Shows guests how much they save by booking direct on your site instead of through Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or Expedia. For operators who want to make the case for direct booking right on the property page.
What it does #
Rate Comparison places a small badge near your booking widget that compares your direct rate against what the same stay would cost on the big online travel agencies (OTAs). Because those platforms add service fees and host markups on top of the nightly rate, the direct price on your own site is almost always lower. The badge makes that difference visible at the exact moment a guest is deciding where to book.
- Compares your direct price against Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia
- Shows the estimated savings from booking direct
- Appears on property pages and on the checkout page
- Works on both desktop and mobile, sitting just above the sticky booking bar on phones
The comparison is calculated from configurable percentage markups (multipliers) you set for each platform, not looked up live from the OTAs themselves. That keeps the badge fast and consistent, and lets you tune each multiplier to match what that platform’s fees actually look like in your market.
Two optional touches make the badge more persuasive at the decision moment. A Best Price Guarantee line adds a short promise under the comparison, for operators who genuinely honor one. And Pulse on Date Selection briefly draws the eye to the savings badge the moment a guest picks dates and a real quote for that stay comes back, so the savings message lands right when it is most relevant. Both are off by default.
How to turn it on #
1. Turn it on #
Go to Conversion Kit in your WordPress admin, under the HomeRunner menu, click the Rate Comparison tab, and turn on Enable this tool.
2. Choose your platforms #
Pick which OTAs to compare against. By default all four (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia) are enabled. Turn off any platform you do not list on.
3. Save #
Once saved, the badge appears automatically near your booking widget. No page editing required.
Settings #
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Enabled platforms | Which OTAs appear in the comparison. All four (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia) are on by default. |
| Multipliers | The percentage markup used to estimate each platform’s price from your direct rate. Defaults: Airbnb 1.16, Vrbo 1.14, Booking.com 1.18, Expedia 1.18 (1.16 means the OTA price is estimated at 16% higher than direct). |
| Savings Text | The label shown above the savings figure (default “You Are Saving”). |
| Direct Booking Label | The label for your own direct rate in the comparison (default “Direct Booking”). |
| Enable On | Whether the badge shows on property pages, on the checkout page, or both. Both are on by default. |
| Show OTA Logos | Show each platform’s logo icon in the comparison modal (default on). |
| Show Price Difference | Show the price difference amount (for example +$142) on each OTA row (default on). |
| Best Price Guarantee | Adds a best-price-guarantee line to the comparison, with editable text (default “Best Price Guarantee — booking direct is always your lowest rate.”). Off by default; only turn it on if you actually honor the guarantee, since the line is a promise, not decoration. |
| Pulse on Date Selection | Briefly pulses the savings badge when a guest’s chosen dates produce a fresh quote, drawing attention to the savings at the decision moment. One subtle pulse per new quote, and it respects a guest’s reduced-motion preference. Off by default. |
| Modal Title | The heading at the top of the comparison modal (default “Compare Booking Platforms”). |
| Disclaimer Text | The fine print under the comparison. Leave it blank to hide the disclaimer. The default notes that figures are estimates based on typical OTA fees. |
Placing the badge manually #
The badge appears automatically, but you can also drop it exactly where you want with a shortcode:
[hrck_rate_comparison]shows on all screen sizes[hrck_rate_comparison context="mobile"]mobile only (narrow screens)[hrck_rate_comparison context="desktop"]desktop only (wider screens)
Tips #
- Keep the badge close to your booking widget so the savings message lands while the guest is choosing how to book.
- If you do not actually list on a given OTA, turn it off so the comparison stays honest.
- Edit the Savings Text and Direct Booking Label to match your site’s voice, and use the Disclaimer Text to set expectations about how the OTA estimates are calculated.
- Set each platform’s multiplier to match what that OTA’s fees actually add in your market, rather than leaving every platform at the same default.
- Pair this with Review Insights so guests see both “book direct and save” and “guests loved this place” right next to the booking decision.