What a small motel, cabin or B&B website needs so guests book directly: a checklist

Short version: a guest who lands on your website usually wants a few answers fast. What does it cost for my dates? Is it free? What does the room look like? What are the rules? How do I book? If any of those takes more than a minute to find, many people go back to the app they came from.

This checklist covers what a small motel, cabin rental, inn or B&B site needs so that someone who already wants to stay with you can actually book. You can work through it on your own site, whoever built it.

1. Rates by season, with the total price

• A rate table for each room or cabin, by season, with the dates each season covers.
• Minimum stay for each season, if it changes.
• What's included: linens, towels, cleaning, parking, firewood, breakfast.
• Extra charges that depend on the guest, like pets or extra people.

Fees need care. The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, in effect since May 12, 2025, covers short-term lodging, including hotels, motels, inns, short-term rentals and vacation rentals. According to the FTC's guidance, the total price must include all mandatory fees you know about upfront, such as a cleaning fee or resort fee, and it must be shown more prominently than other pricing information. Taxes and government charges can be left out of that total but must be disclosed before the guest pays. That's a summary, not legal advice; state rules may add more.

Example rate table for a made-up cabin (example figures, yours will differ):

Cabin	Summer (June 15 to Sept 5)	Spring and fall (April 1 to June 14, Sept 6 to Oct 31)	Winter (Nov 1 to March 31)
Creek Cabin, sleeps 2, wood stove	Summer: from $210 a night, 3-night minimum	Fall and spring: from $170 a night, 2-night minimum	Winter: from $150 a night, 2-night minimum
Ridge Cabin, sleeps 6, two bedrooms	Summer: from $320 a night, 3-night minimum	Fall and spring: from $260 a night, 2-night minimum	Winter: from $230 a night, 2-night minimum

Under the table in this example: "Rates include cleaning, linens and towels. Pets $40 per stay. State and county lodging taxes are added at checkout." A "from" price should be a price someone can really book.

2. Open dates, or a simple way to request them

• A live calendar only if it stays accurate. If you're also on Airbnb or Vrbo, calendars usually sync through iCal links, and that sync isn't instant. A calendar that shows a booked weekend as free costs you more trust than having no calendar.
• Or a request form. For a few rooms or cabins, a form plus a quick, personal reply works well. Ask only for what you need: arrival and departure dates, which room or cabin (with a "not sure yet" option), adults, children, pets, name, email or phone, and one free-text box.
• A confirmation on screen and by email right after sending, with when they'll hear back.
• A reply with the total for the whole stay, and how to confirm it.

3. Policies written out as text

Write these as normal text on a page, not inside an image or a PDF only. Guests can read text on a phone, and search engines and AI assistants can read it too.

• Check-in and checkout times, and how keys or codes work
• Cancellation and changes, in plain words
• Deposit and payment: how much, when and how
• Pets: which rooms or cabins, what they cost
• Maximum guests, quiet hours, smoking, events
• Accessibility: ground-floor rooms, step-free entry, grab bars, if you have them

Have a lawyer look at your cancellation and deposit terms if you're unsure what your state allows.

4. Real photos of every room or cabin

• Each room or cabin on its own, labeled with its name, so guests know which one they're booking.
• The bathroom, the bed, the kitchen or coffee setup, the view and the outside.
• The arrival: the sign, the parking, the path to the door, in daylight.
• Different seasons if you're open year-round.
• Recent photos. If you renovated, replace the old ones. Guests compare photos with what they find and mention the difference in reviews.

5. A phone number and a site that works on a phone

• A tap-to-call phone number at the top of the page, and the hours someone answers.
• An email address or text option for people who don't want to call.
• Address with a map link, plus a note on the last stretch. Example: "GPS sometimes sends people to Old Mill Road. Stay on Route 9 until you see our sign."
• Fast on mobile data. Compressed photos, no pop-up covering the rates, buttons big enough for a thumb.

6. Google Business Profile, if you're eligible

Many guests look you up by name on Google before they book. For eligible properties, a Business Profile shows your photos, reviews, phone and website link right there.

Check eligibility first. Google's guidelines say a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. They list "rental or for-sale properties such as vacation homes" as ineligible, while sales or leasing offices are eligible. In practice, a motel, inn or B&B with staffed check-in usually fits. A single self-check-in cabin may not. A group of cabins with a staffed office is a different case from a single cabin.

If you have a profile:

• Pick the category that really describes you and put the pin exactly where the entrance is.
• Link to your rates page, not only your homepage.
• Keep phone, hours and photos current.
• Ask every guest for a review the same way. Google's policy doesn't allow discounts, free nights or other incentives for reviews, or asking only the happy guests. The FTC's rule on fake reviews, in effect since October 21, 2024, also bans fake reviews and rewards tied to a positive review.

Google also shows lodging prices with free booking links. According to Google's help pages, hotels take part through Google Hotel Center or their booking engine, and vacation rentals through connectivity partners such as booking software providers. Ask your booking software provider whether it supports this.

7. A clear way to ask for dates on every page

• A "Check dates" or "Request your dates" button at the top of every page and right under the rates.
• The same button on mobile, where it's easy to reach.
• One step, not a chain of pages.

Also worth having

• The same business name everywhere: your site, your sign, your Google profile. People who remember you search for that name.
• Your own domain and a secure (https) site.
• A privacy policy and, if you want to send offers later, a separate unticked box asking permission.
• A short "what's nearby" section: the lake, the trailhead, the diner, with drive times.

The checklist

• Rates per room or cabin, per season, with dates and minimum stays
• Total price includes mandatory fees; taxes disclosed before payment
• Accurate calendar, or a short request form with a quick reply
• Policies as text: check-in, cancellation, deposit, pets, rules, accessibility
• Recent photos of every room or cabin, labeled
• Tap-to-call phone, email or text, map link and directions
• Works well on a phone
• Google Business Profile, if eligible, linking to your rates
• A "request your dates" button on every page

Frequently asked questions

Read next

• How to get repeat guests to book directly without breaking Airbnb's rules
• Break-even occupancy for a short-term rental: a worked example, and what a few direct bookings change