't affect the owner's income. The owner's only real cost is the 10% fee on the room-rate portion.

Real booking · Apr 02–07 · 5 nights
Booking.com pays out to owner€1,220
Room €900 + cleaning €200 + linen €120 — platform commission already deducted
~ Cleaning + linen → cleaning company− €320
% HOSTDIRECT — 10% of €900 room rate− €90
Owner keeps€810

The €320 cleaning/linen is a guest charge — it costs the owner nothing.

Source: Booking.com "Payout info" — one-bedroom, Zell am See, 2025. Amounts as transferred to owner's bank. No guest names or booking IDs published. This is a single real example, not a promise or guarantee of future income — results vary by property, season and demand.

03 — Standard fees

Cleaning & linen — fixed prices

Fixed standard amounts — set once in your listing as separate line items, so guests see them at booking and pay them on top of the room rate. Never deducted from your nightly income, never inside our 10%. See what a typical stay costs to service.

Complete fitted linen set for each bed
Bath towel and hand towel per guest
Kitchen towel and bathroom starter kit
Toilet paper restocked in each bathroom
Standard fees per check-in · incl. 21% VAT
How to set it up: add "Cleaning fee" and "Bed linens fee" as separate fixed amounts in your Booking.com extranet. Guests pay them at booking; the amounts pass through to the cleaning company and never affect your nightly income or our 10%.
04 — Price check

Ask for a price check

Send the basic property details and we will respond with a practical first pricing view for Zell am See demand: nightly-rate logic, standard guest-paid fees, and what we would check before going live.

No platform password needed for the first check.
Useful for active listings and properties not listed yet.
You decide the next step only after seeing the numbers.
05 — Getting started

How we get started

For properties already on Booking.com or Airbnb, we are typically live within a few days of the first call. For new listings we allow extra time for photos, registration and setup — guiding you through each step. Either way, you commit to nothing until you understand the fees.

01

15–20 min call

A short conversation by WhatsApp, Zoom, or in person — your property, the bookings you want, your personal-use dates, and any questions about how it works.

02

Setup & ground rules

We configure the listing together: seasonal rates, cleaning & linen fees, minimum stays, check-in instructions, the emergency workflow. Nothing goes live until you approve it.

03

Go live — we take it from here

We handle all guest messages, coordinate cleaning after each checkout, and quality-check before every arrival. You get notified about what matters — a new booking, an issue — and can check your live calendar any time.

Owner-first commitments
You own the accounts — always the primary holder on Booking.com and Airbnb; remove our access any time.
Use your property whenever you like — block any dates for personal stays, no notice required.
Smarter pricing, included — AI-assisted rate recommendations for demand peaks and events, no extra charge.
Problems get fixed fast — issues at the property resolved within 24 hours where possible.
Guests always reach someone — emergency line staffed around the clock, weekends and holidays included.
Every stay is documented — the property is photographed after each checkout, a timestamped record for any claim.
06 — Questions

Common questions

The questions we hear most from owners new to professional rental management. If something is not covered, just ask — the fastest way is WhatsApp.

Do I own the Booking.com / Airbnb accounts?+
Yes. You remain the owner of all platform accounts. We are added as a co-host or property manager with limited operational access — you keep full admin rights and can revoke access at any time.
Who receives payouts?+
You receive payouts directly from the platforms to your own bank account. Your bank details are registered on your accounts. We never touch the payout flow.
What exactly is the 10% charged on?+
Only the accommodation / room rate — the nightly rate guests pay for the stay itself. Separate fees (cleaning, linen, city tax, platform commission) are excluded.
Are there hidden fees?+
No. Any extra work — repairs, emergency purchases, special cleaning — is quoted and approved by you before we proceed. No approval = no work = no invoice.
Can I use the property myself?+
Yes. Block any dates in the calendar at any time — no notice period, no penalty, no restrictions. Your property is still your home first.
What happens if a guest damages something?+
After every checkout, one of our four partner cleaning companies services the property and photographs its condition, reporting any damage immediately. Minor repairs are handled within the 2 included service hours at no extra cost. For larger damage we file a deposit claim directly through Booking.com or Airbnb on your behalf — initiated the same day.
Which cleaning company will service my property?+
We work with four professional cleaning companies across Zell am See, Kaprun and Saalbach. The assignment depends on your location and availability. All four follow the same checklist and photograph the property after every service — so there is always coverage, even on peak weekends and public holidays.
How long is the contract? Can I exit?+
We work on a flexible basis with no long-term lock-in. If it does not work for either party, we agree a handover period — typically 30 days from written notice. Bookings confirmed beyond that are either honoured by us through to checkout or handed back with full documentation, whichever you prefer. No booking is ever left without cover.
Get in touch

Ready to talk?

We cover Zell am See, Kaprun, Saalbach and the surrounding region. Reach us whichever way suits you best — no obligation, no sales pitch, just a conversation about your property.