Direct booking vs Airbnb: why it's cheaper in Castelldefels

Same apartment, up to 15% cheaper

Airbnb charges fees on both sides: to the owner and to the guest. In total, between 15% and 20% of the price goes to fees. When you book directly with us, that surcharge disappears.

How does it work?

The owners of our apartments in Castelldefels already manage their properties on Airbnb and Booking through Smoobu, a professional channel manager. The dates, cleaning, guest attention — everything is the same.

The only difference is who gets the commission. When booking direct:

• No Airbnb service fee (usually 14-16% of the price)
• The owner doesn't pay Airbnb's host commission (3%)
• Those savings are passed directly to the price you pay

Real example

A 2-bedroom apartment in the beach area, 5 nights in July:

Item	Airbnb	Direct booking
Accommodation (5 nights)	€750	€637
Cleaning	€80	€80
Airbnb service fee	€119	€0
Total	€949	€717
Savings	—	€232

What do I lose by not using Airbnb?

Nothing relevant:

• Secure payments — We use Stripe, the same payment processor as Airbnb. Your payment is 100% protected.
• Booking guarantee — Dates are instantly blocked on Airbnb, Booking and all platforms via Smoobu. No risk of double booking.
• Direct contact — Instead of a chat on a platform, you talk directly to whoever manages the apartment. Faster, more personal.
• Instant confirmation — You receive a confirmation email instantly with all the details.

What if I have a problem?

Direct contact is better. If you need something during your stay (more towels, a wifi issue, local recommendations), you contact us directly and we respond in minutes. No tickets, no bots, no waiting.

Find your apartment and compare the price with Airbnb yourself. On each property page we show both prices.