Warning: Booking.com Private Host Accommodation

Warning to other travellers to never book a private host (Airbnb style) through Booking, they simply don’t have the policies or infrastructure to support if something goes wrong or police bad hosts.

We booked a flat in Spain that had plenty of reviews (though in some, hassles with deposit were mentioned). On the way to the airport we get a WhatsApp message from a random number and a dodgy link saying we needed to pay a €300 deposit before getting keys. Scam alarm bells went off so we spent a frantic hour trying to get someone from booking on the phone.

The agent was pretty useless but finally confirmed we should pay using the dodgy link, though only if the messaged through the app (both are policy violations).

The flat did exist much to our surprise but the second day, the water and power went out. The host did not respond to messages and when we called Booking they said “if it’s off for more than a day we may be able to help” which is insane and against EU law as both circumstances make the accommodation uninhabitable. Booking put all responsibility on the MIA host and made zero effort to remedy.

It was only when we put them on blast on social media that a thinking human helped but that lasted a very short time.

Fast forward and of course the host kept the deposit and while booking said they would intervene if it wasn’t returned after 5 days, they refused all help when that passed. We ended up doing a chargeback.

I’ve had more mild host experiences with Airbnb but they at least seem to have policies they broadly adhere to and at least the patina of host accountability.

Never again with Booking.