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.
How to turn it on #
1. Open the settings #
Go to Conversion Kit in your WordPress admin, under the HomeRunner menu, and click the Rate Comparison tab.
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 enabled, 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). |
| 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.