Understanding Your Booking Options
Hospitable offers two ways to add bookings that don't come through a channel like Airbnb or Vrbo: manual bookings and Direct bookings. They serve different purposes and behave differently, choosing the right one ensures your payments, guest communications, and financial records all work as expected.
This guide explains when to use each option and how they differ.
Manual Bookings
A manual booking is a simple calendar entry. Use it when you need to block dates and track financials for a reservation that was arranged outside of Hospitable, for example, a booking from a channel Hospitable doesn't integrate with, a personal stay, or a maintenance block with associated costs.
Key characteristics
No payment collection. Hospitable does not collect payment for manual bookings. You handle payment separately (cash, bank transfer, external invoice, etc.).
Financial tracking only. Any amounts you enter (nightly rate, cleaning fee, etc.) are used for Metrics and Owner Statements — they are not charged to anyone.
Reservation code. Hospitable auto-generates a reservation code, but you can enter your own if you have one from another system.
Automations. Automated messages, smart lock codes, and tasks will still trigger for manual bookings, so guests can receive check-in instructions, house rules, access codes, and more. Important: Your messaging rules must be scoped to the manual platform for automations to fire on these bookings.
One guest email per reservation. Each manual booking supports a single guest email address.
Editing cancelled bookings. You can edit the financials of cancelled manual bookings from the past, useful for correcting Owner Statement records.
When to use a manual booking
A guest booked through a platform Hospitable doesn't connect to, and you want to track the reservation.
You need to block dates for personal use or maintenance but want to log associated costs.
You're migrating historical bookings into Hospitable for reporting purposes.
You received payment outside of Hospitable and just need the calendar and financial record.
How to create one
Go to your Calendar or Inbox.
Click +Add booking and select Add a manual booking.
Fill in the guest details, dates, and financials.
Click Create booking.
💡 If your property has a limited calendar, Hospitable cannot automatically block those dates on your connected channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.). You'll need to block the dates manually on each platform.
Direct Bookings
A Direct booking is a full-service reservation processed through Hospitable's Direct booking feature. Use it when you want Hospitable to handle the entire booking flow including payment collection, guest verification, and rental agreements.
Key characteristics
Payment collection. When a guest submits payment, Hospitable places an authorization hold on their card. The card is actually charged only when the booking is accepted, either manually by you or automatically via Instant Book. This applies to both guest-initiated and host-initiated bookings.
Tax handling. Taxes are calculated and collected automatically based on your tax configuration. Hospitable can remit taxes on your behalf where applicable.
Guest verification (Direct Premium). Guests go through identity verification before their booking is confirmed. Guest verification is not skipped for new guests, even when the booking is created via a custom quote. Previously verified guests may skip verification on subsequent bookings.
Rental agreements. Guests can be required to sign a rental agreement as part of the booking flow.
Damage protection. Damage deposit or damage protection options are available.
Booking widget & direct link. Guests can book through your Direct booking website, a booking widget on your own site, or a shareable booking link.
When to use a Direct booking
A guest is booking directly with you and you want Hospitable to collect payment.
You want automated tax calculation and collection.
You need guest verification and/or rental agreements.
You're building a direct booking channel to reduce reliance on OTAs.
Direct Basic vs. Direct Premium
The booking flow differs depending on your Direct plan:
Direct Basic: After the guest completes payment, the booking is automatically accepted and the guest receives a confirmation. No verification step.
Direct Premium: After payment, the guest must complete ID Verification (and any Guest Portal tasks). Once verified, the host can manually accept — or if Instant Book is enabled and the guest passes verification, the booking is auto-accepted. If a guest's ID is flagged, the Hospitable team reviews it before it can be accepted.
How to create one
Guest-initiated: The guest books through your Direct booking website or link.
Host-initiated: From the Inbox or Calendar, click +Add booking → Add a Direct booking. Set the property, dates, pricing (you can create a custom quote), and guest details. Set the quote expiration (24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or 1 week). Hospitable emails a payment link to the guest. If the dates are already blocked on your calendar, Hospitable will temporarily hold them while the quote is active, no need to manually unblock first.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Feature | Manual Booking | Direct Booking |
Payment collection | ❌ Not handled by Hospitable | ✅ Collected via Stripe |
Tax calculation & collection | ❌ Not applicable | ✅ Automatic |
Tax remittance | ❌ Not applicable | ✅ Where applicable |
Guest verification | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (can be bypassed) |
Rental agreements | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Damage protection | ❌ No | ✅ Available |
Automated guest messaging | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Appears in Metrics | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Appears in Owner Statements | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Calendar blocking | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Included in 1099-K reporting | ❌ No (no payment through Hospitable) | ✅ Yes (if payouts via Hospitable) |
Can edit financials after cancellation | ✅ Yes (past bookings) | ❌ Refund process applies |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't use a manual booking when you need payment collection. If you create a manual booking expecting Hospitable to charge the guest, no payment will be collected. Use a Direct booking instead.
Don't use a Direct booking for stays you've already been paid for externally. If you received payment outside Hospitable (e.g., cash, Venmo, another platform), use a manual booking. A Direct booking would attempt to collect payment again from the guest.
Still Not Sure Which to Use?
Ask yourself: "Do I need Hospitable to collect payment from the guest?"
Yes → Direct booking
No → Manual booking