G2

Verified User in Real Estate

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/10/2026

"From a Basic Booking Page to a Powerful Direct-Booking Platform"

4.5/5

What do you like best about CraftedStays?

What I like most about CraftedStays is that it offers the best of both worlds: the simplicity of a no-code/low-code website builder with professionally designed, high-quality templates, while still providing the flexibility to customise and extend functionality.

The key benefits for me are:

* Low-code/no-code flexibility: Professional, conversion-focused templates without the complexity of building and maintaining a website from scratch.

* AI and SEO optimisation: A website designed to improve visibility across traditional search engines and AI-powered search platforms.

* Price comparison widget: Highlights direct-booking savings compared with Airbnb and Vrbo, giving guests a compelling reason to book directly.

* Lead capture and email marketing: Ability to integrate sign-up forms and lead capture pop-ups with Campaign Monitor and StayFi, helping build a guest email database for targeted marketing campaigns and repeat bookings.

* Hospitable integration: Seamless integration with my property management software for real-time availability, pricing and secure direct bookings.

* AI chatbot integration: Flexibility to integrate third-party solutions such as Elfsight AI Chatbot to engage visitors and answer guest questions.

* Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity: Integration with both platforms to track website traffic, visitor behaviour and conversions. Microsoft Clarity’s session recordings and heatmaps are particularly useful for understanding how visitors navigate the website and identifying opportunities to improve conversion rates.

* Custom FAQ sections: Easy to create and maintain property-specific FAQs that address common guest questions, improve the booking experience and provide useful content for search engines and AI-powered discovery.

* Custom HTML blocks: Ability to add personalised content, embedded widgets and custom-designed sections without being restricted to standard templates.

* Property videos: Flexibility to embed property walkthrough videos and other multimedia content to showcase the accommodation and help guests make informed booking decisions.

* Custom scripts and integrations: Freedom to add tracking scripts, marketing automation, third-party widgets and additional functionality as business needs evolve.

What really differentiates CraftedStays for me is the balance between simplicity and flexibility. I get a professionally managed website with excellent templates and built-in direct-booking functionality, while retaining the freedom to integrate my own technology stack, personalise the guest experience and optimise performance using real behavioural data.

The customer support has also been excellent. Aj has been responsive, open to feedback and proactive in implementing improvements.

Overall, CraftedStays provides a strong foundation for building an independent direct-booking brand, reducing reliance on online travel agencies and continuously improving website performance and conversion rates. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about CraftedStays?

There is very little I dislike about CraftedStays. The platform is well designed, flexible, and the customer support has been superb. The team is responsive, genuinely listens to feedback and is willing to make improvements.

Compared with developing and maintaining a fully customised website, CraftedStays is a much more cost-effective solution, particularly when you consider the professional templates, integrations, hosting and ongoing support.

My only consideration is pricing for smaller operators. As someone managing a single property, the subscription represents a relatively significant investment compared with the revenue generated by the property.

That said, I’ve only been using CraftedStays for around four months, so it’s still early to assess the full return on investment. I’m taking a longer-term view, particularly around growing direct bookings, reducing OTA commissions and building my own brand.

Overall, I’m very happy with the platform and the support. I see pricing as more of a consideration for single-property hosts than a criticism of the product itself. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is CraftedStays solving and how is that benefiting you?

CraftedStays has helped transform my direct-booking website from a basic, single-page Hospitable website into a professional, feature-rich digital marketing and booking platform. The difference is like moving from a basic car to a BMW.

The biggest problem it solves is reducing my dependence on online travel agencies such as Airbnb and Vrbo, while giving me the tools to build my own brand, attract guests and increase direct bookings.

Previously, my website was primarily a place for guests to make reservations. Now it’s a complete digital storefront for my holiday accommodation, Marengo Views.

Some of the biggest benefits include:

* Professional brand presence: A beautifully designed, multi-page website featuring property photography, video tours, guest reviews, FAQs, local attractions and detailed property information.

* Direct-booking conversion: A price comparison widget that shows guests how much they can save compared with Airbnb and Vrbo, supported by clear booking buttons and exclusive direct-booking offers.

* Marketing and lead generation: Integration with StayFi and Campaign Monitor for email capture, guest engagement and remarketing opportunities.

* SEO and AI search visibility: The flexibility to build dedicated, search-friendly content around local attractions, accommodation features, remote working and special offers.

* Seamless property management: Integration with Hospitable for live availability, pricing and secure bookings without managing separate systems.

* Data-driven optimisation: Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity help me understand visitor behaviour, identify friction points and continuously improve the website.

* Extensibility: Custom HTML, scripts and third-party integrations, including AI chatbots, allow me to add functionality as my business evolves.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is that I can achieve much of what would traditionally require a custom-developed website, without the associated development costs, technical complexity or ongoing maintenance burden.

I’m no longer simply listing a property and hoping guests find it through Airbnb. I’m building an independent hospitality brand with my own website, marketing channels, guest relationships and direct-booking strategy.

It’s still early days, having used CraftedStays for around four months, so I’m continuing to measure the financial return. However, the improvement in website quality, functionality, flexibility and overall guest experience has been substantial.

For me, CraftedStays has turned a basic booking page into a genuine digital business platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.