Booking.com Pros & Cons for Hosts (2025 Guide)

TL;DR — Should you list on Booking.com in 2025?

Yes, if you run your short-term rental as a business.
Booking.com now drives huge volume—especially last-minute city stays—and has rolled out host-friendly features such as Payments by Booking.com, Request-to-Book and clearer Preferred Partner rules.
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But expect a 15% commission, stricter performance standards and higher cancellation rates than Airbnb. Use a channel manager, set firm policies and price to absorb fees.

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Quick pros & cons

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Booking.com at a glance in 2025

Booking.com is no longer hotel-only. Around one-third of its 2024 room-nights came from homes and apartments, and it now lists ≈ 8 million alternative accommodation units worldwide. Traffic-wise it commands 6 – 7 % of all travel web visits, outranking Airbnb.

Key 2024-25 updates for hosts:

• Payments by Booking.com covers ~60 % of stays, removing card-fraud headaches.
• Request-to-Book (launched Aug 2024) lets cautious hosts approve guests.
• Travel Sustainable badge retired – only third-party eco-labels display.
• Preferred Partner v2 (May 2025) has clearer performance thresholds but +3 % commission.
• Total-price display now mandatory in the US and AU/NZ, aligning with Airbnb’s “all-in” pricing.
• EU Digital Markets Act ends rate-parity clauses—so undercutting B.com on your direct site is finally legal.

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The main advantages

1. Global exposure for Aussie & Kiwi homes

European and Asian travellers book through Booking.com first, meaning fresh demand you may never see on Airbnb or Stayz. A Melbourne CBD studio or Queenstown apartment often gets 30 – 40 % of its annual nights from B.com once activated.

2. Volume, especially short-lead stays

Booking.com guests book closer to arrival (often < 7 days), filling those nagging calendar holes. Many managers report a 10 – 20 % occupancy lift in shoulder seasons after adding B.com.

3. Competitive up-front pricing

Because the guest sees no service fee, your listing can appear cheaper than the identical Airbnb ad—even if your net payout is similar after commission.

4. Professional-grade tools

The Extranet, Pulse app and mature API connections make multi-property management straightforward. Bulk price edits, unit-level inventory and auto-messages save time when you scale.

5. Visibility boosters when you need them

Opt-in programmes such as Genius (10 % discount to high-value travellers) or Preferred Partner can catapult a struggling listing up the search sort order—handy for new builds or slow months.

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The main drawbacks

1. Host-only commission

Expect a flat 15 %, rising to 18 % if you join Preferred. Add 2-3 % processing if you let B.com handle payments. Build this into your rates or you’ll erode margin fast.

2. Cancellation culture

Free-cancellation filters are default. Without deposits you will see more churn than on Airbnb. Mitigation: set non-refundable or 7-day policies and activate Smart-Flex so Booking.com re-markets cancelled nights for you.

3. Limited screening & no AirCover-style protection

Guests have no public review history, and the platform offers only third-party liability cover, not damage cover. Require ID, collect a bond offline or insure privately.

4. Extra admin for payments & taxes

If Payments by Booking.com isn’t available for your property type, you must run cards yourself and chase failures. Tourist-levy collection is patchy outside the EU—double-check local rules.

5. Strict performance metrics

Late-guest relocations come out of your pocket. Two host-cancelled bookings in a year can tank ranking or trigger a temporary listing freeze. A channel manager is almost compulsory.

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Is Booking.com worth it for AU/NZ hosts?

For urban apartments and multi-unit portfolios the maths is compelling: an extra booking every few days typically outweighs the fee. City managers using Booking.com alongside Airbnb often end the year 5-figure dollars ahead versus Airbnb-only operations.

For lifestyle or unique stays (treehouses, farmstays) with longer average nights, Airbnb may still yield higher-quality guests and fewer headaches—but Booking.com can plug mid-week gaps if you’re prepared.

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Our verdict

Worth it when you have the right systems.
Use automated messaging, channel-manager syncing and a clear cancellation policy. Price 15 % above your direct rate, add non-refundable options, and list your bond in the fine print. Test for 90 days—then keep it if occupancy jumps.

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Next steps

1. Create your listing ➜ upload hotel-style photos, complete every amenity tick-box.
2. Connect to a channel manager ➜ avoid double-bookings instantly.
3. Set balanced policies ➜ non-refundable & flexible rate plans together capture both cautious and committed guests.
4. Monitor and adjust ➜ review Extranet analytics weekly; tweak price and promotions.
5. Need hands-off management? ➜ MadeComfy’s team already handles Booking.com, Airbnb and 15+ other channels for thousands of Australian and NZ owners. Get in touch for a free revenue forecast.

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