The short version
- Some links on this site earn us a commission. Every one of them is labelled where you see it.
- A commission never changes what a guest pays.
- Editorial rankings in our directories are not for sale, and we say so in the one place where money and ranking could touch.
- Hosts earn 70% of the commission on a partner booking made through their guest page.
This summary is a reading aid and is not part of the agreement. Where it differs from the text below, the text below is what applies.
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Hostbnb makes money in ways that touch what we recommend, and that needs stating plainly rather than in a footnote. Regulators in several of our markets require it — the US Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guides and Japan's rules against stealth marketing among them — but the reason to do it properly is that a recommendation you cannot trust is worthless to everyone.
How we earn from recommendations
| Where | How it works | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Partner offers on a guest page | A local business pays a commission when a guest becomes a customer. Split 70% to the host, 30% to us. | A "Partner offer" or "Sponsored" label next to the offer, in the guest's own language. |
| Tours and activities | Viator pays a referral commission when a guest books. Split 70% to the host, 30% to us. | A note that booking and payment happen on Viator, and the host-recommends label where the host picked it. |
| Software directory | Some listed tools pay a referral fee when a host signs up through our link. | An affiliate-link marker on the listing. |
| Our own referral programme | Hosts who invite other hosts earn account credit. | Referral links are the host's own, and identified as such. |
What a commission never changes
- The price. A guest booking through a Hostbnb link pays the seller's normal price. The commission comes out of the seller's margin, never on top of the guest's bill.
- The label. Every paid placement is labelled wherever a guest sees it, including on hover and in the full disclosure sentence beneath. Hosts are contractually barred from removing or contradicting that label.
- Whether an offer appears at all. No business can pay to have its offer forced onto a host's guest page. The host chooses every placement.
Editorial independence
Our directories and comparisons — software, services, platforms, city guides — are researched and written by us. A company cannot buy a place in a ranking, a better score, or a removal of a competitor. Where a listed product happens to pay a referral fee, that fact is marked on the listing and it plays no part in where the listing ranks.
If you think something on this site reads as editorial but is actually paid, that is a mistake on our part and we want to know: write to legal@hostbnb.example.com and we will fix the labelling.
For hosts: your obligations
When you put a commissioned offer on your guest page, you are the one making the recommendation, and in most countries the disclosure duty is yours.
- Leave the labels alone. They are there to keep you compliant.
- Don't write a host note implying a commissioned offer is an uncommissioned personal favourite.
- Only recommend things you would recommend without the commission.
- You are responsible for declaring and paying tax on what you earn. See the Terms.
The Acceptable Use Policy explains what happens if a label is removed — and why the fine for that generally lands on the host, not on us.
Content on this site is not professional advice
Our guides, tools, calculators and city pages are general information for short-term rental hosts. They are not legal, tax, accounting, insurance or investment advice, and following them is not a substitute for asking someone qualified in your jurisdiction. Rules change, and they differ street by street. Where we cite a source we link it, so you can check the original rather than take our word for it.
Questions
Write to legal@hostbnb.example.com. If we add a new way of earning from a recommendation, it appears on this page before it appears in the product.