Understanding and calculating booking commissions

A commission should be easy to check without complicated calculations. To understand what you really earn from a booking, you need to know the base used, the rate applied, and the payment method chosen by the traveler.

You also need to avoid confusing the GoMyRoof commission with payment processing fees, refund-related fees, the tourist tax, or the bank transfer date. These elements can be part of the same booking, but they don’t mean the same thing.

What is a booking commission?

The commission pays for the services provided by the platform around the booking: presenting the accommodation, the booking process, file tracking, payment or guarantee management, and producing the corresponding documents.

On GoMyRoof, the applicable rate is shown and accepted in the host area before the relevant process is activated. The rate or amount is then recorded with each booking.

A future change to the rate therefore does not affect bookings that have already been made. To check an old booking, you always need to refer to the conditions that were actually applied to it.

How a commission is calculated

When a commission is calculated with a percentage, three values are enough:

• M represents the accommodation amount subject to commission;
• T represents the rate recorded for the booking;
• C represents the GoMyRoof commission.

Commission: C = M × T ÷ 100

The host's net share is then calculated like this:

Host net: N = M − C

The exact base to use is the one shown in the financial details of the booking. You shouldn’t try to figure it out from a bank payment, because a Stripe payment can group several bookings and include other confirmed transactions.

What’s included in the calculation base

The amount subject to commission is the price of the accommodation recorded for the booking, according to the accepted conditions. The details shown in the host area let you find this base as well as the corresponding commission.

The tourist tax remains separate from the price handled by GoMyRoof and must be managed by the host in accordance with the rules applicable in the municipality of the property. It should therefore not be confused with the booking commission.

When another amount comes into play, for example following a cancellation or a refund, it must appear on a separate line with its own explanation.

How does the commission work with online payment?

Online payment can be offered by a professional host when their account and listing are set up for this option. The traveler then pays for their booking online, and Stripe handles the payment flows.

In the host area, the booking shows:

• the amount paid by the traveler;
• the GoMyRoof commission;
• any confirmed refunds;
• the net amount due to the host;
• the status of the upcoming Stripe bank transfer.

The commission is tied to the booking. The bank transfer happens later, according to Stripe's schedule and checks. The transfer date doesn’t change the initial commission calculation.

A single transfer can cover the net amounts of several bookings. The Stripe transfers page is then used to match the amount received in the bank account with the relevant bookings.

How does the commission work with on-site payment?

With on-site payment, the host collects the cost of the stay directly from the traveler. GoMyRoof therefore does not automatically take its commission from the accommodation price at the time of booking.

The commission first appears as an estimated amount. It is not yet due until the stay reaches the stage specified in the booking conditions.

After the stay, it becomes payable by the host. The On-site Commissions section then allows you to see the amount to pay, its status, and the payment method used.

The economic reasoning remains the same:

• The host collects the price of the stay from the traveler;
• They then pay the commission shown by GoMyRoof;
• Their income after commission is the amount collected minus this commission.

Commission, Stripe fees, and actual earnings: three different concepts

The commission charged to the host is GoMyRoof’s revenue. Stripe fees are the technical cost of payment operations. They reduce the platform’s actual earnings but shouldn’t be confused with the commission itself.

To correctly read the numbers:

• the commission is the amount charged by GoMyRoof for its service;
• Stripe fees are the actual costs related to payment processing;
• the actual gain after Stripe corresponds to the revenue collected minus the confirmed Stripe fees;
• the net for the host corresponds to the portion of the price that goes to the establishment after the commission and movements actually applied to its booking.

These values answer different questions. So they don’t necessarily have to show the same total.

What happens after a cancellation or a refund?

A cancellation alone is not enough to determine the financial outcome. You need to check whether a payment was actually received, if a refund has been confirmed, and if any amount remains due under the cancellation terms.

When a commission that has already been charged needs to be refunded, a commission credit note allows for a clear accounting record. The original commission and the credit remain visible in the documents, while the net total reflects their offset.

If the host decides to issue a refund themselves, separate fees may be specified in the terms they agreed to. These fees do not count as a second commission. They correspond to a different transaction and must be shown separately before the refund is confirmed.

Only technically confirmed refunds and payments should change the totals shown. A transaction that is still pending should not be presented as fully settled.

The case of a late cancellation or a no-show

A late cancellation or a no-show may result in the charging of an amount specified by the policy applicable to the booking. When an amount is actually collected, any commission is calculated based on the recorded amount for that transaction.

The dashboard should therefore distinguish between a canceled booking with no payment and a late cancellation that resulted in a payment. This distinction helps understand why a commission might still apply even if the stay didn’t happen.

Amounts not to be confused

For each booking, it is useful to separate the following information:

• the price of the stay, paid online or directly on-site;
• The commission, calculated according to the scale associated with the booking;
• The host net amount, after commission and confirmed transactions;
• Refunds, which reduce the retained amounts when they are actually made;
• Any refund fees, presented and charged separately;
• The Stripe bank transfer, which can combine multiple bookings.

So, the amount of a bank transfer should not be used alone to calculate the commission for a booking.

How to check a commission in your host dashboard?

A simple check can be done by following this order:

1. open the details of the booking concerned;
2. identify the amount of accommodation subject to a commission;
3. check the rate or schedule recorded for this booking;
4. verify the amount of the commission obtained;
5. identify the payment method: online or on-site;
6. check any confirmed refunds or credit notes;
7. consult the invoice or associated document.

For online payments, the pages dedicated to earnings and Stripe payouts then allow you to track the net amount due to the host up to the bank transfer.

For on-site payments, the page dedicated to commissions allows you to distinguish between upcoming amounts, those that have become due, and those that have already been paid.

Competitive pricing should remain understandable

An affordable rate is important, especially for independent hotels, guesthouses, and small establishments. But an attractive rate isn’t enough if the calculations are still hard to verify.

GoMyRoof combines intentionally competitive pricing with detailed tracking of bookings, commissions, refunds, payments, and documents. The goal is to let the host know where each amount comes from and what transaction it corresponds to.

The quality of a platform is also measured by this transparency: a commission announced before booking, recorded with the file, and viewable later without having to reconstruct it yourself.

Key takeaways

To understand a commission, always start from the booking details and not the bank balance. Check the calculation base, the recorded rate, the payment method, and any confirmed transactions.

The commission, Stripe fees, refunds, and bank transfers are connected, but they don't represent the same thing. Displaying them separately makes it easy to know the host's income and the actual cost of the service used.

Sources and references

1. GoMyRoof — Terms applicable to hosts
2. GoMyRoof — Platform transparency and operation
3. GoMyRoof — Host area