Weird Things About Hosting on Booking.com

I recently supplemented my Airbnb and VRBO listings by rolling them out on Booking.com.

I generally think Airbnb's platform is super-easy to use and very polished. VRBO lags a bit behind (an example I can think of right now is the lack of scheduled messages, like pre-check-in, etc.), but it still generally usable.

Booking.com, on the other hand, takes some getting used to. Figured I'd use this page to catalog some of the things I find weird or that I just don't like. I'll add to it as the list gets longer.

Booking.com Requires An Additional Booking Request Step

Whereas Airbnb and VRBO use a two-step process for handling booking requests (i.e., the guest books, the host approves, and then the booking is complete), Booking.com requires THREE steps (i.e., the guest books, the host approves, and then the guest has an additional 24 hours to "finalize the booking"). 

This leaves the host with the conundrum of "Do I block off my calendar for 24 hours, hoping the guest will finalize?" or "Do I NOT block off my calendar, and risk a double-booking should I get an Airbnb/VRBO booking and then the Booking.com guest finalizes?".

I'm currently on my fourth Booking.com request. The first three expired after the guest not finalizing the reservation; not holding my breath on the fourth.

If we're looking a couple months out, no big deal - I don't mind a 24-hour calendar block. But I've now had this happen twice for requests in the next few days. As a host, I'm like "Look, either decide you want the place or not, but don't lock it up while you make up your mind, because I could be missing another booking."

Booking.com Rewrites Your Description

For some reason, the platform scrapes your carefully crafted description and runs it through a kludgy rewriting algorithm, resulting in a property description that's way worse. Here's an example:

Original first sentence:

Enjoy a scenic getaway in our historic, century-old small town bungalow, nestled in a peaceful neighborhood close to all _______ has to offer.

Booking.com rewritten description:

Featuring air-conditioned accommodations with a patio, _______ is located in _______. This property has a balcony, free private parking and free Wifi.

Why they feel this was necessary is beyond me. Worse, you have to open a trouble ticket to change it, and they'll only consider this if there's a factual error - they won't let you offer a better-written complete description.

The Booking.com Name

It's a small thing, but I often discuss my listings with my co-host and our investment partner over Facebook Messenger chat. Every time I refer to 'Booking.com' in a chat, Messenger supplies a preview link, like I'm suggesting a website. I've had to start calling it 'BDC' because it's just so annoying!

And honestly, anything-dot-com is just so ...  you know, 1996. Maybe it's time for a rebrand?

More to Come ...

I'm sure I'll add to this list the more I use Booking.com.

What strange things have you run into with this platform?

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