★ 1/5
★ 1/5 — A platform that leaves hosts carrying the consequences
My experience with Booking.com has been extremely disappointing and, frankly, alarming.
I had a guest who retained my property's security keys after checkout and continued to have possession of them. This was not a misunderstanding. The guest's own messages on Booking.com's platform clearly acknowledged that he had the keys, said he would return them, and accepted the charges.
I repeatedly reported the situation to Booking.com and asked them to intervene because this was a property security issue, not simply a routine damage claim.
Despite having the entire communication history on its own platform, Booking.com's response was slow, repetitive and largely consisted of asking me to wait. I repeatedly had to explain the same basic facts to different representatives.
The consequences were serious. I had to deal with security concerns affecting my property and subsequent bookings, including losses of more than £1,800. Yet instead of properly resolving the situation, Booking.com eventually asked me to provide an invoice for replacement keys as evidence.
Think about that: the guest had acknowledged retaining the keys, Booking.com had the messages proving it, Booking.com knew about the situation, and yet the burden was still pushed back onto the host.
What is particularly disturbing is that Booking.com appears far more concerned with following a rigid internal process than protecting the host whose property is being used through its platform.
The platform makes money by connecting guests with hosts, but when something goes seriously wrong, the host can be left dealing with the security risk, financial loss and consequences largely on their own.
I have kept the complete Booking.com communication history and supporting evidence and am now considering formal legal action regarding the way this matter was handled.
If you are a host, think very carefully about what happens when a serious problem occurs — because my experience has shown me that having evidence and repeatedly reporting a serious security issue does not necessarily mean Booking.com will protect you or resolve it promptly.
This has completely changed my view of Booking.com as a platform for property owners.








