Direct booking payments in Hospitable are designed to automate payment collection while helping prevent duplicate charges and failed booking scenarios. Guests can pay for bookings directly through your booking site or through booking links and custom quotes you send manually. Depending on your setup, payments may be collected in full, split into installments, or require additional authorization holds for security deposits.
This article explains how Direct booking payments are processed, what guests see during checkout, and how Hospitable handles authorizations, deposits, retries, and payouts.
How Direct Booking Payments Work
When a guest books through your Direct site or pays a custom quote:
The guest enters their payment information
Hospitable authorizes the payment method
The reservation is validated
The payment is captured after confirmation
Funds are processed to your payout provider
The exact payment flow depends on:
Your Direct configuration
Whether Instant Book is enabled
Whether approval is required
Whether guest verification is enabled
Whether payment installments are configured
Direct bookings use an authorization-and-capture payment flow. This helps prevent duplicate charges and unsuccessful payment captures.
Ways a Direct Booking Can Be Paid
Direct bookings can be completed in two ways.
Guest-Initiated Bookings
Guests can:
Visit your Direct booking site
Select dates and property details
Complete checkout themselves
Submit payment information directly
Depending on your booking settings:
The booking may confirm instantly
The booking may require manual approval
Guests may need to complete verification steps before confirmation
Host-Sent Bookings and Custom Quotes
Hosts can also create bookings manually and send guests:
Custom quotes
Booking links
Pre-filled checkout flows
This is commonly used when:
Adjusting pricing manually
Offering discounts
Creating reservations after inquiries
Sharing booking links outside the booking site
Guests complete payment using the secure checkout link you send.
You can also copy the booking link directly from the Inbox while the reservation remains pending.
A pending Direct booking quote in Hospitable with the Copy booking link button highlighted
Bookings completed through host-sent quotes or booking links are automatically accepted once checkout is completed and are not affected by Instant Book settings.
What Guests See During Checkout
During checkout, guests see a full booking breakdown.
This may include:
Nightly rates
Cleaning fees
Taxes
Service fees
Discounts
Payment schedules
Cancellation policy details
Guests also enter:
Contact information
Billing details
Payment information
Depending on your setup, guests may also need to:
Complete identity verification
Sign a rental agreement
Accept booking policies
A Direct booking checkout page showing nightly rates, taxes, fees, and payment terms
Installments and Payment Terms
If payment installments are enabled:
Guests see the amount due immediately
Future payment amounts and due dates remain visible during checkout
Only the installment currently due is charged immediately
Future installments are charged automatically based on your configured payment schedule.
The reservation total remains visible throughout checkout, even when only a partial payment is due.
Guests may see both the total reservation amount and the installment due today during checkout.
Also see: Payment Terms Scheduling
Security Deposits and Booking Payments
Security deposits are handled separately from booking payments.
The security deposit:
Is not included in the booking total
Is not charged during checkout
Is authorized separately before check-in
Uses the guest’s saved payment method unless updated
For most Direct bookings:
The authorization attempt occurs 2 days before check-in
The hold is released 2 days after checkout if no claim is submitted
Security deposits are authorization holds, not additional booking charges.
Guests may therefore see:
The booking payment
A separate security deposit authorization
These appear separately because they are processed independently.
A Direct booking checkout page displaying booking charges and a separate security deposit section
Also see: Security Deposits for Direct Bookings
How Hospitable Prevents Duplicate Charges
Hospitable includes safeguards to help prevent duplicate payment captures.
Authorization Before Capture
For every Direct booking:
Hospitable first authorizes the card
The reservation is validated
Payment is captured only after confirmation
If the reservation cannot be confirmed:
The authorization is canceled
Funds are released automatically by the guest’s bank
No payment is captured
Multiple Payment Attempts
If a guest:
Refreshes the checkout page
Clicks Pay multiple times
Retries payment after a delay
Hospitable reuses the original authorization whenever possible to avoid duplicate captures.
Simultaneous Booking Attempts
If two guests attempt to book the same dates simultaneously:
Only one reservation can be confirmed
The unsuccessful authorization is released automatically
Duplicate reservations are prevented
Also see: Direct Booking Payment Failures
Why Guests Sometimes See Multiple Charges
Guests may occasionally report seeing multiple amounts on their bank statement.
This is usually caused by:
A booking payment plus a security deposit authorization
A temporary authorization hold
Multiple payment installments
A failed authorization that has not yet disappeared
A payment retry attempt
This does not usually mean the guest was charged twice.
Ask the guest:
Is one amount marked as Pending or Authorization?
Does one amount match the security deposit?
Is the reservation using installments?
Authorization holds may remain visible for several business days depending on the guest’s bank.
If duplicate charges are still suspected, contact Hospitable Support with the reservation code.
What Happens if a Payment Fails
If a payment fails:
The reservation is not confirmed
The guest is prompted to retry payment
The authorization hold is released automatically
Common causes include:
Declined cards
Expired cards
Insufficient funds
Failed 3D Secure verification
Fraud prevention blocks
Also see: Direct Booking Payment Failures
Payouts for Direct Bookings
After payment is successfully captured:
Funds are processed through your payout provider
Payout timing depends on your bank and provider
Payout history can be reviewed inside Hospitable
Go to:
Direct Bookings → Payout History
orSettings → Payments & Payouts → Payouts
Bank processing times vary by financial institution and payout provider.
Key Things to Know
Direct booking payments use authorization before capture
Security deposits are separate from booking payments
Guests may temporarily see authorization holds
Installments display future payment dates during checkout
Custom quotes support adjusted pricing and booking links
Duplicate captures are automatically prevented
Failed authorizations are released automatically
Payment retries do not create duplicate reservations
Payout timing depends on your payout provider and bank