Welcome to StayDirect™: Built for Direct Booking, Refined by Experience
Hey Trusted Stay Partners,
In 2025, we spent a lot of time listening.
Listening to hosts who loved the visibility Nomad Stays brought them, but wanted more control. Listening to operators who already had booking systems they trusted. Listening to hosts who were actively investing in direct booking strategies to reduce reliance on OTAs. Listening to people who told us, plainly, “I want the guest, not just the booking.”
That’s where StayDirect™ came from.
We began building StayDirect™ early in 2025 as a direct booking-first program, tested it quietly with a small group of hosts, refined it relentlessly based on real-world feedback, and after months of iteration, officially released StayDirect™ in December 2025.
This post explains what it is, how it’s different, who it’s for, and why you might choose it over BookingFlow.
What is StayDirect™?
StayDirect™ is Nomad Stays’ direct booking referral program.
Instead of travelers completing their booking on Nomad Stays, StayDirect™ sends qualified, high-intent digital nomads directly to your own booking page or booking system, supporting your broader direct booking strategy.
Nomad Stays still showcases your property, attracts the right audience, and pre-qualifies demand. The difference is what happens next:
👉 the booking happens directly with you, on your platform, under your rules.
For hosts who are actively reducing dependence on OTAs and third-party intermediaries, StayDirect™ acts as a direct booking demand channel, not a transactional middleman.
This model was shaped throughout 2025 with host feedback at its core. Hosts told us they wanted transparency, control, and economics that rewarded direct relationships. StayDirect™ is the result.
How Is StayDirect™ Different?
There are now two ways to be listed on Nomad Stays, and neither is “better” — they serve different business models.
BookingFlow is our traditional, fully managed booking model. Nomad Stays handles the transaction, guest payment, and booking flow on your behalf.
StayDirect™, released in December 2025, is designed specifically for hosts prioritising direct bookings and reduced OTA dependency.
With StayDirect™:
- Nomad Stays markets your property
- Guests click through to your booking page
- The booking happens directly with you
- You manage pricing, payments, policies, and communication
- We charge a small referral fee for the traffic we send
Think of BookingFlow as concierge-style service, and StayDirect™ as a direct booking distribution channel built for modern hosts.
What’s the Price?
We deliberately kept pricing simple and predictable, reflecting how direct booking programs are typically structured.
- €39 one-time listing application fee
- 1% advertising referral fee, charged only when a traveler clicks through to your booking page
There is no commission on the booking itself.
No percentage taken from your revenue.
No payment processing by us.
If a nomad doesn’t click through, you don’t pay.
Who Does StayDirect™ Appeal to Most?
During testing, StayDirect™ resonated most strongly with hosts who:
- Already use their own booking engine or channel manager
- Are actively building direct booking volume
- Want full ownership of the guest relationship
- Care deeply about yield and lifetime customer value
- Prefer marketing partnerships over OTA-style intermediaries
If you’re intentionally shifting bookings away from OTAs and toward your own channels, StayDirect™ was built with you in mind.
Why Switch from BookingFlow to StayDirect™?
BookingFlow remains a great fit for hosts who want hands-off simplicity. That hasn’t changed.
But many hosts who tested StayDirect™ in 2025 told us they switched because:
- They kept more revenue per stay
- They strengthened direct guest relationships
- They gained pricing and policy flexibility
- They felt more in control of their business
- They could use their own insurance policies
- They could avoid some regulatory and reporting overheads associated with intermediary platforms
StayDirect™ doesn’t replace BookingFlow.
It gives you a direct booking alternative.
And that choice was one of the clearest signals we heard from hosts throughout 2025.
A Final Word from Mark
StayDirect™ wasn’t dreamed up in a boardroom.
It was built across 2025, shaped by real host conversations, refined through testing, and released in December 2025 because the timing was right — and because direct booking has become a priority for modern hosts.
If you want visibility without giving up control, and growth without increasing OTA dependency, StayDirect™ might be your next step.
👉 Learn more at https://www.nomadstays.com/staydirect
Here’s to direct bookings and stronger stays,
Mark Phillips
Founder, Nomad Stays 🌍✨
