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5.2

Overall Score

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: January 26th, 2022

Booking.com is based out of Amsterdam and is owned by the renowned Priceline Group (which also owns a number of other online booking and travel sites/services). Booking.com is backed by an extensive support system around the world by 165 offices in 63 countries. Booking.com seeks to be the world leader in booking accommodations online since 1996 and guarantees the best prices for any type of property including small, family-run bed and breakfasts to executive apartments. Booking.com is available in more than 40 languages and offers more than 640,000 properties in 212 countries. The online travel company not only is available for independent and family travelers, but also for business travelers as shown by its homepage. 

Keep reading for pros and cons, plus Booking.com reviews from real customers. 

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The Good

  • One-Stop Shop
  • Free Cancelations
  • Language and Currency Catering
  • Suggestions
  • Mobile App
  • Filtering

One-Stop Shop

Booking.com has created a one-stop shop for travelers looking to research, book, and subsequently manage all of their travel accommodations. The platform also allows travelers to "explore designations" which allows travelers to get the most out of their next vacation.

Free Cancelations

Sometimes, travelers are hesitant when making travel arrangements due to the fear that something may come up and they will not be able to go on their trip. With Booking.com, users no longer have to suppress this apprehension as they allow free cancellation on most rooms. This option gives travelers the ability to make changes if needed. This is not an additional to cost for users either, whereas most booking agencies do require a hefty fee for this added backing.

Language and Currency Catering

Another plus travelers experience when using Booking.com is its catering to the language and currency needs of international travelers. Their currency calculator helps travelers figure out just how much a foreign vacation will end up costing. Booking.com is consistently updated with the top currencies in the world such as the:

  • U.S. Dollar
  • Euro
  • Singporean Dollar
  • Pound Sterling
  • Canadian Dollar
  • Australian Dollar
  • Property's Currency

While these are not the only currency configurations provided through Booking.com's tool, they are the most used. Other currencies Booking.com allows for include: Argentine Peso, Brazilian Real, Chinese Yuan, Jordanian Diner, New Israeli Sheqel, and Thai Baht. In addition to "translating" the financial figures, Booking.com also allows users to set the language feature. Language translation is provided in: French, German, Russian, Latvian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese.

Suggestions

Booking.com also sets itself apart from other travel agencies due to its search engine which allows travelers to decide where to travel to based on their interests. It also lists several suggestions on its destination finder page with reasons why a customer may be interested. For example, Booking.com will most likely recommend Las Vegas to a traveler interested in:

  • Gambling
  • Entertainment
  • Nightlife
  • Shopping
  • Sightseeing
  • Museums
  • Adventurous activities

Mobile App

For the mobile traveler, Booking.com's app (available for both Apple and Android users) allows travelers to easily switch between their computer, smartphone and tablet.The mobile app makes offline confirmations possible eliminating the need for printers and internet when checking in. It also makes it easy for travelers to add extra night who aren't ready to return home or cancel a booking. Creating and signing into a Booking.com account makes it possible for travelers to sync:

  • Previous searches
  • Viewed hotels
  • Stored credit cards

Filtering

Booking.com also includes a feature that allows travelers to specify the type of travel they are looking to book. For example, travelers can specify whether the trip is for business or pleasure which helps sort and narrow down results to provide the best research listings. This helps users save time during the research portion of the trip management.

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The Bad

  • No Rewards Program
  • Complaints
  • No Complete Travel Protection Services

No Rewards Program

Although it has a vast offering to travelers everywhere from Indonesia to France, Booking.com does not have an established rewards program like its competition. The best customers can experience is a 10 percent discount at many hotels for being a Booking.com genius. Regardless of how loyal a customer may be, there isn't a significant return for regularly choosing Booking.com.

Complaints

Booking.com helps thousands of travelers each month plan, manage, and even alter their travel plans. With the sheer volume of users, there are still holes that come with a large-scale service. Common complaints of those who use Booking.com for their online booking needs include:

  • Incorrect descriptions of accommodations
  • Incorrect processing of payments
  • Loss of money due to exchange rates

No Complete Travel Protection Services

While travelers can change and cancel hotel reservations (some exclusions apply), they do not offer a complete travel protection service available for purchase. That means that if a user books flights or rental cars, they are not necessarily going to be able to back out of that reservation. Travelers need to be aware of the stipulations attached to each hotel's cancellation policy contrary to Booking.com saying is easy to cancel or change bookings. Customers may not have insurance in the case of:

  • Booking cancellations
  • Less than satisfactory rooms
  • Fire
  • Damage to property or loss of property
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The Bottom Line

Booking.com provides a number of valuable tools and resources for those starting the vacation research process. Their website includes insight into specific destinations and also has features where travelers can get ideas for their upcoming trip. While they are missing a number of services commonly found on other online booking sites, users cannot ignore the simple interface and sorting tool the reduces the time spent conducting research. Booking.com does understand the international market and helps customers book hotels in their own language and use their own currency for greater convenience. Travelers interested in boarding options in more than 200 countries and more than 600,000 properties just might appreciate the platform. Those that use Booking.com can expect the following from the service:

  1. Sorting, currency, language tools
  2. Travel Management
  3. Bundle and save option
  4. No travel insurance
  5. No rewards program

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Star Rating

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4.2

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70 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

56%

4 grade

26%

3 grade

6%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

6%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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David Simpson Grove, OK

Makes it very handy to book rooms far in advance. Always an option to cancel 24 hours ahead of arrival and pay at the time of check in. I use it frequently and am very pleased.

5 years ago

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Charlotte P Herriman, UT

I have used Booking.com for personal and business trips. It is very easy to use and I like that you can see how many stars a hotel has and pricing before you click in to get more information. The booking and cancellations are really easy and user friendly. I have had to cancel a couple of stays and have never had an issue.

4 years ago

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Madison Scott Pleasant Grove, UT

When you're stuck in an airport and you need a quick hotel due to a canceled flight booking.com is the only way to go. I was the first in line to have a hotel booked and off I went until the airport figured it out. It was so helpful and the prices were comparable to every other website.

7 years ago

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Jessica Mendez Clarksburg, MD

I once booked a room for 2 queen beds and the hotel didn't even have that as an option, only 2 fulls. I don't know why they offered it online if it wasn't real. Other than that I usually don't have any issues.

5 years ago

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Brad H Gilbert, AZ

After comparing multiple web sites to look for a hotel, I found Booking. com. the one site that seemed to have the most numbers of hotels listed and to have the better prices compared to the other on line companies

5 years ago

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Keld Sperry Lehi, UT

I love their iPhone app that makes it so seamless to get on and view the best places and deals to stay at in a variety of places. My experiences have been good when using their service

6 years ago

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Tiauna Anderson Salt Lake City, UT

I used Booking.com for a annual work meeting and was extremely satisfied. I was able to find a great price on both my flight and my car rental and will definitely use the site again for future bookings.

6 years ago

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John E Leadore, ID

Easy to use, gives a multiple properties at our destinations with competitive pricing we use it to plan a trip that sometimes after our trip has begun

5 years ago

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Tagg Ogden, UT

Booking.com is a good website to use for vacation and travel planning. It allows you to find the best rates on the travel items you need. The technology is easy to use.

6 years ago

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Audrey Mitchell Managua, MN

Booking.com has been a go to website when finding places to stay while traveling abroad. The hostels that I have booked have been exactly as described on the website.

6 years ago

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Sevill Vidovik Lexington, KY

They stay in contact with you, and answers any questions that you may have. Thanks you so much for your work!

6 years ago

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Debora Paez Chicago, IL

Booking.com is a convenient company for getting a trip together. It provides all the resources one might need for a trip; lodging & car rentals!

5 years ago

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Bryndie Managua, MN

Very simple site. Lots of really good deals and booking.com makes it so easy to find them. Good way to save money on travel

6 years ago

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Marissa Redwood Falls, MN

I really like booking.com. They are user friendly, and usually find me deals that are a couple bucks cheaper than other websites.

7 years ago

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Valerie Beus Richland, WA

We like looking at this site when we do travel plans and often end up booking through them. Pretty user friendly.

5 years ago

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Keeli Hansen San Jose, CA

Booking.com is a great company and the lady that helped me out was so kind and I felt taken really good care of

7 years ago

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Sharmae Gilgen American Fork, UT

Good rates, variety and availability. Easy to search. No hidden fees. Breakfast rates too.

5 years ago

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Rocio Diaz Tallahassee, FL

Great travel service! Sometimes can be hard to use but they have great offers.

4 years ago