Book-direct websites for vacation rental hosts

Your rental's own booking site, built before you pay a dime.

We're Jamie, Laci & Max, a family team in Emporia, Kansas. We build sites where guests book you directly: your photos, your calendar synced with Airbnb and Vrbo, and the payment going to you.

See a Free Preview of Yours Book a Call

The Build: $500, one-time.

Which one are you? I run a vacation rental I run a local business
Explore
Synced with Airbnb & Vrbo You own the site Flat, honest pricing See it before you pay 5.0 on Google

Live now — real book-direct sites taking guests today

Casa Amoroso book-direct website The Gail on Havens book-direct website Brushy Mountain Collective book-direct website Hideout with Highlanders at God's Country Ranch The Cabin, East Wemyss book-direct website Brodie Cabin book-direct website House of Rusco book-direct website Miner Stays book-direct website Misty Morning Farms book-direct website Kerri Rents book-direct website
For vacation rental hosts

What one booking is worth when it's yours.

Airbnb now keeps 15.5% of every booking from most US hosts. On your own site, the only cut is the card fee. Here's one ordinary stay, worked out.

One ordinary stay$9254 nights at $200 + $125 cleaning
On Airbnb, you keep$782Airbnb keeps $143 (15.5%)
Booked on your site, you keep$898card fee about $27

That's $116 more on one stay. About 4 direct bookings pay for The Build.

Try your own numbers

Airbnb's single host fee is 15.5% of the booking subtotal (nights, cleaning and pet fees) for most US hosts since its 2026 fee change; check your own payout page. The card fee is Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards, paid from your own Stripe account. Taxes are left out of both. The Build is $500.

See a Free Preview of YoursHow it works
The Build · $500

One price to get you live. Here's exactly what it buys.

Every site starts here. $500, one-time, and you see it before you pay a dime.

EVERY PLAN STARTS HERE

The Build

$500
one-time · yours to keep
  • A custom site on your own domain, registered in your name
  • Bookings and card payments on the site, paid into your own Stripe account
  • Calendar sync with Airbnb and Vrbo through iCal. It refreshes every few hours, so it isn't instant
  • Built in days, not months
  • 30 days of free updates after launch
  • Free preview first. No card, and no bill if it's not for you
  • You own it. The site, the domain and the payments are yours

How it works: the backwards way

Most agencies ask for money, then show you the work. We do it in the opposite order.

1

We build first

We create a real, working preview of your website using your photos, reviews, and info — before you spend a dime. No card needed.

2

You take a look

Love it? We polish it, connect your own web address, and take it live. Not for you? No hard feelings, no bill.

3

We keep it humming

After launch, pick how you want it run: we handle everything for $50 a month, or you take the keys and call us at $50 an hour. See both.

Start With a Free Preview
After launch

Then pick how you run it. Two choices.

Once your site is live, choose one of these. Add-ons come after, and only if you want them.

MOST POPULAR

We Handle Everything

$50/month
added to the build · cancel anytime
  • Photos, prices and reviews updated for you
  • Your calendars and bookings handled
  • Hosting and security included
  • New pages or features: $50/hr
  • Cancel anytime
HANDS-ON

You Take the Keys

$50/hour
only when you call · no monthly fee
  • You run the site day to day
  • Every file, login and how-to included
  • Call us only when you want a change
  • Most hosts need us a few times a year
Rather skip the monthly? Add the Owner Dashboard once for $250 and make the everyday changes yourself. It pays for itself in 5 months. See how →

No contracts. Either way, it's yours.

Whichever you pick, the site and the domain stay yours. The domain is registered in your name and payments go to your own Stripe account. Switch plans or stop working with us, and you keep all of it.

Start With a Free Preview
Add-Ons

Extras, only if you want them. Flat prices.

Add any of these to a build, or to a site we already run for you. Each one is live on a real site you can open right now.

Owner Dashboard · $250, one time

Run it yourself. Pay for it once.

The dashboard puts the everyday changes in your hands: prices, photos, reviews, door codes and bookings, from your phone. Most of what a monthly plan is for, you do yourself in a minute.

Owner Dashboard calendar showing who is on every night across two rentals: website guests, Airbnb and Vrbo reservations, and the matching blocks on each channel
Who is on every night. Your website guests, Airbnb and Vrbo on one calendar, color by channel, with the matching blocks shown so nothing gets double booked. Shown with sample guests on our own two rentals. Click around it yourself →
Prices calendar: every night shows its price, three nights selected and a new price per night typed in, holiday nights with their own price
Set any night's price, right on the calendar. Tap a night or a range, type the price, save. Holidays and slow weeks get their own rate, the way you do it on Airbnb and Vrbo. These are your website prices; your Airbnb and Vrbo listings keep their own.
Photos screen: the cover photo first, arrows to reorder, Make cover and Remove under every photo, and an Add photos button
Your photos, from your phone. Add new ones, put the best one first as the cover, reorder or take one down. Save, and the site shows it within a minute.

Screens from a client dashboard in Costa Rica, shown with sample prices.

Owner Dashboard$250one time, yours to keep
5monthsof We Handle Everything at $50/month
or
5hoursof update calls at $50/hour

After that, it has paid for itself.

We Handle Everything

The Build + $50 every month

First year$1,100
After two years$1,700
After three years$2,300
Owner Dashboard + You Take the Keys

The Build + the dashboard, paid once

First year$750
After two years$750
After three years$750

No monthly fee. You call us at $50/hour only for something new, like a new page or feature.

Everything the dashboard does

Bookings and money

  • Every website booking in one list: who's coming, party size and pets
  • What's paid and what's still owed, matched from your own Stripe
  • Each balance invoice with its due date. Overdue turns red

One calendar, every channel

  • Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and your website on one calendar
  • Where every booked night came from, so there are no mystery blocks
  • Cancel a website booking in two taps. Undo puts it back

Your site, from your phone

  • Photos: add from your phone, reorder, pick the cover, remove
  • Reviews: add, edit, hide and reorder
  • Weeknight, weekend and holiday rates and your cleaning fee. Save means live

Guests, handled

  • Door code and Wi-Fi. The next check-in email uses what you saved
  • Six guest emails that send themselves, in your words, from your own domain
  • A copy of every email to you

Yours, and private

  • Your own password, chosen by you
  • Team logins with only the access you give them
  • We can sign in to help, only when you ask

See it first

Click around a working dashboard with sample guests before you decide.

Try the live demo

What it isn't. It isn't a channel manager or a shared inbox. It shows your Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com dates next to your website bookings, but it doesn't change those listings: prices you set here update your website, not Airbnb or Vrbo, and those guests still hear from you through those apps. Guest emails come from your own domain and go to your website guests.

Already use a PMS? Keep it. Your PMS stays in charge of checkout and your channels, and we build the site that sits on your own domain in front of it. Ask us how that works.

Owner Dashboard booking record: guest count, dog over 50 pounds, agreement signed, blocked on Airbnb, $300 deposit paid and $1,604 still owed with the two balance invoices and their due dates 1 2 3 4 5

Every booking, with what's paid and what's owed

  1. Who's coming: party size and pets, straight from the signed agreement.
  2. Agreement signed, dates blocked on Airbnb. If either is missing, it says so in red.
  3. Deposit paid, balance to come, matched to the guest from your own Stripe.
  4. Each invoice with its due date. Overdue turns red on the booking itself.
  5. Still owed, at a glance. No spreadsheet, no digging through emails.
Owner Dashboard calendar listing every stay from the website, Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com in one place, with cancel and undo buttons 1 2 3 4 5

All your channels in one spot

  1. Website guests by name and party size, the moment they pay.
  2. Cancel in two taps. The dates open on your site and the guest emails stop. Refunds stay in your own Stripe account.
  3. No mystery blocks. When one calendar copies another, it says so.
  4. Every channel in one list: Airbnb (with the reservation code and guest phone), Vrbo, Booking.com and your site.
  5. Tapped the wrong one? Undo puts the booking straight back.
Owner Dashboard settings for door lock code, Wi-Fi and nightly prices 1 2 3

Change it yourself

  1. Door code and Wi-Fi. The next check-in email uses whatever you saved.
  2. Weeknight, weekend and holiday rates plus your cleaning fee.
  3. Save means live. Your site and checkout charge the new price right away.
Schedule of six automatic guest emails from confirmation to review request 1 2 3

Guest emails that send themselves

  1. You get a copy of every email, so you always know who booked and when.
  2. Six emails on schedule, from confirmation to review request, written in your words.
  3. Check-in details filled in from your dashboard the evening before arrival.

Screens shown with sample guests.

Start With a Free PreviewClick around the live demoSee it live at God's Country Ranch
Virtual Drone Tour · $250

Watch a drone tour fly

Every one of these was built from the owner’s own still photos. No drone, no film crew, nobody visiting the property. Tap to watch with the sound on, then click through to the site it’s running on.

House of Rusco

Emporia, Kansas

See the live site

Casa Amoroso

Gilbert, Arizona

See the live site

Villa Oasis

South Florida

See the tour page

Honor House

Columbus, Georgia

See the site

Sweet Caroline

Fayetteville, North Carolina

See the site

Already have your quote? Pay securely online →

Want it all?

The Full House: $1,500.

Here's how the pieces add up, and the one price that gets you every one of them, with your first year of care included.

Every site starts here $500 The Build One-time. Your site, your domain, yours to keep.
Then pick how you run it
+$50/month We handle everything Hosting and changes. Text us anything. or $50/hour You take the keys Pay only when you call us.
and / or
Add to any plan +$250 Owner Dashboard Every channel on one calendar. Edit your own site.
EVERYTHING INCLUDED

The Full House

$1,500
one-time · 12 months of care included
  • Everything above, plus the Owner Dashboard
  • Drone-style video tour, guest guidebook & song
  • Live chat & Google Business Profile setup
  • After year one, just $50/mo
Website build$500
Owner dashboard$250
Virtual drone tour$250
Song, guidebook & live chat$300
Google Business Profile setup$300
12 months of care ($50/mo)$600
Bought separately$2,200
The Full House$1,500
You save $700
Start With a Free Preview

No contracts. The site is yours either way, and your domain is registered in your name. It's yours forever, no matter what. Every build includes 30 days of free updates after launch; new pages or features after that are $50/hr.

Our Work

Don't take our word for it — look.

Every site below is real and taking guests today. Different owners, different places, same rule: your photos, your reviews, your guests booking with you — not a platform.

Live book-direct sites

Ten vacation rental sites and the directory that connects them, every home page leveled up this fall. Swipe through — each opens in a new tab.

Casa Amoroso websiteLive

Casa Amoroso

staycasaamoroso.com

A luxury wellness retreat in Gilbert, Arizona. Video hero, a cinematic tour, its own song, and a check-availability flow that skips the platforms.

Visit the live site →
Brushy Mountain Collective websiteLive

Brushy Mountain Collective

brushymountaincollective.com

Two mountain stays in Taylorsville, North Carolina, on one book-direct site. Owner-operated, with no service fee stacked on the nightly rate.

Visit the live site →
Hideout with Highlanders at God's Country Ranch websiteLive

Hideout with Highlanders

stayatgodscountryranch.com

A brand-new barndominium hideaway on a working ranch in Tennessee. Live availability, deposits paid straight to the owner, automatic guest emails and an owner dashboard.

Visit the live site →
The Gail beach cottage websiteLive

The Gail

thegailhouseonhavens.com

One of the last original beach cottages in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Live availability, card payments, a dog-friendly booking flow and an online golf cart waiver.

Visit the live site →
The Cabin, East Wemyss websiteLive

The Cabin, East Wemyss

janeyscabin.com

A private cabin with a hot tub and infrared sauna on the Fife coast of Scotland. Photos, rates and guest reviews on one page, booked direct with the host.

Visit the live site →
Brodie Cabin websiteLive

Brodie Cabin

brodiecabin.com

A Yosemite-gateway cabin in Tuolumne, California. Real payments, its own song, and every booking skips the 15%+ platform fees.

Visit the live site →
House of Rusco websiteLive

House of Rusco

houseofrusco.com

Our own two Emporia rentals — where all of this started. Live availability, a cinematic video tour, and every booking direct.

Visit the live site →
Miner Stays websiteLive

Miner Stays

minerstays.com

Two rentals, two songs, one page: a lakefront house in Connecticut and a ski lodge at Mount Snow, Vermont, with a guestbook of real reviews.

Visit the live site →
Misty Morning Farms websiteLive

Misty Morning Farms

mistymorningfarmsfl.com

A two-bedroom cottage on a six-acre farm outside Fort Myers, Florida. Horses, pigs, chickens and Kokomo the macaw, with fresh eggs each morning.

Visit the live site →
Kerri Rents White Mountains vacation rentals websiteLive

Kerri Rents

whitemountainstays.com

Ten vacation rentals in North Conway, Intervale, Madison and Lincoln, New Hampshire, hosted by a local, on one book-direct site.

Visit the live site →
Host to Host Booking directory websiteLive

Host to Host Booking

hosttohostbooking.com

A free, searchable directory of hosts who take bookings on their own sites. We built it, we run it, and it sends guests straight to the hosts — no middleman.

Visit the live site →

Swipe sideways to see all eleven

Also: five local business previews Restaurants, a salon, an event venue — built free before the owner spent a dime
627 Event Space website

627 Event Space — Emporia, KS

Bar, grill & event venue. Photo slideshow, real menu, online ordering, and a booking-request form that goes straight to the owner.

See the build →
Donut Palace website

Donut Palace — Wichita, KS

A drive-thru donut shop with a design as fun as the product. Menu, hours, and one big friendly Call button.

See the build →
College Hill Deli website

College Hill Deli — Wichita, KS

A neighborhood deli, 4.7 stars and 600+ reviews — now with a website that finally matches the sandwiches.

See the build →
The Beacon Restaurant website

The Beacon Restaurant — Wichita, KS

A breakfast institution (2,300+ Google reviews) whose old domain had gone dark. We turned the light back on.

See the build →
Regal Nails website

Regal Nails — Wichita, KS

A salon site built around what customers check first: services, prices, hours, and how to book.

See the build →

These are previews, not live sites — each one was built free so the owner could see it before deciding. That's how we work.

Want yours here? Every build starts with a free preview — no card, no commitment.

Reviews

In their words.

Four hosts, four Google reviews, and the sites they are talking about. Each review is copied word for word from our Google listing. Tap a picture to see the site we built.

5.0 on Google · 4 reviews
Brodie Cabin website brodiecabin.com

I can't say enough wonderful things about Jamie at Lantern House Digital! He created an absolutely gorgeous website for my short-term rental, and I couldn't be happier with the results!

From start to finish, Jamie was a pleasure to work with. He's incredibly patient, easy to communicate with, and genuinely takes the time to listen to your vision and bring it to life. His attention to detail, creativity, and professionalism really shine through in his work.

His pricing is also very reasonable, especially for the quality of service and beautiful finished product you receive. It's refreshing to work with someone who is not only talented but also kind, approachable, and truly cares about his clients.

I'm so grateful I chose Jamie and Lantern House Digital. I would absolutely recommend him to any business owner looking for a beautiful, professional website and a fantastic experience from beginning to end!

Kim BrodieBrodie Cabin · Tuolumne, California
See the site we builtRead it on Google
Casa Amoroso website staycasaamoroso.com

Highest level recommendation given to Lantern House Digital and Jamie, who helped design my first fully functional direct booking website, and guestbook, for my vacation rental property. I am thrilled with the finished product and Jamie has kept me in the loop with more features he is coming up with to improve upon the site, like video tours and more which we are currently implementing.

The experience went far beyond a basic website. With Jamie’s experience in the vacation rental space and having his own personal rental, I learned a lot in the process with his recommendations on how to set up my complex seasonal pricing, embedded lease terms, mail capture and hosting store for additional revenue streams, to name a few….

Jamie was extremely organized and responsive throughout the entire process which was very much appreciated. Highly recommend reaching out to Lantern House Digital for your business needs. You won’t be disappointed!

Kim CorneliusCasa Amoroso · Gilbert, Arizona
See the site we builtRead it on Google
Hideout with Highlanders at God's Country Ranch website stayatgodscountryranch.com

Jamie is absolutely wonderful and a genius building a website for us. He thought of every detail, worked super fast and did a fabulous job with our direct booking website. He responds to every request quickly and delivers what he promises! Highly recommend Lantern House Digital services!

Jenni MariniHideout with Highlanders · Walland, Tennessee
See the site we builtRead it on Google
Miner Stays website minerstays.com

I cannot say enough about the service our business has gotten from Jamie Rusco at Lantern House Digital.. He created a beautiful website quickly and cost effectively. He created a song and the entire process had been so enjoyable that I didn't want it to end. Our new website is so amazing. I am so grateful to have found this business.

Naturescape LLCMiner Stays · Connecticut and Vermont
See the site we builtRead it on Google

Worked with us? Tell us how it went.

Who We Are

Hi — we're the Ruscos.

We started Lantern House Digital after noticing something in our own hometown: great businesses — the best burgers in the county, the salon everyone recommends — that were nearly invisible online. Five-star reviews, and no website to be found.

We're a blessed family of Kansans: three kids — Myah, Max, and Molly — a son-in-law, Kyle, our grandson, Finn, and three Labs who serve as our unofficial greeting committee.

We believe in win-win: you get a professional digital presence at a price that makes sense, and we get to help the local businesses that make main streets worth walking down. No contracts you can't read. No jargon. Just neighbors who happen to be good at the internet.

Calls, texts and every question

Jamie

Jamie is the one you'll talk to. He answers the phone, walks you through your preview, and stays your contact after launch. We run two rentals of our own here in Emporia, so he knows a host's week from the inside.

Community

Laci

Laci looks after the people side: the host groups where we answer questions for free, and the Host to Host directory that sends guests straight to hosts' own sites. If you've met us in a Facebook group, you've probably met Laci.

Builds the sites

Max

Max builds the previews and the finished sites: the layouts, the photos and the drone-style tours. He uses AI tools where they help a small shop do careful work quickly, and he would rather show you than tell you.

The Rusco family
Jamie and Laci with grandson Finn at the fair
Jamie and Laci
Jamie and Laci downtown at sunset
Jamie, Laci, and Max — the Lantern House Digital team
Our three Labs
The Story Behind the Name

Why "Lantern House"?

Long before neon signs and search engines, a lantern burning in the window meant something simple: we're open, we're home, and you can find your way to our door.

That's exactly the job we do today. The businesses we love most — the diners, the salons, the repair shops — are often the hardest to find online. Great work, five-star reputations, and no light on. We hang the lantern: a website that shows up when people search, so customers can find their way to you. For hosts, it's the porch light: a site where guests find your place and book it with you.

And the "House"? That's us. A family operation — two parents, three kids, a son-in-law, a grandson, and three Labs — running a business the way you run yours: with our name on it.

For local businesses

Main-street businesses get the same deal: we build it first.

Restaurants, salons, shops, repair places. We build a working preview from your Google reviews and photos, show it to you, and you decide. No card, no commitment.

A website people can find

Your menu or services, hours, photos and a big call button, on your own domain. Built and shown to you before you pay.

  • Live in days, not months
  • Made for phones first
  • The domain is registered in your name

Your Google listing, set up right

We set up or tune up your Google Business Profile so your hours, photos and website link are right where people search. $300 flat.

  • Hours, photos and categories
  • A simple way to ask happy customers for reviews

Help with AI tools

Curious about AI but not sure where it fits? We'll sit down with you, pick one or two tools that save real time in your shop, and set them up.

  • Quotes, scheduling and follow-ups
  • Explained in plain English

The small stuff

Menus and price lists online, a booking link that works, a contact form that actually reaches you. If it's digital and small, ask.

  • Quick fixes, flat or hourly
  • One team to call
See a Free Preview of YoursSee five local previews
Questions

What hosts ask us before they start.

Straight answers. If yours isn't here, call or text and ask.

How long does a build take?

Days, not months. We build your preview first, usually from nothing more than your listing link. Once you say go and send the few things below, we finish it and take it live.

What do you need from me?

Your listing links (Airbnb, Vrbo or both), your best photos, your rates, fees and house rules, and your calendar links. To go live, you open a few accounts in your own name, like your domain and Stripe for card payments, and add us as a helper. Our start page walks you through every step.

How does the calendar sync work?

Through iCal, the calendar link Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com all offer. Your site and the platforms read each other's calendars every few hours, so a booking on one blocks the dates on the others. It isn't instant, and we tell you that up front. It's part of owning your own site: no platform in the middle and no channel manager to pay.

I already use Hospitable or another PMS. Does this replace it?

No. Keep it. Your PMS stays in charge of your channels and checkout, and we build the storefront on your own domain in front of it. Guests find you on your site and book through your PMS.

Who owns the site and the domain?

You do. The domain is registered in your name, card payments go to your own Stripe account, and the site is yours whether or not you keep a plan with us.

What happens when I want changes later?

The first 30 days after launch are free. After that it's your choice: We Handle Everything at $50 a month, where you text us and it's done, or You Take the Keys at $50 an hour, only when you call.

Is the preview really free?

Yes. We build it, you look at it, and if it isn't for you there's no bill. No card, no commitment.

Do you work with local businesses too?

Yes. Restaurants, salons, shops and repair places get the same build-first deal. Here's what we do for them.

Still on the fence? Totally fair.

We wrote down the honest case: what being hard to find costs, why Facebook isn't enough, and the four objections we hear most.

“Should I really get a website?” →

Let's get you found.

Tell us your business name — that's all we need to start your free preview. Or just call and say hi.

No payment info. No commitment. We build it, you look at it, you decide.

Jamie — Call or Text (620) 487-5818
jamierusco@gmail.com
Laci — Call or Text (620) 794-5288
lacirusco@gmail.com
Email the Shop lanternhousedigital@gmail.com
Or book a free call at a time that works for you.

Based in Emporia, Kansas · Happily serving businesses anywhere · @lanternhouse_digital