As we have said in most of our earlier articles, being on more than one platform really does matter.
You have almost certainly considered listing on one of these two. Ask around and you will get contradictory answers about which works better.
The figures are worth knowing. In 2022 Airbnb had roughly 7 million active listings worldwide, while Booking.com had around 28 million, of which about 6.7 million were holiday rentals.
Booking.com is known mostly for hotels and hostels, so the people using it tend to be looking for a hotel or something close to one. That said, plenty of owners now list holiday rentals there and take bookings through it. Airbnb is used exclusively for houses, villas and flats, which shifts the audience somewhat.
1. Reviews
On Booking.com, one thing many owners dislike is that you cannot see previous reviews of a prospective guest, nor leave a review of your own.
On Airbnb you can, and that small detail makes it far easier to decide whether to accept a booking, or simply to know who you are about to welcome.
Weigh this up before listing on Booking.com, because the platform accepts bookings without any conversation beforehand — which sometimes ends in a cancellation because the guest had misunderstood something. Airbnb has booking requests and enquiries, where guests put their questions to the host first and only then go ahead.
2. Fees and commission
Every transaction involves two parties: the guest and the owner. Airbnb charges both. Booking.com charges the guest nothing to book, which makes bookings that bit more likely.
Airbnb charges owners 3% commission per booking (VAT included), and then charges the guest a further 12% (VAT included) directly. For an owner weighing up the two platforms that looks appealing — but do note that the fee is still charged, just not to you.
Booking.com works differently: 15% (VAT included) on the total value of the booking.
3. When you get paid
With Airbnb, payment for a booking reaches you roughly 24 hours after the guest checks in.
Booking.com takes longer. You can set the terms and the schedule for your payments, and the usual choices are monthly or weekly.
Choose monthly and you are paid by the 15th day after the guests check out. Choose weekly and it arrives on the Thursday following check-out.
4. Managing the calendar
If your property is live on more than one platform, you also have to watch the calendars closely so you never take bookings for the same dates on both — the dreaded double booking.
There are tools for this. A channel manager keeps the dates in step across every platform you are on.
Our view is that both platforms matter if you want the business to grow. The aim is always to be seen by as many people as possible. So why not be on both?
