Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com -- Are you using one of them, two or all three?

Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com -- Are you using one of them, two or all three?

Real Estate Broker · Albuquerque, NM · Member since 2019 · 59 posts · 93 votes

I've seen some recent articles indicating that Booking.com is trying to compete more against Airbnb. Currently our primary source of bookings is Airbnb, followed by VRBO. Earlier this year, we were also posted on Booking.com, and while the listing did produce several reservations, it came with a huge amount of frustration and more last-minute cancellations that we've experienced (significantly more as a %) than the other 2 booking platforms, Airbnb and VRBO. There were issues syncing the reservation calendar, and it is nearly impossible to reach a customer support representative with Booking.com as an individual STR owner. The guests that booked through Booking.com, who did not cancel ahead of their check-in date, were good guests, but we didn't receive near the response rate for guest feedback that we do from Airbnb and VRBO. Once the Booking.com commission was paid for each reservation, the net payout was usually slightly less than if the guest had booked through Airbnb or VRBO. We canceled our listing on Booking.com towards the end of the summer. Our occupancy rate has been higher this fall, using Airbnb and VRBO than it was during the summer and spring months, when we were listed on all 3 platforms. I'm not suggesting that the higher occupancy is the result of dropping Booking.com but am not sure that it ultimately contributed to more reservations or a greater success rate. Curious about the success others are having with these platforms or if anyone thinks Booking.com is becoming a necessary tool for securing STR reservations?

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Member since 2022 · 527 posts · 413 votes
1y

I have a Booking.com guest in one of my properties right now and he is fabulous - 8 night stay for the holiday.  That said, my last Booking.com guest a couple of weeks ago was a bit difficult pre-arrival but ended up being a great guest and left a 10 star review (no comments though).  A few points on my experience:

-  I list to have more eyes on the property

-  I don't get many bookings on Booking.com.  I have 3 right now only because they got a new listing discount.  I don't expect any more, sadly.  I just a premium to offset the 15% commission they charge so I'm out of whack on prices with much of my competition.

-  Setting up Booking.com was a pain in the butt but unlike others on here have said, I haven't had issues with them.  I get paid within a day of arrival (I now set up direct pay so I will handle my own payments going forward).  Yes, their support is atrocious but after it is set up I really haven't had many reasons to work with their support.

-  I agree that their guests don't generally leave reviews.

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  • Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    ABNB and VRBO absolutely, but never felt the need to go with Booking. I have heard that it is great for European guests but that's not my target market. I have heard they are even worse than the aforementioned when it comes to caving into guests and refunds, although I can't speak to that from experience. 

    As a consumer I always found the Booking platform to be especially clunky and outdated. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    I'm on Airbnb and Vrbo, and also Houfy (direct bookings) but have stayed away from Booking .com because of the horror stories from fellow hosts. If they improve to the level of the others, I may try them.

  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    I've also not heard anything good about booking.com to make me want to try them.

    I get most of our bookings from Vrbo. 

  • Member since 2022 · 527 posts · 413 votes
    1y

    I have a Booking.com guest in one of my properties right now and he is fabulous - 8 night stay for the holiday.  That said, my last Booking.com guest a couple of weeks ago was a bit difficult pre-arrival but ended up being a great guest and left a 10 star review (no comments though).  A few points on my experience:

    -  I list to have more eyes on the property

    -  I don't get many bookings on Booking.com.  I have 3 right now only because they got a new listing discount.  I don't expect any more, sadly.  I just a premium to offset the 15% commission they charge so I'm out of whack on prices with much of my competition.

    -  Setting up Booking.com was a pain in the butt but unlike others on here have said, I haven't had issues with them.  I get paid within a day of arrival (I now set up direct pay so I will handle my own payments going forward).  Yes, their support is atrocious but after it is set up I really haven't had many reasons to work with their support.

    -  I agree that their guests don't generally leave reviews.

  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    We are on all of the above, as well as:

    - Marriott Homes and Villas

    - Google Vacation Rentals

    - Jetblue Airlines

    - Allegiant Airlines

    - about 10+ more and soon to be American Express Travel and Hyatt's portal. 

    The more the merrier.

  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1y

    Hey @Robert Carmody, we are only on AirBNB and VRBO and they work just fine.

    I have been reluctant to do a Booking.com listing due to the negative reviews I have heard from other hosts.

    Booking.com was geared towards hotel stays, which means your STR gets treated like a hotel room. Guests treat those kinds of bookings differently than a STR vacation home.

    They are used to being able to cancel the booking 24 hours in advance and all sorts of other things that STRs like ours can't really accommodate.

    I just don't think the squeeze is worth the juice.

  • Real Estate Broker · Albuquerque, NM · Member since 2019 · 59 posts · 93 votes
    1y

    Thanks. Your responses/experiences seem to mirror our recent experiences with Booking.com. 

  • Sarah KensingerPro Member
    Real Estate Consultant · OH · Member since 2023 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    Hardly heard of any success on Booking.com, instead it's more stories like your own. We are listed on about 6 sites and besides the typical Airbnb and VRBO, we've had success with Travelstayion as well. Booking.com is not on list at all and we have no plans on tackling that frustration at this time. 

  • Investor · Tallahassee · Member since 2019 · 249 posts · 93 votes
    1y

    My market is Tallahassee and I am only on Airbnb and VRBO. 90% of my reservations come from Airbnb and 10% from VRBO.

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