Curious about what Booking.com can offer property owners? The site isn’t just for hoteliers anymore. Hotels might be the first thing to come to mind, but this article will explain what Booking.com can offer vacation rental owners and short-term rental property managers. Keep reading to learn about Booking.com’s history, payment policies, commission model, support options, competitive landscape, and more. 

What is Booking.com?

When you read “Booking.com,” did you say “Booking.YEAH!” in your head? The site has grown tremendously in popularity in the United States in the last few years, despite its headquarters being located abroad, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Booking.com (as we know it today) came into existence when Bookings.nl (founded in 1996) merged with Bookings.org, both Dutch companies, in 2000.  In 2005 the US-based Priceline Group (now Booking Holdings) acquired Booking.com, but the headquarters remained in the Netherlands and the company operated relatively independently of its sister brand Priceline.com. Other brands under the Booking Holdings umbrella include Agoda.com, Kayak.com, and OpenTable.

Booking.com’s goal is to “make it easier for everyone to experience the world,” so the site lists several different categories of travel products today, including approximately 28 million accommodation listings. Hotels, vacation rentals, hostels, guesthouses, flights, rental cars, and activities are available on the site. Booking.com has a global reach, though is especially popular in Europe, and the site has been translated into 43 languages.

In addition to its direct offerings for travelers, the Booking.com for Business product is a corporate travel management tool, which companies can use to book and manage employee travel. Booking.com also offers affiliate marketing and white label solutions for destination marketing organizations, airlines, and other travel companies that allow Booking.com hotels to be booked via other sites.

What do people think about Booking.com?

With so many listings and so many guests around the world, Booking.com struggles to keep everybody happy. Booking.com has a rating of 2/5 on rating site Consumer Affairs (here) and a 1.7/5 on Trustpilot (here) as of April 28, 2020. 

Most of the negative reviews mention problems with Booking.com’s support team and refunds.

Other reviewers, however, say that Booking.com’s customer service is friendly and helpful.

A common theme among negative reviews from property owners is payout issues or delays.

Where can I find forums about Booking.com?

Discussion boards are a great way for property owners and managers to resolve problems and read about best practices. Booking.com's official forum can be found at the Partner Community, which contains boards about everything from company updates to cancellation policies. Over 200,000 partners participate in the forum, so if you start a new thread, you’ll probably receive some responses quickly!

Besides the Partner Community forum, vacation rental owners and managers can engage in discussions on unofficial forums like Airhosts Forum, which has over 13,000 members and is not affiliated with any listing site. Most posts in this forum relate to hosting but are not always related to Airbnb, despite the name.

Booking.com FAQs

Wondering about some specifics? Let’s answer a few commonly asked questions about Booking.com.

• What commission does Booking.com charge partners? Booking.com usually charges a 15% commission, though the commission amount can vary slightly in certain geographical regions. Depending on the payment model you choose, this commission could be taken out of the reservation total before you receive a payout, or you could receive a monthly invoice showing commissions for all reservations from the prior month.

• Does Booking.com charge a service fee for guests? No, Booking.com does not charge a guest service fee.

• Will Booking.com collect tax for me? Booking.com can charge tax just like any other fee, but the site does not remit taxes to local authorities. Partners should ensure the correct tax rate is configured in the Booking.com extranet so guests are charged the right amount. Booking.com will pay out the full reservation amount, including tax, to the property owner or manager, who is then responsible for paying the appropriate taxes to local authorities.
  
  

• Does Booking.com have a mobile app? Booking.com’s app for partners is called Pulse, and it’s available for both iOS and Android. The traveler-facing app is also available for iOS and Android.

• How does Booking.com distinguish between hotels and short-term rentals? When partners are onboarding their properties, Booking.com asks several questions about the property type and structure. When guests are browsing the search results, they can filter to show specific types of properties, like apartments, hotels, and hostels.

• What is the Booking.com Genius program? The Genius program is Booking.com’s guest loyalty program. Guests can receive discounts and other perks when they book through Booking.com several times.
  
  
  
  

Booking.com Payment Policy

Guests can pay for Booking.com reservations with any major credit card and, depending on the property’s payment model, other payment methods like PayPal and Alipay might be available. Depending on the property’s policy, the guest might pay for the entire reservation at time of booking, or their payment might be processed between booking and arrival or on the day of check-in.

Booking.com offers two payment models for properties: guest credit cards and the relatively new Payments by Booking.com program.

Traditionally, Booking.com simply collects the guest’s payment information (credit card number, CVV, and expiration date) at the time of booking and passes that information on to the property. The property is then responsible for charging the guest’s credit card and contacting the guest if the credit card gets declined. With this model, properties receive funds on according to their payment processor’s payout schedule. At the beginning of every month, Booking.com sends an online invoice to the property for the prior month’s commission payment. Properties can pay the invoice online with a credit card or bank transfer, or they can set up an automatic bank account debit.

Alternatively, properties can use Payments by Booking.com. With this program, Booking.com processes the guest’s payment. Guests can pay with credit card, PayPal, Alipay, and WeChat Pay. Booking.com releases payment to property owners via bank transfer one day after check-in or with a virtual credit number that partners can charge after check-in. The VCC is like a gift card; it’s a credit card number that partners can charge in their own payment processor, and the amount equal to the reservation total is guaranteed. More information about Payments by Booking.com, including some videos, is available in the Partner Hub.

Booking.com Cancellation Policy

Unlike some other listing sites that offer a few specific cancellation policies, Booking.com allows partners to create their own policies. Property owners can choose a preset policy or customize their own. With a customized policy, property owners can set their own cancellation window and cancellation penalty.

There are also some preset options if your property doesn’t have a specific policy.

Booking.com Refund Policy

If a guest cancels their reservation during the free cancellation period that corresponds to their reservation’s cancellation policy, then they will receive a refund issued to their original payment method. Depending on the property’s payment policy, the refund might come from Booking.com (if the property uses Payments by Booking.com) or from the property directly.

Booking.com Competitors

Booking.com’s closest competitors are other online travel marketplaces, the largest being Airbnb, Vrbo/HomeAway, and. Vrbo and HomeAway started as separate companies, but HomeAway acquired Vrbo in 2006. HomeAway was then acquired by the Expedia Group in 2015, and in 2019 Expedia announced that it would operate its vacation rental division under the Vrbo name. TripAdvisor acquired FlipKey in 2008.

Airbnb’s affordable shared rooms are big competition for the shared spaces and hostels that Booking.com offers.

Booking.com for Business competes with Airbnb for Work, plus traditional business travel companies like Carlson Wagonlit and Egencia.

Booking.com’s hotel inventory is also strong competition for traditional hotel booking sites like Expedia, Hotwire, and Hotels.com.

How to log into Booking.com

Booking.com partners can log into their accounts via their internet browser or Booking.com’s Pulse app.

To log in via your browser, go to account.booking.com, or click “Log In” in the top right corner of the Booking.com homepage. You can then log in with your email or username and Booking.com password.

On the Pulse app, the login screen will appear as soon as you open the app.

If you forget your password, click the “Forgot your password?” link and an email will be sent with a link to reset your password. If you’re logging on from a new device for the first time, you may be prompted to enter a text or email verification code to keep your account secure.

How to contact Booking.com support

Booking.com offers several ways to get support, including online messages in your Extranet inbox, phone, and discussion boards.

Booking.com offers phone support 24/7 with representatives based all over the world. You can find your localized support phone numbers in the Booking.com Extranet. To find these numbers, select the “Inbox” tab in the extranet, then click “Booking.com Messages.” On the inbox page, click “Contact Us” on the right side (you might need to scroll down to see it), then you’ll see two phone numbers: one for your general local team and one for your account manager. 

If you can’t access the extranet or need support in a different region or language, then you can find the full list of Booking.com support phone numbers here.

In the Extranet Inbox, you can also click “Compose a new message” to send a message to Booking.com’s support team. Expect to receive a response within 24 hours.

The Booking.com Partner Hub is also a helpful place to find answers. This online resource includes a discussion board, a database of articles about everything you could ever wonder about managing a property on Booking.com, and blog posts about company updates.

Want to learn even more about Booking.com? Grow your Booking.com knowledge with our articles about logging into Booking.com, contacting Booking.com support, and analyzing Booking.com’s competitors.

More helpful content and tips for Booking.com Rental Hosts:

Logging into Booking.com Rentals

Contacting Booking.com Rentals Support

Booking.com Rentals Competitors

Guide to Vacation Rental Listing Sites