Free Ebook — Villages STR Hosts
Stop Giving Airbnb $4,650 a Year.
Here Is the Playbook.
A free, chapter-by-chapter guide to filling your calendar, earning five-star reviews, and keeping 97% of every dollar you earn — written specifically for short-term rental hosts in The Villages, FL.
Written for hosts in The Villages, FL — the fastest-growing metro and largest 55+ retirement community in America, with 150,000+ residents and ~750 active short-term rental listings.
What's Inside
8 Chapters of Specific, Actionable Hosting Strategy
Know Your Guest
The four guest types who book Villages rentals and exactly what each one searches for, so your listing speaks directly to the people most likely to book.
Your Listing Is a Storefront
The title formula, photo sequence, and description structure that turn casual browsers into confirmed bookings.
The Platform Fee Problem
A line-by-line breakdown of what Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee actually costs you per booking, per season, and per year.
Direct Bookings Explained
How direct booking works, why guests trust it, and why it puts $250 more in your pocket on every $2,000 reservation.
Guest Communication That Earns 5 Stars
Six touchpoints from first inquiry to post-checkout, with word-for-word templates you can copy and send today.
Pricing Your Property
Seasonal rate strategy built for The Villages market: peak snowbird pricing, shoulder month tactics, and off-season revenue.
The Snowbird Strategy
How to attract, convert, and retain the long-stay guests who fill your calendar from October through April and come back every year.
Building Repeat Guests
The email, referral, and follow-up system that turns a single booking into $10,000+ in lifetime revenue — at zero acquisition cost.
The Fee Math
The Numbers That Should Keep You Up at Night
Every time a guest pays $2,000 to stay in your Villages home through Airbnb, here is where the money goes:
| Airbnb | Direct Booking | |
|---|---|---|
| Guest Pays | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Platform Fee | $310 (15.5%) | $0 |
| Payment Processing | included | $60 (3% Stripe) |
| You Keep | $1,690 | $1,940 |
That is $250 more per booking. Same guest. Same property. Same work.
Over a full year at $30,000 in bookings:
- —Airbnb takes $4,650
- —Direct booking costs $900 (Stripe processing only)
- —You keep $3,750 more. Every year.
On two properties, that is $7,500. On three, over $11,000. Enough for a new lanai enclosure, a golf cart upgrade, or simply the profit you earned and deserve to keep.
About StayTheVillages.com
We built the direct booking marketplace designed exclusively for The Villages.
Flat annual pricing — no per-booking fees. Built-in host tools. Every guest who visits is already searching for a Villages rental. This playbook is our gift to the hosting community, because we believe Villages hosts deserve better than 15.5%.
List Your Property on StayTheVillagesFree Download
Get the Playbook. Start Keeping More.
Your email gets you the PDF instantly, plus hosting tips and platform updates a few times a month. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.