On Monday 30 November, Wales.org launches Wales Direct: a way for guests to book and pay for places to stay in Wales directly with the owner. There’s no commission, and no booking fee for guests. You pay a yearly listing fee, and every booking goes straight to you.
Wales.org is an independent guide to Wales, read by people planning holidays here. Wales Direct puts your place in front of them at the moment they’re choosing where to stay, and founding owners who join before launch day pay £50 a place for their first year, or less with three or more places.
Founding Offer: Your First Year for £50
Join before launch day and your first year costs less than the standard price at every size, from one holiday cottage to a whole park.
| Your places | Founding price for your first year |
|---|---|
| Your 1st and 2nd places | £50 each |
| Your 3rd to 5th places | £35 each |
| Your 6th to 10th places | £25 each |
| 11 or more places | Get in touch for a price |
So three places cost £135 for your first year. The standard price is £85 a year each for your 1st and 2nd places, £60 for your 3rd to 5th and £45 for your 6th to 10th.
What Would You Keep? Fee Calculator
Put in your own figures to compare the commission you pay now with what the same bookings would cost through Wales Direct.
You’d save in your first year
£758
What you pay now
- 15% commission on 10 bookings
- £900
What you’d pay with Wales Direct
- Listing fee (1 × £50)
- £50
- Card fees, paid to Stripe
- £92
- Total
- £142
Card fees use Stripe’s standard rate for UK cards, 1.5% + 20p per payment. Premium and overseas cards cost more. They’re on the Wales Direct side so the comparison is fair: Stripe charges them to you directly. The calculator doesn’t include any other fees you pay elsewhere.
How It Works
Reserve your place
Fill in the short form below. It’s free and takes two minutes.
I build your listing
I check your details against your own website and social media, write up your listing and send it to you to review.
Approve it and pay your founding fee
Once you’re happy, you get a secure payment link and set up your Stripe account, so guests’ payments reach you directly.
Go live on 30 November
Your listing launches with Wales Direct, and guests can book straight away.
What’s Included
- A full Wales Direct listing with up to five photos and details of what’s included and what’s nearby
- Your guests stay your guests: their real name, email and phone come straight to you, so you can talk to them directly before, during and after their stay
- Your own page on Wales.org, plus a pin on the Interactive Map
- Your own prices and rules: nightly price, peak dates, minimum stay, arrival days and maximum guests
- An optional cleaning fee, shown as its own line in the guest’s total, so there are no hidden fees
- Your choice of cancellation policy: Flexible, Standard or Strict
- An optional damage deposit of £100, £150 or £200: nothing is taken at booking, a hold goes on the guest’s card on check-out day, and you have 3 days to report damage
- Booking alerts by email, and regular stats on how your listing is doing
How Guests Pay You
Guests pay the full price when they book, and the money goes straight into your own Stripe account. Wales.org takes no commission. Stripe takes its standard card fee from each payment, as it would on any website.
Stripe accounts are free, with no monthly fee. You set yours up through Stripe’s own secure sign-up once your listing is approved, and Stripe pays guest payments into your bank on its normal schedule.
On bookings without a deposit, guests can also pay from their banking app with Pay by Bank, which usually costs you less than a card. You switch it on in your Stripe settings.
Reserve Your Founding Place
Reserving is free. I’ll be in touch to build your listing, and you won’t pay anything until you’ve seen it and approved it.
Prefer to talk first? Email hello@wales.org. You can also read how Wales Direct listings are checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to reserve a place?
No. Reserving is free. You pay your founding fee only once you’ve seen your listing and approved it.
Does Wales.org take commission on bookings?
No. Guests pay you directly through your own Stripe account, and Wales.org takes nothing from the booking. Stripe’s standard card fee comes out of each payment.
Do I get my guests’ contact details?
Yes. Every booking sends you the guest’s real name, email address and phone number, and you can reply to them directly. Your guests stay your guests.
Do I need a Stripe account?
Only to take bookings and payments on Wales.org. Stripe accounts are free with no monthly fee, and you set one up in about 10 minutes once your listing is approved. Hotels and parks that link to their own booking system don’t need one.
How do damage deposits work?
If you choose a deposit, nothing is taken when the guest books. Their card is saved, and on the day they leave a hold for the deposit is placed on it. You have 3 days after check-out to report damage, and what you need is taken from the hold; otherwise it’s released automatically. No extra software needed.
Does it sync with my other calendars?
Yes, using iCal calendar links, which Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and most booking systems support. We check your other calendars every 30 minutes and give you a Wales.org link to add to them. Each site sets how often it checks ours, which can be every few hours, so there’s a small chance of a double booking just after someone books. If that happens, we email you straight away.
What happens after the first year?
Your listing renews at the standard yearly price: £85 per place, and less if you list three or more. You can cancel before it renews.
Do I have to stop using other booking sites?
No. Wales Direct doesn’t ask you to leave any other site you use.
Do I need to register for the Welsh visitor levy?
Everyone who provides overnight visitor accommodation in Wales must register with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027, whether or not their council charges a levy. Cardiff charges a visitor levy on stays from 1 April 2027 (£1.30 a person a night for most places), and it already applies to bookings taken now for those stays. If your council charges a levy, include it in your Wales Direct price, so guests see the full cost before they book.
What kinds of places can join?
Hotels, caravan parks, glamping sites, bed and breakfasts, holiday cottages and farm stays anywhere in Wales.
When will my listing go live?
Submit by Thursday 26 November and your listing goes live on launch day, Monday 30 November. After that, listings go live within a few days of approval.
Pembrokeshire-born travel writer and founder of Wales.org. Born in Haverfordwest, now based in Hertfordshire — covering Welsh castles, national parks, festivals and family staycations across all 22 Welsh counties.