I’ve been talking a lot about direct booking websites on this blog. Reviews of booking plugins, case studies, all that. I actually started with WP Booking System before switching to YITH Booking & Appointments for a client project.
But after the switch, I never really got to explore WPBS further. So this time I built a fully working demo site that shows exactly how WP Booking System can help with building a vacation rental booking website.
The site is called Coastip & Co., and you can check it out at bookingdemo.emdevsite.com.
Why Build a Demo?
This is probably the first question. Why spend time building something for a plugin demo?
Honestly, it comes down to one thing. Telling someone “I can build you a direct booking website” is not the same as showing them one. A live demo lets you click around, check available dates, go through the booking flow, and experience the whole thing for yourself.
WP Booking System does have a demo on their site, and it’s helpful for getting a feel for the plugin’s features. But from what I saw, it’s mainly a page with calendars and forms. It doesn’t really show you how everything comes together on a full vacation rental website with property listings, descriptions, and a complete booking flow. That’s the gap I wanted to fill. Something where a property owner can see how the system actually works in context.
The Concept Behind Coastip & Co.
Coastip & Co. is a demo site for a boutique property management company based along the California coast. It manages three vacation rental properties, each with a different vibe.
- Tidepool Cottage in Encinitas, a 2-bedroom beach bungalow with a surf cottage feel
- The Dune House in Cayucos, a 3-bedroom mid-century modern place
- Cliffside Retreat in Cambria, a 4-bedroom luxury contemporary property
The Tools I Used
For the actual build, the stack is pretty straightforward if you’ve been following my other posts.
- WordPress for the CMS
- Bricks Builder for the page builder, with my own CSS framework as the baseline for the design system
- WP Booking System for booking calendars, forms, pricing, and availability
- WPBS Booking Restrictions Add-on for setting an advance reservation window
- WPBS Search Add-on for a property search results page
- WPBS Coupons & Discounts Add-on for promo codes and discounts
- Plus a few other WPBS add-ons for things like reporting and organization
- ACF (free version) for custom fields like location, bedrooms, bathrooms, and guest capacity
- Hostinger for hosting
For typography, I’m using two fonts from Adobe Fonts: Powell for headings and Clother for body and UI text.
That’s the core build. No WooCommerce. No heavy eCommerce setup. Just a clean booking flow.
Where AI Came In
I want to be upfront about this. I used AI for some of the elements important to the demo. Specifically two things: content and property photos.
Content and Copy
All the written content was drafted through conversations with Claude. That includes the property descriptions, taglines, short descriptions for listing cards, the “About” section narrative, and other important property details.
Property Photos
All the property images were AI-generated using Gemini. Exteriors, interiors, and outdoor spaces. Approximately 18 images total across the three properties.
That’s pretty much the whole build. If you want to see how it all comes together, the demo is live at bookingdemo.emdevsite.com. Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me directly if you have any questions.
