Inndirectly: Why Direct Bookings Are the Future of Short-Term Rentals

In this episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast, we’re diving deep into one of the hottest topics in the short-term rental world: direct bookings. We are joined by Carrie Nilsen, a host of three short-term rental properties and the founder of the soon-to-launch vacation rental platform Inndirectly.

The platform aims to make it easier than ever for guests to discover vacation rental properties and book directly with hosts. Unlike traditional OTAs, Inndirectly doesn’t facilitate bookings—instead, it connects travelers with hosts’ own direct booking sites.

We are discussing why now is the perfect time for short-term rental operators to embrace direct bookings, how platforms like Hospitable and Inndirectly are empowering hosts and property managers, and what inspired Carrie to build a business that supports this growing movement.

Press Play now to find out why Carrie built a platform for discovering direct booking websites, how it differs from traditional OTAs, and how it works for hosts and guests.

Do you prefer to read the highlights? We’ve got a summary of the key takeaways below.

What Inspired Carrie to Create Inndirectly

Carrie says that owning a short-term rental was her lifelong dream. “I've loved staying in short-term rentals on vacation. Ever since my children grew older, we have wanted more space than a hotel room provides. And then we just loved the uniqueness of different people's homes and properties.”

When her kids were close to college age, they decided to buy an investment property and convert it into a short-term rental. “It was fun. We enjoyed it. We love hosting. We sometimes go there for vacation ourselves. And so over the years, we ended up with three short-term rentals.”

But soon she realized that as a host, she is too dependent on the big OTA platforms. “The dependency worries me because if something were to go awry, what would I do without them? The answer seems to be direct booking sites. So I got them and I really love my direct booking sites, but then I realized where and how do I list them, and how do I put them out there, and how do people find them?”

Why Hosts Need a Direct Booking Website

Carrie says that big OTA platforms are great and really help her reach potential guests, so she wants to use them as both a host and a guest, but she doesn’t want to rely on them exclusively. She underlines that it’s important for hosts to have a direct booking site in today's market and explains the reasons why.

“There’s a growing dissatisfaction with some of the big platforms because there are increasing costs and regulations that pose barriers for some people, hosts and guests. Sometimes, things are decided by these big companies so that you don't have any control over your own listing or reservations. So I think a direct booking site is just about freedom and taking back ownership of your property and business.”

Carrie thinks that hosts are hesitant to shift to direct bookings just because they don’t know where to start, how to get advertised to get bookings, or how to protect themselves from guest-related risks. “I ended up making a website myself, but how do you get bookings on it? And that was actually where Hospitable came in. So I use Hospitable for my direct booking sites.”

She likes that with the Hospitable Direct booking websites feature, hosts have the flexibility to choose between Direct Basic and Direct Premium options. They are also protected from double bookings with calendar sync. “It's a great system,” Carrie points out.

Advantages of Using Inndirectly for Guests and Hosts

Inndirectly offers a new way to connect guests and hosts directly without a middleman, so there are no commissions. The platform is entirely free for guests, and hosts have to pay a small listing fee, so “it’s going to save you some money.”

Carrie notes that they have a unique feature—a save search alert system. When guests are searching for the perfect place to stay, they can save their search history and receive an alert when a suitable option appears, eliminating the need to revisit previous results.

Hosts can list their contact information, allowing them to communicate directly with guests before booking, which provides greater transparency. A guest can find the property they’d like, and then contact the host directly and ask them additional questions “if they want to get a feel.”

Carrie thinks that any host who wants to take ownership of their property and their listing can benefit from using Inndirectly. “This could be a property manager with a hundred listings. This could be someone with their mother-in-law’s or their own home, so they have only one listing. I think anybody can benefit from having their direct booking site searchable.”

Carrie recommends that hosts take advantage of accepting direct bookings on their websites, in addition to listing on major OTA platforms, “as one more tool to get their properties seen.” Relying on one or two big platforms is risky because anything could happen outside of your control.

“Just start now, don’t wait,” Carrie emphasizes. Hospitable is an excellent resource for building a site and getting help with managing it. It’s not nearly as complicated as it might seem. I have personally no website development skills, and I’ve got the most amazing direct booking sites through Hospitable.”

Listen to the full episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast to discover how platforms like Hospitable and Inndirectly help hosts get more direct bookings and grow their business.