API Connection Fee & Houfy Connect: Software Partner Integration

What is Houfy Connect?

We're pleased to announce the launch of Houfy Connect, a new feature designed to seamlessly integrate properties managed through leading software solutions. By partnering with these platforms, we're enhancing the booking experience for both hosts and guests. Your listings will always be up-to-date, bookings will synchronize effortlessly, and managing your property on Houfy will become more efficient than ever.

Understanding the Houfy Connect Charge

When a guest books a listing that is connected through one of our software partners, an API connection fee of 5% of the booking subtotal, before tax, is added to what the guest pays. It appears as its own line, API connection fee, in the price breakdown at checkout.

What it is not: it is not a commission and it is not deducted from your payout. You still receive your full nightly rate and fees.

The charge covers what Houfy pays the software partner for maintaining the connection - real-time availability, rate updates and booking synchronisation - which is a cost Houfy carries only for listings that use those systems. The rate is the same 5% for every software partner. It does not vary by partner.

When it applies: only to listings connected through a PMS or channel manager - OwnerRez, Hostaway, Hostfully, Lodgify, Rentals United and similar - and only once you have a payment processor connected to Houfy. If you have a partner connected but no payment processor on Houfy at all, no charge is added. Any connected processor counts here - Stripe, Square or PayPal - so a PayPal-only connection will start the charge just as a Stripe one would. It will start applying to all of your connected listings on the day you connect a processor.

It does not apply to pricing tools. PriceLabs, HostTools and Hostex send prices to Houfy without a channel-manager connection, and bookings on those listings carry no API connection fee. On the listing page the guest sees the charge as its own line in the price breakdown, below the nightly total, cleaning fee, taxes and HoufyProtect, with an information icon that opens a short explanation of Houfy Connect and why the charge is there.

How Houfy Connect Can Benefit You

• Seamless Property Management: By collaborating with our software partners, Houfy Connect ensures your property's availability and pricing are always up to date and synchronized across all booking platforms. This reduces manual effort on your part and minimizes potential errors.

• No Hidden Costs: The Houfy Connect charge is presented clearly during the booking process and only applies to properties using software partner services. While this charge is necessary to maintain the integration with these systems, we remain committed to keeping Houfy free from service charge-based costs.

• Efficient Booking Process: With Houfy Connect, hosts benefit from efficient, automated processes, ensuring that bookings are managed effortlessly across platforms. Guests also enjoy a smoother booking experience, knowing that the property’s availability and details are always accurate.

Our Commitment to Transparency

We want to emphasize that the Houfy Connect charge is not a fee for Houfy's core services but a necessary cost associated with fulfilling and maintaining our obligations to our software partners. As we continue to grow and enhance our platform, we'll continue to ensure all charges are clearly explained, with no surprises for you or your guests.

Embrace the Future with Houfy Connect

For hosts using PMS or channel manager integration, Houfy Connect offers a powerful way to streamline property management while staying true to Houfy's commitment to commission-free bookings. We believe this solution strikes the perfect balance between upholding our core values and supporting the advanced systems you rely on.