Asked by
JL2010
on 9th April 2014
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I'm thinking of advertising my holiday lets in the UK on booking.com. Is this recommended?
I have been using holidaylettings but have become increasingly disgruntled with their appalling site and service so I am looking for a substitute.
I already use Homeaway.
Thanks
Answers (46)
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Maurella
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have booked a large amount of accommodation both in NZ and Australia and have always had fantastic service from booking.com. They are pretty much the only company I book with now. I use them mainly because they are so flexible with cancellations, change of dates etc and also their competitive pricing. I can only speak for myself, but I think they are excellent to deal with.
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Ron48
Written on: 09/04/2014
Over the years I have travelled frequently around Europe for business pleasure and family. Having tried several sites to help me find the most suitable hotel (which may or may not be the cheapest) I have come back to booking.com.
In my experience it is the only site that is reliable and consistent.
I would recommend it to anyone.
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MateuszN
Written on: 09/04/2014
I think not. I don't recommend Booking.com - they are able to cancel your booking or raise prices without any reasons.
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ruhaizah
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have been using booking.com and some others for quite sometime now and I have found booking.com to be most satisfactory - always meeting my requirements and expectation, assisted me with some issues that I have and the accommodation have been most of the time very satisfactory and well kept..be it apartments or hotels. I do not have any issues so far and even if I have, I can always raise it with them for their attention and improvement. I have always got good response to date and I recommend booking.com to u as I have recommended to many of my friends and families. For info, I have just came back from my short visit in Auckland, New Zealand en route from Christchurch and again I am very satisfied with the arrangements made thru booking.com. I have no problem with reservation, the location of the hotel was very good, room though small but very comfortable (especially for one person) and most importantly as usual I am very happy and satisfied with the services provided. Booking.com is the only travel agent that allows you to pay upon check-in and not when booking. All this made possible thru booking.com.
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Joseph_Farrugia
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have been using booking.com for a number of years to find accommodation in various parts of Europe. I have used it for my own personal travels, for my business travel as well as for my staff when abroad.
I also find booking.com better than the local sites for internal holiday accommodation!
They have a fantastic site with loads of criteria and a wide range to choose from in every location. They seem to be very popular with the owners and staff of the places I visit as they always mention the site with a certain satisfactory smile.
Most importantly, when I had a problem with my booking because of failure to travel due to health problems, booking.com was there when I needed them. What more can I say!
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ex-ginger
Written on: 09/04/2014
Thanks for asking. Although I don't have the need to advertise on Booking.com myself I do use it to find accommodations for my travels. I have used them many times over the years (but not exclusively) and have always found them to be reliable, efficient, good value. The website is easy to use and there is all the info you need...maps, facilities, reviews and the like. My very first experience of them was excellent, I booked a room late on a Thursday night for the next night and put in the requirements that we needed car parking. Within a few minutes someone RANG me to say that parking could not be pre booked but that there was ample public parking behind the hotel and if we could get into certain marked bays then it would be free.......what service! This was what made me continue to use them.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
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obsidian8
Written on: 09/04/2014
The idea of booking.com is good, it takes a lot of hassle out of planning a holiday/break, with a couple of clicks you can eliminate the most vital part of any holiday/break which is 'were to stay'.
The problem is the sites details are not reliable since they are submitted by the host organisation and not validated in any way by booking.com, this can result in a customer having an experience which simply spoils what would otherwise be a great holiday/break.
I personally would never use booking.com, but with the use of a google search book direct with the hotel.
If you are considering using booking.com I would suggest that you make sure your details & photos are accurate & keep them up-to-date, any changes in your establishment should be reflected in descriptions & photos to your listing on their website. This should help prevent you from receiving poor reviews from customers.
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aldo08
Written on: 09/04/2014
I use booking.com all the time for holidays in a variety of countries. They are a great, well organised website. From a user perspective its very smooth and easy to use site. Plus the way they encourage reviewers to give simple ratings, plus positive and negative aspects to any bookings means its easier for holiday makers to make a judgement before booking. I've not used homeaway so can't compare.
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Baykoc
Written on: 09/04/2014
Use booking.com without hesitating at all. They do their jobs perfectly. They offer many options like refundable, non-refundable, cancellation, change etc. when you make your reservation. They simultanously give you national, regional,district information around your hotel. More importantly, they don't use your credit card at the time of booking, all charges will be later on.For ten years, I have been using this website confidently.I strongly advice you to do so.
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seashellmabelle08
Written on: 09/04/2014
Booking.com is really easy to use and very trustworthy. I've used it several times and don't have any regrets. Go for it!
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Mac51
Written on: 09/04/2014
Yes - Booking's good - as is Homelidays. (end user, not an owner)I don't use anyone else.
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AussieChris
Written on: 09/04/2014
Going on personal experience alone, I had no troubles whatsoever with Booking.com when I travelled to the UK last year. I looked at other sites but always ended up coming back to Booking.com. The site was always easy to navigate, easy to book and amend/cancel bookings if need be and the comments & reviews left by others were always very helpful. They are well advertised and well known in the world of Travel and I would definitely both recommend them as well as use them again in the future. Obviously not all places may be exactly as you expect them to be when you arrive but that's half the fun of Travel right? After all, Booking.com can only provide a certain amount of information and then rely on reviews such as this to be able to provide a more detailed overview of the facility itself. At the end of the day everyone's opinion is going to be different and what might annoy one person is acceptable for another. As an advertiser the more 'honest' information (and photos please!)that you can provide to Booking.com to advertise your Holiday Let the better including helpful hints & local knowledge to assist the Traveller. If the information is minimal, sounds less than friendly and the photos are dreary I will go elsewhere. Definitely give them a go and Good Luck! :-)
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Anniehen
Written on: 09/04/2014
Booking.com is a great company. I think the reviewer who said they will not use them again because they were unhappy with the hotel they stayed in (there was building work) misunderstands the nature of a booking site. It is there to pass on well negotiated prices, ensure the booking is made efficiently and provide reviews from previously people who booked and stayed there previously! I have used Booking.com regularly for several years, always receiving an excellent service. I once made a mistake in my booking and rang them to ask for assistance. Their customer service operator was friendly and helpful. One of my favourite companies.
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Margb38
Written on: 09/04/2014
I use booking.com for 99.9% of my holiday bookings. The site is so easy to use and if, in the unfortunate event of having to cancel a booking, it is extremely easy to do so. Obviously I always read travellers' reviews too to help me choose accommodation that is suitable for us. On the odd occasion I have needed to phone booking.com the advisers have been very friendly and helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend booking.com. Good luck!
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spartaly
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have been using booking.com for the past 2 years (Almost) started my bookings localy in Dubai and I have found them really helpful even in turkey and europe. from my point of view what it makes booking.com a unique instrument is their back office staff services and support. They will revert back to you on the spot day and night not only that but will do all they can by liaising with hotel management for your own satisfaction and piece of mind.
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Dolly6
Written on: 09/04/2014
I would not use booking.com again EVER- but then i was a customer not an owner like you. I ended up at an hotel in Paris that was shabby-chic without the chic! And they would do nothing- it cost pounds in a phone to them and all i got was in effect- you booked it! What i was really annoyed about was that they said there was no refund within 24 hours of the booking time ie if i had not arrived and not cancelled 24 hours in advance, i would have to pay- that is fine but what they DO NOT say is the hotel can keep your money even if you do not like the hotel. I believe that is not fair - how can you know what it is like until you arrive? This means the customer keeps their side of the bargain by showing up but the hotel can have lied through their teeth in the advert and booking.com do nothing about it So the hotel cannot lose, therefore as an owner maybe booking.com is for you .
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AP99
Written on: 09/04/2014
First and foremost, Booking.com is a site I always revert back to. Try as I may, the others cannot compare. I book all my hotels through BC and have not had a bad experience yet. Sine I do a lot of travelling for work, I can genuinely say that BC works for ME.
Now your requirements are a little off the normal track that I use BC for. I have searched for holiday lets and must admit that BC never came to the top of the search results. This is very important and will impact how many visitors go to your let page. When searching for hotels, BC always comes near the very top of the search results which allows them to be one of the top most visited sites.
My advice would be to search for lets in your area using different search engines. You will see results based on each particular search engines most visited sites. This will afford you the information to decide if BC is the right site for you ori if there is a better site that cones up mire often.
I sincerely hope this helps and wish you all th best with your lettings.
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juliejj
Written on: 09/04/2014
My husband and I have always used booking.com when we travel as their service is fantastic. They have always responded to our requests within minutes!! The nicest thing about booking.com is that we didn't have to pay upfront for our stay at different hotels in Europe and were able to change certain part of our booking within 24 hours (or was it 48 hrs?). They also checked with us after our stay to make sure we were satisfied with our choice. Great service by this company and we have recommended them to many friends.
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avodoc
Written on: 09/04/2014
I've used booking.com many times, mostly with good results. I stopped using them after a dispute over being double booked for one night in a hotel in Rio. They did a terrible job of handling the dispute and I am out almost $200. I haven't used them since and intend to avoid them at all costs in the future.
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NovaScotiaRoadrunner
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have used Booking.com many times, for years now, for booking hotels and have had great success. I didn't realize until today, after reading your question, that they offer vacation rentals so I checked into this. Unfortunately, after my research I found Booking.com seems to cater more to hotels, as the list of vacation rentals revealed only a few.
I have been booking vacation rentals for about 10 years now and my first choice is: vrbo
My second choice is: tripadvisor
I feel you'll have better success if you list your vacation rentals with VRBO or Tripadvisor.
Hope this is helpful.
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TruthOnly
Written on: 09/04/2014
I found Booking.com to give me the best overall feedback when I was searching for accommodation. It provide a good depth of information on available accommodation at the location, the facilities on offer, the rates and availability and the deals it listed were accurate. I tried several other sites and found them lacking in one or more of these 'user critical' factors. I think this would be a good advertising medium for somebody in your industry.
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AnetteB
Written on: 09/04/2014
From a customer's view: Yes, is is recommended. Through the years I've rented both flats/Apartments and rooms on "booking.com". This has been my first Choice when searching for holiday lets, mainly because of booking.com's Level of quality; standardized information, good descriptions, many details about the Place/property. Good Luck!
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Maire1987
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have been using booking.com for years now and it has a fantastic customer service team and not once have I ever had a problem that was any fault of booking.com!!
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a-deans
Written on: 09/04/2014
I would not recommend booking.com to anyone as we had a bad experience which ended with us being taken to court by the B & B for not paying for the terrible conditions that we encountered. The B & B were not awarded the money by the court. Booking.com were not exactly helpful during all of this and in fact their actions could be deemed as making matters worse. However I would definitely recommend tripadvisor as I have seen holiday lets on their website and I believe that it would be a good way to advertise your holiday properties. Good luck and I hope that my answer helps in some way and that you do not encounter any more problems.
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travellingsurfer
Written on: 09/04/2014
I have used booking.com numerous times, travelling overseas through Europe, Canada & USA. I have used their 'Reviews' on places to stay and found them very helpful, honest and reliable opinions. Having said that, there are reviewers who have had a 'one off' bad experience and readily report same. I also use 'Tripadviser' to double check some locations' reviews. Be warned though, if your holiday lets are not 'up to scratch' (in need of upgrades or shoddy) then they will be exposed by reviewers and potential clients will keep away. So the ball is in your court, if your holiday lets are good and receive positive reviews, then one would expect them to be well utilised. I am unaware of the financial side of your proposal, what booking.com charge etc.
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PaulCork
Written on: 09/04/2014
I use Booking.com all the time for business reasons and I found them to be very professional, flexible and great value. I think it would be a smart move to use them.
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Ronaldo2
Written on: 09/04/2014
My wife and I traveled through Europe and the UK for nearly nine months last year and booked all of our accommodation through Bookings.com. I found them excellent and the web site very user friendly. We stayed in the UK for just over two months and booked accommodation from the very South East of England to Scotland and Wales and in total thirteen Hotels or B&B's. Every place we stayed in was excellent and very much exactly as presented on the Bookings web site. I will always use them on future trips.
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PeterBryan
Written on: 10/04/2014
I am not sure about the letting side,but as someone looking to rent for 2 months of travelling around the UK we found the bookings.com site really easy to use . I think my sister-in-law was astonished that as a 63 year old I was able to do all the booking from Australia and have everything fall in to place .
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MohdIkramAhmad
Written on: 10/04/2014
Just give it a try. No harm in doing so JL2010.
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OzLeanne
Written on: 10/04/2014
With all my experiences so far, I have been very happy with booking.com. I am a general traveler not an agent but have used booking.com a lot over the past couple of years in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Europe and it has never let us down.
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blackcomb
Written on: 10/04/2014
Yes, as well as expedia, as we use that site a lot in the UK so you may have a lot of luck through that site, not sure how known booking.com is in the UK or how used, but expedia is for sure.
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killagigi
Written on: 10/04/2014
I uses Booking.com at least once a month , so as you can imagine , I have come across a few problems, but overall for the customer, booking.com does offer the best possible service on the web.
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Quadcab
Written on: 10/04/2014
I used them for a business trip to Frankfurt. Had some problems and found there staff to be arrogant and self righteous over it all. Would I use them again...yes but begrudgingly! Would I advertise property with them...no! The other thing is they bombard you with emails with the same information yo the point where we unsubscribed. I don't need to be reminded that they are there twice a day.
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Muffy123
Written on: 10/04/2014
Yes I have book quite a few hotels on this site, I have found them easy to book through, and I would recommend them, as someone who books holidays with them I find they have plenty of advice and show rooms and conditions, also if there is a problem with our booking we can cancel with nothing to pay if before our holiday date, in 5 yrs we have only had to change our dates once and it went smoothly, I have a lot of faith with booking.com and have booked this yrs hotels with them again we will be travelling from England to Corfu and have booked hotels along the way hope this helps you,
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R.Cordeiro
Written on: 10/04/2014
I travel a lot and do all my reservations on booking.com. The website is nice, practical, and has reliable information. I never had problems with booking.com and every time I needed to cancel a reservation or change something (date, hotel, room, etc) it was very simple and convenient. In my opinion, booking.com is the best place to booking on line. I really recommend it!
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hethncol
Written on: 11/04/2014
I try to always use Booking.com for my intrastate, interstate and overseas holidays. Their website is so easy to use and cancellations if required are just as easy. Their customer service and back up is fantastic should you require it.I don't think you will be disappointed if you decide to give them your business.
Cheers
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A522
Written on: 11/04/2014
Definitely! I trust booking.com. What you read at their website is what you get. No hidden charges. No deliberate omissions. And it is so easy to book and cancel. Their review ratings for the hotels, B and B etc are usually spot on. So if they give great service to us their customers I think they would do the same to you
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Zippyali
Written on: 11/04/2014
You will not be disappointed with Booking.com. So don't hesitate...just do it.
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Fidgetthemidget
Written on: 11/04/2014
As a customer of Bookings.com I can only say that I have found their service impeccable in every way. What you read on the screen is what you get. If I were still in the holiday letting business I would not hesitate to use their sevices.
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Topgear29
Written on: 11/04/2014
I would 100% recommend Booking.com. I have used them repeatedly to book accommodation up & down the country & they are first class in every way. Never let me down as a consumer. Good luck. Happy & satisfied customer.
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Nickybun
Written on: 12/04/2014
I have always found booking .com very useful, never go past it to book anything. Always gets you the best deal
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PaulOz_5
Written on: 14/04/2014
Last year I booked all my accommodation (approx 10 locations) through Booking.com I found them excellent in terms of range offered, information about their offerings and the smooth trouble free booking procedure. Replies and confirmations were incredibly quick and on the trip at every stop everything was in order with no stuff ups. Speaking as a client looking for accommodation, I was 110% satisfied.
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Miriam-Ireland
Written on: 15/04/2014
I used Booking.com for trip to Malaysia last year and found them most helpful. Cancelling and re-booking alternative accomodation (based on reading reviews closer to our trip) was not an issue for them. Our final acomodation choice for the thrid part of our trip was excellent.
What I loved was the facility to change the booking without penalty. The conditions were clearly explained and Booking.com abided by these conditions. I will definitly use them again. Best of luck
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JL2010
Written on: 17/04/2014
Thanks to everyone who took the time to give an answer to my query; your input has been very helpful indeed.
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davidgriffin7
Written on: 23/06/2014
I have used booking.com for staying all over the world, we live in Australia, have booked, Germany, Ireland England and France. Never had a really bad experience. Fantastic places in nearly all cases. I like to book places with breakfast, and all so far have been excellent. Depends on what you want, I like budget prices with my gourmet appetite. I recommend you use bookings.com. So far so good all over.
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woodlands1216
Written on: 03/12/2016
Hello
I have a small hotel business. Recently over the past week or so the CVC required to collect the money has not been appearing on the Booking.com Extranet. Have been emailing them and speaking to customer services, each time in a different country. They recognise the problem but have done nothing about it. To-day I lost a booking for 3 nights because of it.
I have been with them for some 6 months but every second month or so there was an issue. OK when everything works according to plan, but systems seem to be full of bugs, resulting in the need for huge time consuming interventions.
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