Rand Runners

What are Booking.com and Airbnb really costing your Cape Town guesthouse?

Enter your numbers. See the monthly bleed, the annual bill, and what you'd save shifting to direct booking. Real rand. No sign-up.

Your numbers

Monthly OTA revenue R 50 000
R
Commission rate 15%
%

The bleed

You're paying every month
R 7 500
in commission to OTAs
Per year
R 90 000
Over 5 years
R 450 000
That's real money. Enough to fully renovate a room, hire a part-time marketing manager, or fund a large part of a second property deposit over five years.
Built for Cape Town operators.
Typical commissions, checked October 2026: Booking.com about 15% · Airbnb 15.5% host fee · Expedia 15–30% · Direct about 3% card fee. Your own rates may differ.

What if you shifted more bookings to direct?

Drag the slider. Savings are after an assumed 3% card fee on direct bookings.

Shift this % to direct booking 30%
0% 40% 80%
You'd save
R 27 000
in year one
Monthly savings
R 2 250
back in your pocket
Marketing budget
R 2 250/mo
break-even point

The direct booking playbook lands in your inbox Thursday.

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