Building a website for vacation rentals — 2026 guide

If you rent out an apartment, your guests probably come through Booking.com and Airbnb. They do the job — they bring visibility and occupancy. But every booking through a portal carries a commission of roughly 15 to 20%. On a season’s revenue that easily adds up to thousands of euros a year going to the middleman instead of you.

Your own website doesn’t mean leaving the portals — it means you’re no longer hostage to them. A guest who finds you once can book directly next time, commission-free, and you build your own guest base instead of borrowing it from a platform.

This guide explains why a dedicated site makes sense for a rental, what it must include, and what it realistically costs in Croatia in 2026.

Why have a website when Booking and Airbnb exist?

Portals are great for discovery — a guest who doesn’t know you yet will find you there. But they have three limits your own site solves:

• Commissions. 15–20% per booking across a whole season is a serious amount. A direct booking keeps that money with you.
• No control, no data. The platform dictates the rules, the look and the contact with the guest. You can’t build your own email list or an offer for returning guests.
• Everyone looks the same. On a portal you’re one listing among thousands. Your own site shows your space, your story and the surroundings the way you want.

The smartest approach isn’t “either-or” but a combination: portals for new guests, your own site for direct and repeat bookings.

What a good vacation-rental website must have

You don’t need a complicated site — you need one that turns a visitor into a booking. Check that it has:

• A strong photo gallery — the first and most important impression. Bright, sharp photos of the space, the view and the surroundings.
• A clear inquiry or booking — an inquiry form with an availability calendar, or an integrated booking system. The fewer clicks to an inquiry, the better.
• Prices and terms — at least a seasonal range, minimum nights, check-in/out. A guest who knows the terms upfront sends a more serious inquiry.
• Multiple languages — Croatian and English at a minimum; German often pays off on the Adriatic.
• Map and surroundings — location, distance to the sea, beaches, restaurants, attractions.
• Guest reviews — social proof builds trust just as it does on a portal.
• Speed and mobile — most guests browse on a phone; a slow site loses the inquiry before it even loads.

How much does a vacation-rental website cost?

Most hosts don’t need an expensive, complex solution. Here are realistic ranges and what each package includes with us:

Situation	Package	Price	What’s included
1 apartment / villa	Landing	from €349	One strong page: gallery, inquiry form, map, SEO basics — launch in 48h
A few units	Starter	from €690	1–3 pages + CMS to edit content and prices yourself, multiple languages
Several properties + blog	Growth	from €1,990	5–10 pages, custom design, advanced SEO, blog, HR + EN (+ DE) version

On top of the build, budget for small ongoing costs: a domain (~€10–20/yr) and hosting (€5–30/mo). For a detailed cost breakdown by website type, see the guide how much does a website cost, and all packages on the pricing page.

Direct bookings = more income

Let’s run the numbers. Say that over a season you make €20,000 through the portals at an average commission of 17%. That’s €3,400 handed to the middleman.

If your own site redirects just one third of guests to a direct booking, you save around €1,100 a year — and the site, on the Landing or Starter package, pays for itself in the first season. Everything beyond that is pure gain, year after year.

How guests find you on Google

Your own site only helps if guests can find it. A few basics:

• Target local terms like “apartments [your town]” or “accommodation [island/region]” — that’s what guests actually type.
• Google Business Profile — a free profile with location, photos and reviews that pushes you into local search and onto the map.
• Multilingual content — a page in the guest’s language ranks more easily for searches in that language.
• Speed and mobile optimization — Google rewards fast sites, and guests browse on phones anyway.

Conclusion

Keep Booking and Airbnb — but let them work alongside your site, not instead of it. A dedicated vacation-rental website cuts commissions, builds your guest base and gives you control over how you present yourself. For a single apartment it’s a small investment that pays for itself in the first season.

Renting out and thinking about your own site before the season? Fill out the short questionnaire — we’ll propose a solution and a ballpark price for your case, no obligation.