Did you know that Booking.com also allows you to book short-term rentals? Booking.com has been focusing on Airbnb-style vacation rental apartments on its marketplace for several years. It’s critical to understand how the platform works and the distinctions between Booking.com and Airbnb before advertising your home with well-known hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott.
Here are some key distinctions between Booking.com and Airbnb, as well as answers to frequently asked concerns to help you raise your occupancy rate! While the distinctions may seem puzzling at first, keep in mind that many hosts go over and above to offer their properties on different sites to earn more money. We guarantee that the time and efforts into learning Booking.com will be well spent!
How do Airbnb and Booking.com guests differ?
Along with the numerous means of verification, Airbnb offers two-way reviews, which allow you to post feedback for your guests. Booking.com does not provide this feature, even though it is incredibly beneficial for holding your visitors accountable for their conduct. While you may read the ratings of your possible visitors on Airbnb before accepting a request, guests on Booking.com do not have any reviews.
As you may know, Airbnb visitors are keen to ask questions before booking your space. You may answer dozens of inquiries about your resort (including discount requests) and yet get information that the client has booked another hotel. When that occurred to me multiple times, I recall being disappointed. Booking.com, unlike Airbnb, confirms bookings without requiring previous guest contact.
Another thing to remember is that your guests’ expectations for your establishment may vary. Because Airbnb visitors are aware that they would be staying in someone’s house, they will have reasonable expectations. Booking.com visitors, on the other hand, are more likely to demand hotel-style amenities like 24-hour check-in, complimentary towels, and toiletries. You’re fine to go if you’re already near to those requirements.
How much will it cost me?
The visitor and the host are both involved in every transaction. Booking.com does not charge guests a booking fee, unlike Airbnb, which charges both parties. On the other hand, hosts are charged a percentage of the entire booking amount, which must be paid back at the end of each month.
As a result, if you wish to market your property on both sites, you must account for the difference. If you don’t, you can wind up with less money than anticipated. I am certain that Booking.com’s commission-free strategy improves guest satisfaction and raises booking rates.
What are my options for dealing with payment issues?
On check-in day, Airbnb collects the money on your behalf and pays you through chosen payout option.
On the other hand, if you use Booking.com, you will almost always have to manage the payment process independently. Booking.com will provide you with a credit card number to guarantee the reservation when someone books your spot. This information is only available for the first ten days after booking. You are responsible for covering your potential gain in the event of a no-show (no one shows up on the day of check-in) or last-minute cancellation. Consider a reservation made many months ago that a passenger canceled at the last minute. Since you no longer have access to payment card information, you will be left with an empty property.
What is the cancellation policy, and how does it work?
Even though Airbnb has begun to implement more flexible and free cancellation alternatives (and sometimes even requires hosts to use them), cancellation rates remain low since visitors pay when they reserve their homes. When making your Airbnb listing, you may choose from one of three common cancellation policies and determine whether you’ll still be paid if a guest cancels.
In contrast to Airbnb, most Booking.com properties do not demand prepayment and provide free cancellation, which is great for visitors but not so great for hosts. Although you can purchase a non-refundable reservation, visitors prefer refundable alternatives. Although logically, cancellation rates on Booking.com are greater, this means you’ll need to change your schedule frequently to ensure that your Airbnb and Booking.com calendars are the same.
However, by advertising your home on Booking.com, you can generate additional cash for your empty nights and avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
Booking.com vs. Airbnb
Pros
- More bookings for open days
- Greater exposure
- Bookings with less previous communication
- Higher booking rate
Cons
- Complicated payment processing
- No guest reviews
- Higher cancellation rate
- Constant synchronization
Once you’ve decided to offer your home on Booking.com, double-check that you’re not overbooked on the same dates. Consider two visitors who arrive on the same day at the same property. It would be a nightmare if one came from Airbnb and the other from Booking.com.
Lodgable synchronizes Airbnb and Booking.com calendars in real-time. This means that anytime you make a reservation on Booking.com, the days on your Airbnb calendar are automatically closed (and vice versa as well). Because Airbnb and Booking.com have different commission structures, using Lodgable allows you to update your prices from a single calendar, and your nightly prices will be updated accordingly across Airbnb and Booking.com, ensuring that you select the desired amount regardless of where the reservation comes from..
