How Hostu Works The Maths Pricing About FAQ My Dashboard

More bookings with the
Hostu marketing system.

Hostu helps you turn past guests into direct bookings — with zero commission.

Join Hostu
🇳🇿 Proudly built for New Zealand hosts

How Hostu Works

Hostu is a holiday home marketing platform designed to collect guest contacts, and then manage communication with those guests to encourage them to come back.
There is a 30 day free trial, and then a simple annual subscription of $99 + GST.
No hidden fees, no 15.5% commission.

01

Build Your Guest Book

Your guests, your relationships. Hostu captures contact details during or after each stay.

02

Stay Top of Mind

Send genuine, human follow-ups. Whether it’s a quick thank you, a local event heads-up, or a seasonal offer, ensure guests think of you first when they plan their next trip. Communication is automated and all your admin is in one place.

03

Guests Book Direct & You Save

Keep your Airbnb or Booking.com listings for new guests — but when those guests come back, they rebook through your free Hostu page. No 15.5% commission on repeat stays. You keep the lot.

04

Plus: Take Direct Bookings

Already getting enquiries direct? Add them to your Guest Book and manage the stay through Hostu — included in your subscription, no per-booking fees.

Stay in touch, automatically

A few examples of the kind of personal, well-timed messages Hostu helps you send.

“Hi Sarah – we look forward to your upcoming visit. The lockbox code is 1234 and wifi password is Happydaze2468. Any problems please call me on 021 123 4567. Enjoy your stay!”
“Hi Sarah – thanks very much for staying with us. We hope you had a lovely time in Golden Bay. If you would like to stay again please click the link below. And we would appreciate any referrals – your friends or family can book using the same link.”
“Hi Jane – can you believe it is almost a year since you stayed with us? We would love to have you back. Click on the link below to make a direct booking.”
“Hi John – I see Split Enz has just been announced for Forsyth Barr on February 22nd. We still have availability – click on the link below to book directly.”

What could you save?

Same property. Same guest. How much do the platforms charge?

Booking scenario: 3 nights × $450/night + $120 cleaning fee = $1,470 total
Airbnb
15.5% simplified pricingiReflects the mandatory 15% Simplified Pricing (Host-only fee) plus standard regional service fees and processing costs applicable to New Zealand hosts.
Booking total $1,470
Host fee (15.5%) −$228
Guest fee $0
Host Receives
$1,242
Guest Pays
$1,470
Platform Fee
$228
Booking.com
15.5% host commission
Booking total $1,470
Host fee (15.5%) −$228
Guest fee $0
Host Receives
$1,242
Guest Pays
$1,470
Platform Fee
$228
Bookabach
8% host fees + ~10% guest fee
Booking total $1,470
Host fee (8%) −$118
Guest fee (~10%) +$147
Host Receives
$1,352
Guest Pays
$1,617
Platform Fee
$265
You Keep It All
Hostu
$0 commission
Booking total $1,470
Host fee $0
Host Receives
$1,470
Guest Pays
$1,470
Platform Fee
$0

On a single 3-night stay, Airbnb takes $228. Booking.com takes $228. Bookabach takes $265.
On Hostu, the platform takes $0 commission.

*Airbnb calculation based on the mandatory 15.5% Simplified Pricing model for professional hosts. Costs for other platforms reflect standard 2026 commission rates for New Zealand holiday homes.

Run Your Holiday Home Business
from a Single Dashboard.

Booking management and guest communication at your fingertips.

Join Hostu

Pricing

What’s included — $99 + GST a year, no commission

One flat annual fee. No booking fees, no per-guest cut, no commission — ever.

Own your bookings

  • A professional listing with your own direct booking link
  • A booking calendar that syncs with your other platforms
  • A payment link built into your email signature

Turn every guest into a repeat guest

  • An electronic Guest Book that keeps all your guest details in one place
  • A property QR code that signs guests up to your Guest Book
  • Automatic, customisable email marketing — you set the content and frequency, with templates designed by a marketing professional

Know your market

  • AI-generated pricing and demand insights for your region

Still not sure? Try the 30 day free trial.

💡
The annual subscription is less than the commission on most single Airbnb stays. 30 day free trial.

FAQ

See FAQ on how Hostu works, what it costs, and how to streamline your holiday home business.

FAQ

Built by a Host and a Guest.

Andy

Whangarei Heads

Andy

I live at Whangarei Heads on a lifestyle property. In 2025 we renovated a cottage on the property for family, guests and to rent out on Airbnb. I was surprised by the high commissions Airbnb and the other global platforms charged on every stay. It would be much fairer to charge a single annual subscription. I pitched the idea to Julian, and Hostu is the result.

andy@hostu.co.nz

Julian

Plimmerton

Julian

I live in Plimmerton with my partner and daughter. As an active family keen on mountain biking and tramping, we always choose holiday homes over hotels. Talking to friends who rent out holiday homes, I realised the biggest barrier was that US platforms own all the ‘eyeballs,’ trapping hosts in 15.5% commissions. We built Hostu to focus on what the big guys ignore: building and marketing to your repeat business through a proactive, low-cost system.

julian@hostu.co.nz

You pay the mortgage.
You make the beds.
Stop paying 15.5% commission.

Join Hostu