Now onboarding in Rwanda · For independent lodges across East & West Africa
Be visible. Be bookable. Increase your revenue.
Keep up to $130 more on every $1,000 booking.
Fichua helps independent lodges get found by travellers, Google and AI — then take verified direct bookings at 7%, not the 15–20% charged by large platforms.
Make me visibleNothing to pay until Fichua has delivered 10 bookings.
Be visible. Be bookable. Increase your revenue.
And keep more when you do. On a $1,000 booking, Fichua saves $80–$130 compared with a platform charging 15%–20% — so your $99 subscription pays for itself after one or two bookings.
| On each booking | Fichua | Large platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on a $1,000 booking | $70 | $150 (15%) – $200 (20%) |
| Revenue you keep | $930 | $800–$850 |
| Saving with Fichua | $80–$130 | — |
The biggest platforms lodge owners list on, side by side with Fichua.
All of them are free to join and take commission on completed bookings. Indicative rates for a small Rwanda property in 2026 — your exact rate is set in each platform's own agreement, and paid visibility programmes can add more.
| Platform | Indicative commission | Direct guest access | Data sharing & management | How to register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | 15% base — 17–22% in practice | ✗ Platform controlled | ✗ Masked email alias; replies through the extranet |
|
| Expedia | 15–25% (typically 18–20%) | ✗ Platform controlled | ✗ Masked contact; thread kept 45 days after check-out |
|
| Trip.com (China) | 15–25% (set in your contract) | ✗ Platform controlled | ✗ No guest email or phone shared |
|
| MakeMyTrip (India) | 15–20% (set in your contract) | ✗ Platform controlled | ✗ Not confirmed — check with MakeMyTrip |
|
| Fichua (Direct) | 7% on direct bookings | ✓ Yours | ✓ Real email and phone, full export |
|
The guest's real details reach you — and we keep them safe.
What reaches you
- Name, email and WhatsApp number on every booking — not a masked alias that expires after check-out
- Your guest list stays yours: ask us for the full record whenever you want it
- Promotional messages go only to guests who agreed to hear from you
How we keep it safe
- Every listing is verified before it goes live: identity, ownership, photos checked against GPS, a WhatsApp number a real person answered, and a payout account
- Fichua never holds guest card details. Payment requests come from us directly during onboarding — never through a message asking you to click a link
- We never ask for your password by WhatsApp, email or SMS
- Guest details are used to confirm the booking, and marketing only happens with the guest's consent
Direct guest access means the booking reaches you with the guest's name, email and WhatsApp, so you can confirm them, thank them and invite them back for their next stay. On the platforms above the guest belongs to the platform: enquiries and messages run through them and the contact details are not shared with you, so the next booking starts at zero again.
Data sharing and management is what you keep afterwards. Booking.com masks guest emails, Expedia can mask phone numbers and keeps messages for 45 days, and Trip.com shares no guest contact details at all — so there is little you can export or market to later. With Fichua you get the guest's real email and phone, and can export the full record, with marketing only where the guest has agreed. Platform terms vary by market and change often, so treat their columns as directional.
Every commission above is money a platform keeps from you. Fichua's 7% on direct bookings is less than half of all of them — and the guest relationship stays yours.
Be visible. Be bookable. Increase your revenue. Keep more.
Fichua publishes your verified rooms, prices and location as structured information search engines and AI assistants can understand, then gives guests a direct path to book.
$99 a month. Plus 7% on the bookings we bring you.
One flat rate to be visible, and 7% on delivered bookings. You pay nothing until Fichua has delivered ten bookings.
How Fichua works
- Tell us about your lodge.
- We verify your identity, location and payout details.
- Your page goes live for direct bookings.
“Fichua” means to reveal or uncover in Swahili.
Our name is our purpose: making great local businesses visible to the travellers looking for them. Fichua uses science and data to reveal great local businesses to the world, building trust between travellers and operators, fairly and transparently.
Science & Transparency
We make decisions based on evidence, not assumptions. We test our claims, measure real results for our partners, and share what we learn openly, including when something doesn't work.
In practice: Every partner can see exactly how Fichua is affecting their visibility and bookings.
Trust & Integrity
Unlike platforms that hold back data and keep people apart, we share data openly and connect travellers directly with operators. We secure every transaction, so both sides are protected from booking to payment.
In practice: Operators own their customer relationships, and every payment on Fichua is safe for both sides.
Growth & Fairness
We pursue big ambitions for the businesses we serve, and we only win when they win. Our pricing stays fair, and value stays with the people who create it.
In practice: We never charge partners more than we help them earn, and our fees are always clear.
What lodge owners ask first.
Who is Fichua for?
Fichua is for independent lodges, guesthouses, camps and distinctive stays in East and West Africa that want to be found online and take more bookings directly.
What does Fichua cost?
$99 per month, plus 7% on the bookings Fichua brings you. You pay nothing until Fichua has delivered ten bookings.
How does Fichua help guests find my lodge?
Fichua publishes a verified, structured property page with your rooms, prices, location and contact details so travellers, search engines and AI assistants can understand and cite your lodge.
Do I keep the guest relationship?
Yes. Your lodge owns the guest relationship. There is no exclusivity or lock-in, and your real price is shown clearly to the traveller.
Can I stay on Booking.com and other platforms?
Yes. Fichua has no exclusivity, so you can keep every listing you have today. Fichua adds a direct channel alongside them, and each direct booking costs you 7% instead of 15–20%.
How and when do I get paid? Can I use mobile money?
Fichua confirms your payout method before your page goes live. Available bank or mobile-money options, payout timing and any processor fees depend on your country and are confirmed with you during onboarding.
How long does it take to go live?
There is no fixed promise because verification time depends on how quickly we can confirm your identity, ownership, photos, GPS location, WhatsApp number and payout details. We tell you what is still needed at each step.
Which countries does Fichua cover?
Fichua is starting with a pilot in Rwanda and is recruiting independent stays across East and West Africa. Outside Rwanda, contact us and we will confirm whether onboarding and payouts are ready in your country.
What does Fichua Verified mean for guests?
It means Fichua has confirmed the operator’s identity and ownership, checked property photos against its GPS location, reached a real person on WhatsApp, and confirmed a payout account before publishing the listing.
How does Fichua keep guest and lodge data safe?
Every listing is verified before it goes live: identity, ownership, photos checked against GPS, a WhatsApp number a real person answered, and a payout account. Guest details are used to confirm the booking, and promotional messages go only to guests who agreed. Fichua never holds guest card details, and we never ask for your password by WhatsApp, email or SMS.
Put your lodge where guests can find it.
Submit your property name and WhatsApp number to start. No upfront fee. No contract.