As part of the ongoing fight against so-called "junk fees", Emerald Coast By Owner has launched a rental platform specifically for zero-fee, rental-by-owner options in the Gulf Coast.
-- Emerald Coast By Owner has launched a direct rental platform connecting Gulf Coast travelers with property owners, with the intention of eliminating the significant fees that travelers typically pay when booking through primary OTA platforms. This launch arrives in the face of an unprecedented increase in travel costs, The Independent reports; American families are now spending over $1,500 more per trip than they were in 2017, due in large part to rising booking costs and excessive fees.
More information is available at https://www.emeraldcoastbyowner.com/blog/fort-walton-beach-rentals-by-owner-price-pet-friendly-options-where-to-book
The announcement also comes as the Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule to ban extraneous "junk fees" in the vacation rental industry, requiring upfront disclosure of total prices and reflecting regulatory momentum around pricing transparency. While the rule—outlined explicitly in official government documentation—does compel platforms to compound all fees transparently at checkout, it notably does not prevent these fees from being charged in the first place.
One example of the type of fees that Emerald Coast By Owner hopes to help travelers avoid comes in the form of the "resort fee", typically charged on a per-night basis and allegedly used to cover on-site amenities like gym and pool usage. These fees alone, according to a report featured on Good Morning America, have increased the average cost of a hotel room by nearly $39 per night,
The direct booking model enables transparent pricing, eliminating surprises at checkout while also benefiting property owners, who are also frequently impacted by platform fees when listing on OTAs. For example, according to official materials, VRBO requires hosts to pay an 8% fee per booking, distinct from the 10-12% fee that customers pay when renting.
While the FTC and legislators have proposed rules to outright ban these fees, those measures have not yet been passed, leaving the burden on the consumer. In the meantime, Emerald Coast By Owner and other similar platforms will continue to connect hosts and customers directly.
About Emerald Coast By Owner
Emerald Coast By Owner is a vacation rental aggregation and direct booking platform designed to highlight fee-free listings throughout the Gulf Coast, facilitating host-customer communications and payment through a single platform. They now serve nearly 100 cities across 5 states, maintaining a catalog of thousands of rental opportunities.
For more information, visit https://www.emeraldcoastbyowner.com
Contact Info:
Name: Joe Godar
Email: Send Email
Organization: Emerald Coast By Owner
Address: 15 Todd Point, Destin, Florida 32541, United States
Website: https://www.emeraldcoastbyowner.com
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89191087
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