Field Notes · Own your storefront
Own your storefront
Airbnb, Booking.com and your booking software all rent you space. Your domain, your website and the way guests reach you are the parts you can own. These notes cover what to check, what Airbnb’s new rules change, and what to share instead of a listing link.
The notes
Newest first.
- Airbnb’s new rules cut hosts off from their own guests. Where’s the tipping point?From November 20, 2026, Airbnb hosts can’t ask guests for their email, require their own rental agreement in most cases, or use Wi-Fi logins that ask for an email. Why booking direct matters more than ever.Read the note
- Why sharing your Airbnb link sends guests shoppingWhen a neighbor, a friend or a happy guest shares your Airbnb listing, it sends people who already chose you into a marketplace full of other choices, and costs you a 15.5% fee if they book. What to share instead.Read the note
- Who owns your domain? How Comal Inn almost had to renameWhen Comal Inn changed hands, its domain turned out to be registered to the person who ran the old website. What happened, why it matters, and how to check who holds yours in five minutes.Read the note
Coming soon
- PMS website vs. independent site
- The five things you should control
Questions
What changes with Airbnb’s rules on November 20, 2026?
For reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026, Airbnb hosts generally can’t ask guests for their email or phone number, require their own rental agreement in most cases, or use Wi-Fi logins that ask for an email. This isn’t legal advice, so read Airbnb’s policy for the exceptions.
How do I check who owns my domain?
Look up your domain at lookup.icann.org to see which company it’s registered with, then log in to that account. The registrant should be you or your business, not a web designer, former manager or software company.
What should I share instead of my Airbnb link?
Your own website. An Airbnb link sends people who already chose you into a marketplace full of other choices, and Airbnb’s 15.5% host fee applies if they book. Share your site through your own channels, since Airbnb doesn’t allow outside links in listings or messages.
Ready for a site you own?
- Website migration moves a site built inside your booking software to a domain you control, and keeps the same booking engine. See website migration
- A microsite gives an Airbnb or Vrbo host a simple site of their own, on their own domain. See microsite
More topics on the Field Notes page, and every lodging website study on the series page.
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