In Greece, Booking.com usually keeps about 15% of each booking, and 18% or more if you are in the Preferred programme. Expedia usually keeps around 18%, and Vrbo (part of the same group) 12-15% for villas in Europe. Since October 2026, Airbnb charges hosts in the EU about 15.5%. A direct booking through your own website usually costs 1.5-3% for the card payment, plus your booking engine subscription.
The percentages sound small until you see them in euros, over a whole season.
What Booking.com charges
Booking.com has no public rate card. The percentage depends on your country, property type and the programmes you join. In Greece, most owners see:
- Base commission: about 15%. It is charged on the room rate plus fees such as cleaning, but not on the tourist tax.
- Preferred Partner: about +3%, so around 18%, in exchange for a better position in search results.
- Genius: no extra commission, but you give Genius guests at least a 10% discount. You pay for that discount.
- Payments by Booking.com: if Booking.com collects payment for you, there is an extra payment fee of roughly 1-3%.
Your exact rate is shown in your extranet, in your contract details and on your invoices.
What Expedia (and Vrbo) charge
Expedia doesn’t publish a single rate either. The commission is agreed in your contract and depends on the area, property type and season. Most properties see:
- Usual commission: around 18%, with a range from 10% to 30%. In practice, for small properties it is often a little more expensive than Booking.com.
- Accelerator: you pay extra commission for a better position in search results, on the dates you choose. It works like Booking.com’s Preferred.
- Two payment models: with Expedia Collect, the guest pays Expedia and you receive the amount minus commission. With Hotel Collect, the guest pays you at the property and Expedia invoices you for the commission. Many properties use both.
Vrbo, owned by Expedia, is aimed mainly at villas and holiday homes. Since 29 October 2026 it charges a single 12% commission, which includes payment processing. For properties in Europe connected through a channel manager it can reach 15%. Before the change many owners paid 5-8%, so for anyone already on Vrbo the cost goes up. Guests also pay a separate service fee at checkout. Your exact rate is shown in your Owner Dashboard.
What Airbnb charges (after the 2026 change)
Until recently, Airbnb charged hosts about 3% and charged guests separately at checkout. Since 13 October 2026, hosts in the EU pay a single fee of around 15.5% (14-16% depending on the listing), deducted from your payout. Guests now see the final price with no extra fee.
So if you haven’t changed your prices, you now receive less for every booking. To keep the same net payout, your price needs to rise by about 18%, not 15.5%, because the fee is charged on the higher price.
An example in euros
A villa in Crete, €200 a night, 7 nights, €1,400 in total (excluding tourist tax). What you keep depending on where the booking was made:
| Channel | Cost | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Booking.com, 15% | €210 | €1,190 |
| Booking.com, Genius 10% + 15% | €329 (€140 discount + €189 commission) | €1,071 |
| Booking.com, Preferred 18% | €252 | €1,148 |
| Expedia, 18% | €252 | €1,148 |
| Vrbo, 12-15% | €168-210 | €1,190-1,232 |
| Airbnb, 15.5% | €217 | €1,183 |
| Direct, card ~2% | €28 | €1,372 |
| Direct, 5% discount + card ~2% | €97 | €1,303 |
Even with a 5% discount for booking direct, you keep about €110 more than through Booking.com and €155 more than through Expedia, and the guest pays less.
Over a season with 20 bookings like this through Booking.com, the commission comes to about €4,200. If just 5 of them are made direct, without a discount, you keep about €900 more. Against a booking engine’s monthly subscription, the difference usually covers the cost within the first few bookings.
What changes with your own website
Your own site is not only cheaper per booking. It also gives you things the platforms keep for themselves:
- The guest’s email address. You can send them an offer for next year. A repeat booking from a guest who already knows you shouldn’t cost you 15%.
- Your own terms for cancellation, deposits and payment.
- Contact before arrival for transfers, groceries and excursions: extra income you don’t share.
- Freedom on price. Since November 2024, Booking.com cannot stop you from offering a lower price on your own site.
Don’t close the platforms, split their roles
Platforms are good at putting you in front of people who don’t know you. But many of those people, after seeing you on Booking.com, search your name on Google to see more photos or find a better price. That is where it is decided whether they book direct.
A realistic strategy:
- Keep the platforms for new guests and for dates that are hard to fill.
- Make sure you win when people search your name: a site that is fast on a phone, a booking engine, and Google free booking links so your price shows next to Booking.com.
- Give a reason to book direct: a small discount, free breakfast or transfer, flexible cancellation.
- Stay in touch with past guests and send them an offer before the next season opens.
For more tactics, see our guide on getting more direct bookings. To estimate the staff time you save when guests book online, try the booking automation savings calculator.
Want us to look at your numbers?
We build booking systems and websites for villas, hotels and rentals in Crete, so more bookings come in direct. Send us a message with how many bookings you get from each platform, and we’ll tell you honestly whether the switch is worth it.