Booking.com has more than 29 million total reported listings worldwide (source). And 6.6 million of those are vacation rental homes and apartments.
As of September 2023, it was the most-visited travel and tourism site in the world (report).
Getting your properties on Booking.com is one of the best ways to increase bookings. With so many new guests joining the platform, the risk of damage only rises. Property managers risk paying out of pocket to cover damages of different sizes.
If you list on the channel, you might be wondering:
“Does Booking.com do background checks on guests?”
In this article, we’ll answer this common question and explain everything Booking.com does to verify guest identity and protect hosts.
We’ll also discuss how to fully protect your business across all channels with vacation rental guest screening.
Does Booking.com verify guests?
All travelers need to provide a verified email address and credit card information to reserve a property on Booking.com. Guests who have used the platform before must have a good history, with no complaints or bans from any properties.
Hosts can also add additional guest requirements. For example, you can adjust your settings so that guests must provide a valid phone number and home address to book.
Can you screen guests on Booking.com?
In 2022, Booking.com began developing risk management solutions using AI and machine learning to increase safety for hosts on the platform.
According to Booking.com, their screening process includes:
- Background checks to screen guests against global sanctions watchlists.
- Fraud scoring with machine learning models to detect fraud when guests are booking, and measures to protect your reservations.
- We conduct reservation risk assessments after guests make a booking in order to take action against bookings that will be canceled.
- Guest blocking to prevent guests with a problematic history from making reservations on Booking.com.
Booking.com has better guest screening than Airbnb. (We answered the question “Does Airbnb do background checks on guests?” here.)
Since most channels offer little to no protection, property managers need other solutions to reduce the risks of managing short-term rental properties.
Know Your Guest is a tool that checks all your guests from different sources. This tool makes it easier for you to host without worrying about risks.
How does Booking.com protect hosts?
Despite the screening process, property managers listing on Booking.com can still be at risk of expensive damage.
To reduce this risk, Booking.com offers Partner Liability Insurance to all owners and property managers listing on the platform, for no extra cost.
The insurance, provided by Zurich, offers $1,000,000 in primary liability coverage for all stays booked through the platform. It protects against third-party lawsuits or liability claims for bodily injury or property damage incurred during any stay.
Can you block a guest on Booking.com?
Another way Booking.com protects hosts is through guest blocking.
The channel encourages all hosts and property managers to report guest misconduct. You can also report incidents up to seven days after check-out. This gives you time to accurately assess damages.
Once you’ve reported a guest for misconduct, you can choose to block the guest from booking any of your properties in the future.
Boosting security on Booking.com
Here are some things you can do to boost security on the Booking.com:
- Turn on Request to Book — This means guests cannot instantly book your properties, and you can check guests’ profiles before you confirm a booking.
- Make your own rules for your properties on Booking.com. Guests must agree to these rules before booking.
- Communicate with guests — Chat to guests through the Booking.com message platform to get to know the people who’ll be staying in your property, and make sure they understand the house rules.
- Report all misconduct — Booking.com encourages property managers to report all incidences of misconduct to reduce the risks for all hosts.
Discover more ways to increase your security in our expert guide to guest screening.
How to automate guest screening for your Booking.com listings
Know Your Guest automates short-term rental guest screening to give you the highest level of protection for your listings on Booking.com (and all other channels).
The tool verifies your guests’ details against several authoritative databases and can accurately confirm the authenticity of identity documents. You’ll also be able to check that your guests’ names do not appear on the US sex offender register.
Know Your Guest offers additional protection for your business. This is done through our damage waiver, deposit, and protection plan. These measures lower costs in the event of damage.
Know Your Guest offers property managers peace of mind
Pippa Mitchell, co-founder of luxury rental company Pippa & Benoit, found the ultimate peace of mind with Know Your Guest.
Previously, the company performed manual ID checks, which were time-consuming and raised privacy concerns among guests.
With Know Your Guest’s all-in-one solution for ID verification, guest records, GDPR compliance, and damage protection, the Pippa & Benoit team can uphold their commitment to protecting homeowners’ immaculate luxury properties.
Pippa told us:
“I love Superhog because it gives me peace of mind!“
Protect your vacation rental business from fraud and damage – contact our team today to get started.
