Booking.com is a popular site where travelers can book accommodation, flights, and even restraints. Find out all the details about the platform in this Booking.com review.
If you like to be frugal while booking lodgings, flights, and other traveling essentials for yourself and your family, you probably spend loads of time on online booking sites.
According to an estimate, around USD 810 billion worth of tickets are sold online. While these sites can give you good discounts and rewards as a regular user, it can get difficult to manage multiple sites at once.
With different policies, discount rates, and service fees, it is challenging to pick out which site works best for you.
However, some sites offer everything from hotel bookings, flights, restaurant reservations, and car rentals all under one platform. Meaning, after becoming a member, you won’t have to scrounge online for every booking.
Does that sound exciting to you? Check out my Booking.com review to get all the details.
Booking.com Review
If you regularly check online booking websites while making reservations, there are a plethora of popular websites for you to choose from. Some are affiliated with salient airlines and hotel chains, while others operate independently.
Another important aspect that will influence your decision when choosing the right booking site is the discount rates. Let’s face it, the main reason we use these sites is to travel without burning a large hole in our pockets.
In this case, Booking.com is one of the pioneering websites in the industry that gives you the cheapest services you can find online. But, how is Booking.com so cheap? Is Booking.com good enough to be your default online booking platform?
Is it possible to rent on Booking.com? Want to learn how to rent my property on Booking.com? Read through my detailed Booking.com review to get answers to all your questions.
What is Booking.com?
Booking.com originally started back in 1996 as an online hotel reservation site. After going through several transitions to cater to the needs of an evolving audience, the site began to diversify its offers in 2011.
Now, it is a complete online travel agency that lets you book everything from flights, restaurants, vehicles, airport transportation, and even entire vacation packages.
Nevertheless, it is still best known for its lodging options attributed to its wide array of choices. These include luxury hotels, rental apartments, villas, resorts, and residential accommodations.
Today, apart from the user-friendly website, Booking.com has its mobile app compatible with iOS and Android devices to cater to tech-savvy travelers. What’s more, apart from making reservations and browsing through options, you can even register your properties and list them for rental income.
If you’re wondering how to book my property on Booking.com or how Booking.com charge for its services, the section below includes a detailed overview of the site’s working process.
How Does Booking.com Work
Booking.com works like any other online booking services website. What makes it stand out amidst its contemporaries is the wide range of options available, along with customizable filters to find the reservation that fits your needs.
Making Reservations on Booking.com
If you’re looking to book lodgings, flights, or transportation for your upcoming vacation, then all you have to do is follow its intuitive interface to find your way around
You will find an address bar on the landing page that lets you specify your search according to your location and price range.
After that, the site will give you a list of options with all their respective details included. The best part is, you can even check the reviews from legit guests at every accommodation or restaurant to get first-hand information about the listings.
If you’re wondering is Booking.com reliable, the guest reviews are the highlight feature of this website.
They help you gauge the condition based on the previous tenant’s experience, so you don’t have to go through any unpleasant experiences yourself.
You can even judge the lodgings based on a comprehensive map included with every listing. This will help you see how accessible the property is through public transportation or how close it is to salient tourist spots.
As a member, you will get a personalized dashboard on the website to manage all your bookings and payments. The best part is that Booking.com does not charge anything for booking. Instead, you only pay for your rentals after you’re done using them.
Listing Your Property on Booking.com
On the other hand, the listing process for your property is equally simple on Booking.com. You don’t have to pay anything to list your property.
Just become a member and enter all the necessary details about your property, including high-resolution pictures and basic information.
After that, wait until you get an inquiry or booking request from a tenant and manage the entire process from the website
Like other members, you will get a user dashboard with details of all your bookings and transactions on the website. This way, you can keep track of the requests and bookings you receive and make a substantial rental income.
Who is Booking.com For?
Usually, frequent travelers go for travel agents who arrange all the aspects of their trip for them. While these agents charge some fee to provide these services, it makes the entire process hassle-free for vacationers.
But, if you’re someone who wants to avoid these fees and avail of the best discounts on every booking you make while traveling, Booking.com is for you.
Yes, you will have to conduct your research on the website and contact property owners to ensure good lodging services, but you will get what you’re looking for in the end.
Similarly, Booking.com is an excellent platform for those who travel frequently for work or any other purpose. On the other hand, if you are a property owner who wishes to attract legit and high-paying tenants to generate rental income, Booking.com is an accessible option for you.
You don’t have to pay anything to get your property listed, organize your commitments, and get the exposure you need to maximize your income.
Furthermore, Booking.com is one of the pioneering and leading platforms in the industry. It boasts millions of hotel, airline, and car listings in cities worldwide.
Moreover, the website is available in multiple languages, so you can choose whichever you’re comfortable with.
Most importantly, the website has an accessible cancellation and refund process, which is excellent news for those asking, is Booking.com reliable for newbies?
Pros of Booking.com
Now that you have read through all the basic information about Booking.com, you are probably ready to book your first accommodation through the site.
Before you do, here’s a list of the benefits of Booking.com to help you evaluate the platform at a glance.
Helps You Save Time
With Booking.com, you can plan your trip beforehand without making any commitments. Its search filters are specifically designed to save you time and let you find tailor-made options according to your travel location and the destinations you are interested in.
This way, you can plan out all the aspects of your vacation, such as your daily itinerary and transport schedule, beforehand to avoid further hassle.
Keeps Commitments Organized
As a member of Booking.com, you won’t have to manage each of your bookings and commitments separately.
Especially if you travel frequently, you can track multiple bookings and cancellations through the dashboard easily.
Informative Confirmation Pages
Another feature I love about Booking.com is its transparency. If you like a property and want to rent it for your trip, you can click on the icon and get all the information you need before you confirm your booking.
Besides the basic info provided by the owner, there are legit guest reviews to back their claims and ensure a perfect trip for you.
Easy Cancellations
Booking.com has an accessible, no-questions-asked cancellation policy. This means if there’s an emergency or you’ve just entered the wrong date of travel, you can cancel your booking anytime you want.
Affordable
This is perhaps the most attractive feature of Booking.com. You don’t need to pay any upfront fee or subscription charges to book accommodation or list your property.
Cons of Booking.com
Although the long list of benefits from Booking.com seems quite attractive, it has its flaws as well. Here’s a list of the drawbacks of Booking.com to give you a clear representation before you sign up.
Misleading Listings
Sometimes, Booking.com displays misleading listings on its website. In this case, it is best to cross-check the price of your accommodation or flight booking on sites like Expedia and Yelp to get the best deals.
As anyone can list their property on Booking.com, you can easily fall into a scam deal. Although the website offers reimbursement in such occurrences, it can still spoil your vacation.
Poor Customer Service
Booking.com lets members contact their customer service representatives through email. However, they do not always provide prompt replies, which delays cancellations and booking confirmations for some users.
Key Features
After listing down the pros and cons of Booking.com, it is time for the detailed section of my Booking.com review. Here, I have explained each feature of the website in detail to help you decide whether to go for it or not.
Reservations on Booking.com
The list of reservations available on Booking.com can be overwhelming but also satisfying for frequent travelers. You can use the website to book just about anything, including,
- Hotels
- Apartments
- Villas
- Flights
- Cars
- Public Transport Tickets
- Airport Transportation
- Restaurants
Similarly, you can customize your search based on your location and preferences. For example, you can specify whether you want breakfast, parking, and wifi facilities with your accommodation.
When it comes to booking flights, Booking.com displays multiple airline options available for your destination.
Besides that, you can get the best prices by predicting whether the costs will increase or decrease. This way, you can decide whether to book immediately or wait for a few hours.
Booking.com User Interface
At first look, the user interface of Booking.com can seem overcrowded as the site has so much to offer. However, the site is quite intuitive and helps you find your way around quickly.
Whichever reservation you’re looking for, you can filter your search from the left column to avoid getting irrelevant results.
The filters include popularity, meals, property type, bed preference, review score, and neighborhood.
A good trick is to avoid the top picks if you want to travel at a lower cost. That’s because these options pay a high fee to the platform and compensate for it by charging high rent from tenants.
Booking.com Fees
While booking your accommodation, flights, or making any kind of reservations, you don’t need to pay any fee to Booking.com. Instead, you will be charged by the hotel at the end of your stay when you check out.
However, for those wondering, does Booking.com offer rewards, it does not have any reward system for frequent users.
Guest Reviews
Honest guest reviews are perhaps the best feature of Booking.com. You can get hands-on information about the location, staff support, comfort, facilities, and cleanliness of your accommodation before you complete your booking.
Most importantly, you can find reviews in various languages and even filter them according to the types of travelers.
Customer Service
Booking.com has a comprehensive customer service section. Whether you’re looking for reservations or listing your property, you can contact a representative through their help center if you have a problem operating the website.
Similarly, they have a well-organized FAQ page as well, where the answers are divided into various categories. Simply click on a relevant category and look for the answer to your query.
Moreover, the website posts regular resources and blog posts regarding updates and breakthroughs in the travel industry to keep frequent travelers in the loop.
Overall Rating
- Ease of Use – 4 / 5
- Value for Money – 5 / 5
- Features – 4 / 5
- Customer Service – 3 / 5
Is Booking.com Safe?
Concluding my Booking.com review, it is evident that the platform is reliable and completely safe to use. The best part is, there are no hidden charges or fees, so you can look for bookings with nothing to lose.
Although it has an inefficient customer support system, it offers easy cancellations and honest guest reviews to help you conduct the booking process hassle-free.
