Why would I use this instead of Airbnb or Booking.com?
Honestly: for new guests, Airbnb and Booking.com are hard to beat. That's where people who don't know you yet are searching, and paying commission once for that visibility is fair enough. It starts to sting afterwards. When the same guest books through the platform again next year, you pay commission again, often 15 to 18% at Booking.com. And again the year after. The maddest case: someone googles your name, finds you entirely on their own, and the only way to book is still through a platform. Then you're paying commission for exactly nothing.
You can of course take direct bookings by email or phone, but that's manual work: checking availability, mailing back and forth about dates, typing up a confirmation. Bouwnb takes exactly that work off your hands with a booking site of your own: your name, your domain, your rates, no commission taken off the top. You don't have to leave the platforms; you give regulars and returning guests a channel that doesn't cost you money every single time.
What does it actually cost?
During the alpha, bouwnb is free. Once pricing launches, it'll be one flat monthly fee, not a percentage of your bookings and not a fee per booking. You'll know exactly what you're paying before the month starts, and it won't creep up as your occupancy improves. A commission punishes success; a flat fee doesn't. Early participants will hear well in advance when that changes.
What does that alpha period actually mean?
That bouwnb is young and very much under construction. The core works and runs at real B&Bs, but we build on it every week, and once in a while something breaks before we've spotted it ourselves. We're honest about that, and quick about it: you can always reach us directly, with no helpdesk queue in between.
Joining at this stage also means helping build. Whatever the first hosts need gets built first, so your wishes carry the most weight right now. And whoever helps us shape the product in this period won't be forgotten once pricing arrives.
Is booking direct cheaper for my guests too?
Usually, yes. On Airbnb and Booking.com your guest pays service fees on top of your price. On your own site they don't: the same room often costs the guest less while you keep more of it. Many owners add a line to their existing platform listing like "booking direct on our own site costs less". That's allowed, and it works.
Can I charge different rates on my own site than on Booking.com?
As far as bouwnb is concerned: your rates are your rates. We put no conditions on your pricing, anywhere. So if you want to give direct bookers a lower price because no commission comes off it, nothing is stopping you.
Do I need to know how to build a website?
No. You fill in a setup wizard: your property, your rooms, your rates, your photos, your house rules, a bit about the area. Answer the questions, upload your photos, and your site is live at your own bouwnb.nl address. There's no code and no separate web developer to hire.
Can I use my own domain, like www.mybandb.com?
Yes. You connect a domain you already own from your dashboard: it shows you exactly which settings to copy over at your domain provider, and we check automatically until everything is in place. From then on your site runs on your own domain, and your confirmation emails come from your own address too.
How do guests actually book?
A guest fills in a request on your site with their dates and details. You get an email, and you can accept or decline it from your dashboard, same as you'd manage a request from anywhere else. Accepting blocks those dates automatically, and your guest gets a confirmation styled to match your site.
And how does payment work?
Payment happens directly between you and your guest, outside bouwnb: a payment request, a bank transfer, or simply card on arrival. Exactly like a booking that came in by phone, so whatever you already do keeps working.
That's a matter of principle, not a missing feature. The moment your revenue flowed through our system, a percentage or a per-transaction fee would become almost inevitable, and that's precisely what we wanted rid of: no per-booking costs, ever. It also means there's no middleman holding your money or deciding when you get it.
What about pricing for different seasons, cleaning fees, tourist tax?
You set all of that yourself: a base nightly rate per room, extra rates for high and low season, a cleaning fee, and local tourist tax if it applies. Guests see one clear, all-in price with VAT called out, and you keep the breakdown you need for your own bookkeeping.
If I already list on Airbnb, will my calendars clash?
No. Bouwnb syncs with Airbnb, Booking.com, Bedandbreakfast.nl and other platforms through iCal: a booking made there automatically blocks the same dates on your bouwnb calendar, and vice versa. It's the same syncing method most B&Bs already use to juggle multiple channels, just built in rather than something you set up by hand.
What if Airbnb changes its algorithm, or takes my listing down?
Your own site won't notice. A listing on a platform lives inside that platform's search results and rules: your position depends on review scores, response rates and whatever the algorithm favours this month. Your bouwnb site is an ordinary website that Google finds under your own name, with everything that takes already built in. Nobody can demote it or switch it off.
Do guests need to create an account?
No. Booking a stay doesn't require signing up for anything. Fewer steps between someone deciding they want to stay with you and actually asking to.
What happens to my guests' personal information?
Less than you might expect, on purpose. Bouwnb isn't trying to build a marketing database out of your guest list. Beyond a first name kept with the booking history, contact details are deleted automatically two weeks after checkout. You get what you need to run your bookings, not a pile of personal data sitting around as a liability.
Can I run my site in more than one language?
Yes, your site can run in Dutch and English, with a simple switcher for guests. You write the content yourself for each language; there's no auto-translation guessing at your voice.
I only have one property. Is this overkill for me?
It's built for exactly this: one small B&B, one owner, one straightforward dashboard. There's no team management or multi-property complexity to wade through if you don't need it.
Who's behind bouwnb?
Bouwnb didn't start as a business plan but as a job: a website with a booking system, built for one B&B that was done handing over commission on every booking. It turned out to be exactly what more small B&Bs need, and it grew into a small, independent product. No investors, no growth targets, just the conviction that a B&B owner should keep more of what guests pay.