Aparto Portal

Tips for successful vacation hosts

Everything you need to know for a successful tourist season — from apartment preparation, legal obligations, to commission-free direct bookings.

How to prepare your apartment for the 2026 season — complete guide
8 min read
Season prepMarch 25, 2026

How to prepare your apartment for the 2026 season — complete guide

Every tourist season starts with preparation. The difference between an average and excellent host is how ready you are before the first guest arrives.

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How much Booking.com really costs you — commission calculator
6 min
Direct bookings

How much Booking.com really costs you — commission calculator

Booking.com charges 15-25% commission on every reservation. For an average apartment, that means €2,000 to €8,000 per year.

March 25, 2026Read
10 things guests notice in the first 5 minutes
5 min
Guests & reviews

10 things guests notice in the first 5 minutes

The review is written in the first 5 minutes. Everything after just confirms the first impression.

March 25, 2026Read
How to respond to a negative review — 5 examples
7 min
Guests & reviews

How to respond to a negative review — 5 examples

Every host gets a negative review. The question is not whether it will happen, but how you react.

March 25, 2026Read
Flat-rate rental business in Croatia — everything you need to know in 2026
9 min
Laws & taxes

Flat-rate rental business in Croatia — everything you need to know in 2026

If you rent out an apartment in Croatia, a flat-rate business is the simplest legal path.

March 25, 2026Read
How to photograph your apartment for Booking — 10 tips
6 min
Equipment

How to photograph your apartment for Booking — 10 tips

A guest decides in 3 seconds — click or scroll past. That decision depends on the first photo.

March 25, 2026Read
Why you need your own website alongside Booking.com
7 min
Direct bookings

Why you need your own website alongside Booking.com

Booking.com is great for new guests. But if Booking is your only channel — you have a problem.

March 25, 2026Read
The ultimate pre-season apartment checklist — 25 items you can't skip
6 min
Season prep

The ultimate pre-season apartment checklist — 25 items you can't skip

Experienced hosts don't memorise — they use a checklist. These 25 items cover every corner of your apartment, from kitchen drawers to WiFi passwords.

March 26, 2026Read
A welcome pack that makes an impression — what to include and what it costs
5 min
Guests & reviews

A welcome pack that makes an impression — what to include and what it costs

For €2-3 per guest, you can dramatically improve the first impression. A welcome pack isn't a cost — it's an investment in reviews.

March 26, 2026Read
Google Business profile for your apartment — a free channel for direct bookings
7 min
Direct bookings

Google Business profile for your apartment — a free channel for direct bookings

Google Business is free and takes 30 minutes to set up. Every guest who searches for you on Google should find your page — not Booking.

March 26, 2026Read
How to get a 5-star review — 7 rules the best hosts follow
6 min
Guests & reviews

How to get a 5-star review — 7 rules the best hosts follow

The difference between 4 and 5 stars isn't luxury — it's the details. Learn the 7 rules hosts with an average above 4.8 follow.

March 26, 2026Read
Smart lock for your apartment — self check-in guests love
6 min
Equipment

Smart lock for your apartment — self check-in guests love

The guest arrives at 11 PM, you're 200 km away. With a key — problem. With a smart lock — "Your code is 4729, enter whenever you arrive." Review: 5 stars.

March 26, 2026Read
How to turn a guest into a repeat guest — 5 strategies for repeat bookings
6 min
Guests & reviews

How to turn a guest into a repeat guest — 5 strategies for repeat bookings

A repeat guest is gold. No Booking commission, they already know your apartment, no surprises, and better reviews. The only question is — how to win them over.

March 26, 2026Read

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News

Tourism news

Skift3h ago

Stay 30 Days, Get $4 Million! Fake Challenge Videos Are a New Headache for Hotels

The videos are cheap to make. Hotels pay the price in front desk resources and reputation.

Open
Skift4h ago

Fighting Spirit’s Data Sale to Google: Court Filings Show the List Getting Longer

The deal has faced months of delays and pushback, coming to represent a thorny issue of how far bankruptcy code should go to protect employee privacy as AI makes rapid advances.

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Hospitality Net5h ago

How Crowne Plaza Newcastle Captures New Revenue and Scales Guest Communication With Canary

Crowne Plaza Newcastle generated over £20,000 in ancillary revenue and scaled guest communication using Canary's messaging and dynamic upsell tools after switching to self-management.

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Skift6h ago

Higher Prices Are Supporting Travel Revenues While Volume Growth Slows

Rising prices are supporting travel revenues, but affordability pressures and uneven demand suggest the industry may be earning more without necessarily welcoming more travelers.

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Breaking Travel News6h ago

BTN Interviews: Cristina Ozores on Ocean Conservation, Sustainable Cruising on EXPLORA III

Breaking Travel News speaks exclusively with Cristina Ozores, marine conservationist, National Geographic Educator and newly appointed Godmother of Explora Journeys’ EXPLORA III. Drawing on more than

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Hospitality Net7h ago

GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang Joined CNN to Discuss Quiet Skies and Business Travel Demand

GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang discussed the Quiet Skies Act, inflight call bans, and a 7% rise in global business travel spend with CNN's Richard Quest.

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Skift7h ago

Delta Delays Riyadh Service to March 2027 Following Airport Attacks

Delta’s planned Atlanta-Riyadh service was already facing questions about safety and demand for the route ahead of the original October launch.

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Breaking Travel News8h ago

OneReg enters UK market with Bristol Airport partnership

OneReg, the fast‑growing aviation compliance platform transforming how airports and airlines manage safety and certification, today announced its first UK partnership – with Bristol Airport, one of th

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Breaking Travel News8h ago

The H Dubai Welcomes October with Pinktober Treats, Dining Specials, and Halloween Celebrations

Situated on Sheikh Zayed Road and shaped by the world-class hospitality of the STORY Hotels & Resorts family, The H Dubai welcomes October with dining experiences and seasonal celebrations. Th

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Hospitality Net8h ago

AI Finds Her the Hotel. She Won't Book Through It Yet. Hotels Turned Staff into System Operators. RevPAR Growth Is Hiding a Cost Crisis.

Monday opened with Markus Busch on AI driving pre-booking discovery to independent hotels commission-free while websites fail to convert the visit, Martin Soler arguing hotels reduced staff to compute

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Hospitality Net9h ago

Interior Provocations #Synthetic: When Hospitality Becomes an Act of Assembly

The ninth Interior Provocations #Synthetic Symposium at Pratt Institute (Nov 6, 2026) examines AI authorship, manufactured environments, and material deception in hospitality design.

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Hospitality Net9h ago

When Music Becomes a Destination: Travel and Hospitality Thought Leader Simone Puorto Explores the Enduring Legacy of Ian Curtis and Joy Division in His New Book

Simone Puorto's new book examines fan pilgrimages to Ian Curtis's grave as a lens for understanding music tourism, dark tourism, and the cultural forces that turn ordinary places into meanin

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Skift9h ago

Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Ambitions Meet a Week of Terror

A single airport incident would have been troubling. A succession of strikes over just one week, including repeated attacks on the capital, presents an extraordinary challenge for the Saudi travel ind

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Breaking Travel News11h ago

EXPLORA JOURNEYS INTRODUCES ITS FIRST PRESIDENT’S JOURNEY, HOSTED BY ANNA NASH ABOARD EXPLORA II

Explora Journeys is introducing its first President’s Journey, hosted by President Anna Nash aboard EXPLORA II from 9 to 16 December 2026*. Designed by Anna herself, the Journey brings together return

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Breaking Travel News11h ago

The Atlantis Historic Inn Begins A New Chapter On Barbados’ Wild East Coast

One of Barbados’ most storied addresses is entering a new era. The Atlantis Historic Inn, the longstanding property overlooking Tent Bay in Bathsheba, has joined Hidden Gem Collection, a family-ow

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