Do you guys recommend Bookings.com?

Question

Hey All,

Right now I'm on Airbnb and VRBO. I wanted to know if you would recommend I add Bookings.com to the mix?

I have a lot of gaps during the weekdays. Most of my bookings are on the weekends. How do I fill those gaps? Do you recommend I lower the nightly rate for weekdays?

(FYI: I do use dynamic pricing)

And lastly, do you guys recommend I FaceTime (video share) with my cleaner after every cleaning job? Part of me wants to verify that they've actually cleaned the home, but part of me feels bad that I'm putting them through FaceTiming every time they've finished cleaning my property. What do y'all think?

Thank you so much in advance!

Gulliver

Dave Stokley · Answer

No, it’s awful to use and the guests are also low quality.

Your question about cleaners deserves a completely different thread, but who the hell has time to FaceTime after every clean? I use a service called Properly that has visual checklists and requires the cleaners to take pics as they go. People that work for properly review the pics in real time. You won’t be surprised to hear that our cleaners hate this too!

Chase Hoover · Answer

Seconded - you think Airbnb customer service is horrible?  Booking.com takes it to a level of rage you've never felt

Paul Sandhu · Answer

@Gulliver R.

No. It stinks more than pig nuts.

JD Martin · Answer

EDIT: I no longer have anything nice to say about booking.com 🤣

Virtually one day after posting some reasons why I thought the platform might be worthwhile, I have been spammed with multiple BS non-payers that have taken me a ridiculous amount of time to remove, while also clogging up all of my other calendars. As others have noted, their customer service sucks. In the last week I've spent *hours* on the phone trying to deal with multiple scam bookings, invalid and declined credit cards, and unearned commissions. The somewhat increased activity compared to the other two sites isn't worth the extra aggravation for sure, so no more for me.

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Gulliver R., I think you got the gist of Booking.com.

Regarding the cleaners, you are going to have to trust them. That is how it works. If you don't trust your cleaners, then find new ones you will or get out of this business.

Scott Stone · Answer

I agree with the others on that listing platform and avoid it myself. Put your additional efforts into your own website.  If you need to FaceTime after every clean then you need to change cleaners. On the weekday availability, I decrease the required minimum stay and the price. On most dynamic pricing programs you should be able to charge more for the weekends which would keep your weekdays lower. I would also look at other listings nearby and see what their weekday bookings look like and if they are booking what they are doing differently. I use beyond for pricing and it has the ability to compare to nearby listings.

Leslie Anne Morris · Answer

I've been on it...no longer am.  Fees are high and payouts are spotty.  It isn't worth it

Gerald Pitts · Answer

Your reviews will be your feedback on cleaning.  Good cleaners understand that and work hard to get you 5 star cleaning reviews.  When you find a good one, take good care of them.  Look into running FB ads to fill more dates.

Gulliver R. · Answer

Thanks all for the insight! I'll continue to for sure use Airbnb and VRBO. But I'll think about Booking.com a little bit more. Not sure that I have the time to invest in more management, since it sounds like its going to require a lot more of my time and energy, which I don't really wanna do right now.

And I'll be lowing the price for the weekdays for just the current month and see how that works. And slowly test if doing that for the next month works well too.

As far as the FaceTiming with my cleaners: I'll continue to use TurnoverBNB, which gives me the ability to require them to take photos of cleaning tasks. That's been working well for me.

Thanks again!

Gulliver

Matthew C Dominy · Answer

Hey @Gulliver R.

In addition to the points mentioned above, booking.com usually prioritizes properties/hotels that pay higher commissions.  And these are way higher than Airbnb. There was a comment above that is worth exploring and that is a website. I recently set up a website for a client who has several Airbnb properties and with digital marketing, we drive direct traffic and the opportunity to book direct.  Zero commissions amongst other benefits

Do you guys recommend Bookings.com?

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