By Liam Isola Sometimes, just because you reserve a place on Booking.com, it doesn’t mean it is actually available. I recently found that out the hard way. I booked a house for a group of more than 12 people who already had flight plans for a Gaelic Football tournament in San Diego.
Don’t Let Your Booking.com Host Pressure You Into Cancelling
The day after I booked the spot, which had a 9+ rating and enough beds to accommodate our group, I heard from the host. They claimed that the system they used to list their place on multiple websites had malfunctioned and that I needed to cancel because the place was unavailable.
I didn’t feel that I should capitulate because of a mistake I didn’t make. I was also skeptical about the host trying to get me to cancel instead of doing it themselves. Plus, prices for alternative accommodations during Memorial Day Weekend were absurdly high.
Instead of acting right away, I researched the cancellation policy for when a host cannot accommodate their guests. My suspicions proved correct, as the guest can ask for compensation.
Contact Booking.com Customer Service
If a Booking.com host tries to cancel on you or successfully does, reach out to customer service immediately. Explain the situation to them either through email (yourconfirmation#@mybooking.com) or by phone (+1 888 850-3958).
Once they confirm the host cannot follow through with the reservation, they should offer to book you a similar place. On this alternative option, they should offer you credits. The credits should be for the price difference, up to 50% or more of the price of the original booking.
The host, after cancelling, is generally on the hook for the price difference. To get the refund/credit, send the invoice to customer service once your reservation is complete, with a $0 balance.
I had to wait a few days while they confirmed with the host that he couldn’t accommodate our group. Once Booking did that, they sent me an email stating that the reservation was cancelled due to the host.
In my case, the place that they offered me as an alternative was not suitable for our group. It was a few rooms at a Ramada with only a 4.6/10 rating, which I certainly wasn’t going to book.
Book the Place of Your Choice With Caveats
Still, you can decline the first option that they send you. Then, you can ask for a place that more closely matches the original place you booked. They ended up offering a new place, which was over double the price of my original booking.
Customer Service also said they could work on providing travel credits to cover the entire booking after I completed my reservation. Even though this place had an excellent rating, it wasn’t suitable for the number of guests in our party.
So, I went ahead and booked a few rooms at a place on the beach, with enough beds for everyone to sleep comfortably. I reached out to customer service once again to confirm that I’d be able to get a credit for the Booking I made on my own.
The agent said that as long as one books for the same dates as the original reservation and for the same number of guests, they are entitled to compensation in the event of a host cancellation. She told me to send the invoice after the booking, and they’d work on the refund of the price difference.
The new place is $2,072 total compared to $1169 for the original booking. If I had to book this without any kind of compensation, it would be unaffordable for my group. Should the price difference be covered up to 50% of the original accommodation price, our group will only be on the hook for $318.5 extra.
Conclusion
So, if your Booking.com host tries to get you to cancel, it should raise alarm bells. They are most likely trying to avoid having to pay the penalty for canceling themselves and being on the hook for your new accommodation.
Instead, follow the directions listed above, and contact Booking.com customer service to make sure you get compensation.
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