Direct booking software UK: keep bookings commission-free across the UK

No. HolsUK is designed to work alongside your OTA listings rather than replace them. The typical approach is to keep listings on Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo to maintain demand while using HolsUK’s channel sync to keep calendars aligned and avoid double-bookings. At the same time you can drive direct traffic from your website, social channels or repeat guests to the HolsUK booking widget so those reservations come with lower effective distribution costs. Many operators use a blended strategy: OTAs for reach and HolsUK for direct, higher-margin bookings. That lets you test price strategies — for example, offering loyalty discounts to returning guests on direct bookings — without disrupting your OTA presence.

HolsUK charges a fee only when a booking completes through our system. There’s no standard monthly subscription for most hosts, which suits smaller portfolios or seasonal operators. The fee is taken from the booking revenue and is visible in the revenue report so you can reconcile net income in GBP. You still control pricing, deposit and cancellation policies. For larger accounts or those requiring bespoke integrations, we can discuss commercial terms; but the default model reduces fixed costs and aligns our incentives with getting bookings for your property.

Yes. Payments flow through Stripe, so HolsUK supports refunds and captures in line with your stated booking terms. You can set deposit amounts and cancellation rules in the platform; refunds are initiated from the booking record and use the original payment method where possible. For security deposits, you can either take a pre-authorisation via Stripe or collect a deposit charge — the handling method is configurable. We recommend documenting your deposit and cancellation terms clearly in your listing and in pre-arrival communications to avoid disputes.

Yes, HolsUK supports channel sync with a range of OTAs and specialist platforms commonly used in the UK market, including Pitchup and Cool Camping where connectivity exists. Channel availability can depend on the external platform’s channel API; we maintain and expand integrations based on demand from hosts and operators. If you rely on a particular site, tell us and we’ll confirm current support and the best setup to keep calendars and rates consistent across all channels.

Cleaner management is tied to bookings: when a booking is confirmed, HolsUK generates a changeover task with the required checklists, expected hours and access notes. Tasks can be assigned to individuals or groups (for example, ‘North Dorset team’), and the assigned parties receive notifications. For larger parks you can create zones and recurring tasks for routine maintenance. The system tracks task completion and notes, which makes it easier to audit turnovers and identify recurring issues — helpful when scaling operations across multiple cottages, caravans or pods.

HolsUK provides transaction-level reporting that separates direct bookings, OTA bookings and Stripe fees in GBP. Reports include gross revenue, commission paid to HolsUK, platform fees passed on by OTAs and Stripe charges, which simplifies reconciliation for accounting and VAT or self-assessment needs. You can export CSVs per property and for date ranges covering a tax year. Many hosts use these exports to feed into accounting software or to share with their accountant to ensure accurate filings.