Nearly 1 in 10
sessions came from an AI assistant, with 70% engaged
GA4 · Jul 1 to Sep 28, 2026
A little proof
Websites that get small properties found and booked direct
Get found.
Get booked direct.
I manage a 5-unit boutique property. Everything I offer, I tested there first: a faster site, AI visibility, and more guests booking direct instead of through OTAs.
Free, no pitch. Worst case, you get a short list of fixes you can do yourself.
Joshua Downey · GM, Comal Inn · Texas Realtor since 2008firsthandstays.com/site-check
Site check · example report
yourproperty.com
Mobile speed
38
Needs work
Google basics
71
Fair
Accessibility
92
Good
Found by AI
Low
Needs work
Fix
Your Book Now button is hard to find on a phone
booking engineFix
Google and ChatGPT can't tell what kind of property you are
schema markupImprove
Oversized photos make the site slow on phones
Core Web VitalsPass
Google and ChatGPT are allowed to read your site
robots.txtReviewed by Joshua, not a botFull report →
A few numbers worth knowing
Results from Comal Inn, the property I manage
Not promises from a pitch deck. Just the signals I watch at the front desk.
61 → 100
desktop PageSpeed after one round of fixes
PageSpeed Insights
32%
of summer bookings came direct
Eviivo · Jun to Aug 2026
48
guests paid for early check-in
Since Mar 1, 2026
Why direct matters
An OTA guest is a rented guest.
OTAs are good at finding new guests. But when someone books through them, the OTA keeps the commission, often a discount you paid for, and usually the guest's real email and phone number too.
And every time your listing link gets shared, by you with a neighbor whose family is coming to town, or by a happy guest posting their trip on social media, it sends people to a page built to show them other places to stay. It's like sending a customer to Amazon to buy your shoes. They find your pair, and right below it are a dozen others like it.
A direct booking keeps the commission, the discount and the guest's details with you. You don't need to quit the OTAs. Just move some of those stays to a website you own. Try it with your own numbers.
One stay through an OTA
- Your rate · 1 night
- $200
- Discount you fund · 10%
- −$20
- Guest pays
- $180
- Commission · 15% of what the guest pays
- −$27
- You keep
- $153
You keep 77% of your rate.
The same stay, booked direct
$194
after a 3% card fee
$41 more per stay
$4,920 a year at 10 OTA stays a month
An estimate, not a promise. It doesn't count taxes, extra OTA promotions, or the guests an OTA finds that you never would have.
Start with your situation
Which one sounds like you?
Each path leads to a page written for your exact situation, with a quick checklist and what it's likely costing you.
Only on Airbnb.
No site of my own.
- Your Airbnb or Vrbo listing is your only website
- When someone asks about your place, you send the listing link
- You're not ready to pay for booking software
Great PMS.
Dated website.
- You pay for a solid reservation system
- Your site was built years ago by someone local
- Guests call to ask what's available
My PMS owns
my website.
- Your site was built inside your PMS
- You can't edit much beyond photos and rates
- Switching software would mean losing the site
Good site.
Nobody finds it.
- It looks fine, but most bookings come from OTAs
- ChatGPT doesn't mention you when asked
- You're not sure how Google or ChatGPT pick who to recommend
Traffic acquisition
sessions · Jul 1 to Sep 28, 2026
Direct1,494
Organic Search1,191
Referral556
AI Assistant350
Comal Inn · GA4 · AI Assistant engagement rate 69.7% vs. 53.8% site average
From the front desk
He had never heard of Comal Inn. He asked ChatGPT for a quiet, romantic getaway in New Braunfels. We came up.
He booked The Juniper, our last room that weekend, for a surprise anniversary. From July through September, AI assistants sent 350 sessions, and those visitors engaged more than our average visitor. A few months earlier, the channel didn't exist in our analytics.
How we did itField Notes
Everything I've learned running a small property. Free.
Start here
Three useful places to begin
AI and search
Direct bookings
Own your storefront
Tech stack
Guest-focused brand
Revenue and upsells
Glossary
The words worth knowing
- Direct booking
- A reservation made on your site, without an OTA in the middle.
- llms.txt
- A plain-text guide that helps language models understand your site.
- Schema markup
- Structured details that help search engines read your property.
- Channel manager
- The tool that keeps rates and availability in sync.
- Rate parity
- Keeping the same public rate across booking channels.
- Orphan nights
- Single empty nights between otherwise booked stays.
Questions owners ask
A few straight answers
Do I need a new website if my PMS already has one?
Not always. If you can edit it, it's fast on a phone, and it lives on a domain you own, improve what you have. If you can't change much beyond photos and rates, or the domain belongs to your software company, a site of your own starts to pay off.
How can I tell whether AI assistants see my property?
Ask them. Type the question a guest would ask into ChatGPT or Google and see if you come up. Then look in your analytics for visits from chatgpt.com. If you see some, you're on the map.
What should I fix before spending more on marketing?
Make the Book button easy to find on a phone, make the site load fast, and make sure your rates, photos and policies match everywhere. Marketing sends people to your site. Those fixes make sure they book when they get there.
I only have one or two units. Is this worth it?
It depends on your plans. If it's mainly a family place you rent out part-time to cover costs, or you might sell in a year or two, it's probably not worth it. If you're running it as a business, or you bought a place with a good name but a weak website, it's a strong investment. If you already have years of past guests, you can start bringing them back to book direct as soon as the site is live. A brand-new property takes longer, since Google and AI tools need time to find you.
Do I have to stop using Airbnb or Booking.com?
No. OTAs are good at finding new guests. The goal is to turn more guests into direct bookings, especially repeat guests and people who find you on Google or ChatGPT. Comal Inn still lists on Booking.com and Expedia.
I'm not technical. Is that a problem?
No. Rates and availability come straight from your PMS, so both stay current on their own. You'll get a simple editor for rooms, photos and FAQs, plus a recorded walkthrough. If you'd rather not touch it, the care plan covers small updates.
How long does a new website take?
Most sites launch in 3 to 5 weeks. The build itself is the quick part. Most of that time goes to gathering your photos, room details and policies, and giving you time to review drafts without feeling rushed.
How much of my time will this take?
A call to start, answers to my questions about your property, and a review of the drafts. I handle the rest and keep you posted in plain English.
Can direct bookings really make a difference for a small property?
Yes. Take a $200 night. Through an OTA with a 15% commission and a 10% member discount, you keep about $153. Booked direct, you keep about $194 after card fees. That's $41 more per night. Move just 10 nights a month to direct and that's roughly $4,900 a year, from the rooms you already have.
Services
Built from what already worked.
Start with the audit. If you hire me for a build, the audit fee comes off the price.
You own it. All of it.
Your site, your words, your data, and the freedom to take it with you.
Founding client rate
My first 3 clients get 30% off their project, plus 30% off a care plan for the first 12 months, in exchange for letting me publish their before and after.
Site and listing audit
A clear read on what guests see, where they get stuck, and what to fix first.
Speed · Booking on a phone · Google and AI
$249
Microsite
A small website of your own for hosts with only an Airbnb or Vrbo listing, so every share lands on your page.
Two pages · Your domain · Inquiry form
$750 + $25/mo
Direct booking website
A site that makes your place easy to understand and easy to book without an OTA in the middle.
Your booking engine · Easy editor · Built for phones
From $2,500 + $25/mo
Website migration
Move your site out of your booking software onto a domain you control, without losing your Google rankings.
Keep your rankings · Your own domain · Your booking engine
From $2,500 + $25/mo
AI and search visibility
Make it easier for Google and AI assistants to understand your property and recommend it.
Found on Google · Recommended by AI · Clear details
From $750
Brand voice and room positioning
Turn what is special about your rooms, place, and people into words guests remember.
Room names · Guest-focused words · Clear room tiers
From $500
Care plan
Small, steady improvements after launch so your site keeps doing its job as your property changes.
Small updates · Monthly checks · Plain-English report
From $99/mo
Not sure a package fits? That's normal. These prices are starting points, not a menu you're stuck with. If you only need part of a package, I'll trim it and the price comes down. If your property needs more, I'll explain why before you pay a thing. Every project gets a written quote first.
Get a quote for your propertyBefore you reach out
Who I'm a good fit for, and who I'm not.
Probably a good fit
- You run an independent property with 1 to 50 units
- Your place has a story, and your website doesn’t tell it yet
- Guests love you in reviews, but most of them still book through an OTA
- You care about your place and want to be part of the process. No tech skills needed
- You want a site and domain you own, and straight answers about both
Probably not a fit
- You want the cheapest template possible, live by Friday
- You want guaranteed rankings or booking numbers. Nobody honest can promise those
- You want direct bookings to replace the OTAs, not work alongside them
- You need a custom booking engine built from scratch
If you're not a fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better if I can.
Read the Comal Inn story
Why firsthand
Built by someone who's been on both sides of the desk.
Firsthand Stays is Joshua Downey, a hospitality operator turned web partner. I know what a busy Saturday looks like, and what guests need to feel confident booking.
- Managing Comal Inn since 2015
- Texas Realtor since 2008
- Business degree in Computer Information Systems
Free site check
Tell me what's not working.
Send your website and I'll review it for free. Reach me however you like.
I reply within one business day. It'll be me, not a bot.