I’m building a simpler way for vacation rental hosts to take direct bookings

I’ve been working on RentalCal because I kept seeing smaller vacation rental hosts stuck between relying heavily on Airbnb and Vrbo or signing up for a much larger property management system than they really need.

RentalCal is my attempt to make that middle ground simpler.

It helps hosts keep Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking dot com calendars in sync while also taking direct bookings through their own website or booking page. Hosts can accept booking requests or instant bookings, collect payments through Stripe, manage blocked dates and availability, and keep everything synced.

I’m especially building it for hosts with a small number of properties who want to grow direct bookings without changing their whole setup.

There’s a free plan for one property, and I’m actively improving the product.

I’d be interested in feedback from other builders or anyone in travel and hospitality: what would be the biggest thing stopping you from taking more direct bookings instead of relying only on Airbnb or Vrbo?

RentalCal: rentalcal.com