Help · For guests
How we estimate prices on other platforms
When a home is also listed on Airbnb, Vrbo or Booking.com, its page shows a line like Direct $149 · Airbnb ≈$176 · Vrbo ≈$185. The platform figures are estimates, not prices we read from those sites. The platform's own checkout shows the actual price for your dates.
How it's worked out
We start from the direct price (the same per-night figure the page shows, with the host's cleaning fee spread over a 3-night stay where we know it, before taxes). For each platform, we assume the host passes the platform's commission on to guests, so they keep the same payout wherever you book, and we add any guest service fee the platform charges on top:
platform price ≈ direct price ÷ (1 − commission) × (1 + guest fee)
For a $149 direct price: Airbnb $149 ÷ 0.845 ≈ $176; Vrbo $149 ÷ 0.88 × 1.09 ≈ $185; Booking.com $149 ÷ 0.85 ≈ $175.
The fees we assume (checked Nov 2026)
| Airbnb | 15.5% host fee, no separate guest fee | Most hosts now pay a single host-only fee of 15.5% (14–16% in some markets, 16% in Brazil and Mexico), and guests pay no separate service fee on those bookings. Airbnb Help Center: service fees. |
| Vrbo | 12% host commission, plus an assumed 9% guest service fee | Vrbo moved hosts to a 12% commission from 29 October 2026 (up to 15% in some regions). Travellers also pay a service fee in most cases, which Vrbo sets per booking and doesn't publish as a range; 9% is our assumption, in the middle of commonly reported figures. Vrbo Help: what is the service fee. |
| Booking.com | 15% commission, no guest fee | Booking.com charges hosts a commission set in each property's agreement, commonly 10–25% by country, property type and programme; 15% is a widely reported typical rate. Guests usually pay no separate service fee. Booking.com for hosts. |
We re-check these figures every few months. Fees change, and they differ by country and by host.
Why an estimate can be off
- Hosts set their own prices on each platform. Some charge the same everywhere and absorb the fee; some charge more or less.
- Platform fees vary by country, booking size and programme, and platforms run their own discounts.
- Taxes, and fees we don't know about, aren't included.
- Where the host has entered their own channel fees, we use theirs, and the “?” next to the line says so.
CielStay isn't paid by any platform or host for these figures, and they don't affect how homes rank.
For hosts
If our assumptions don't match how you price, correct them free: open your listing's Edit → Pricing & fees → Channel fees and enter each platform's fee and how much of it you pass on. Leave a field blank to use the typical figure. You're responsible for the figures you enter (Terms).
Questions or a correction? Write to [email protected].