6
Level 6
Level 7
332 points earned
148 points left
Badges received
First post
Conversation starter
Contributor
Snap
About you
Fan
Upvoted
My comments
I've posted so many times about this .... you need to set up Payments by Booking.com, or switch to AirBnB etc .... view my profile and scroll down to read the comments I've posted about Payments by Booking.com and fake bookings etc
Well I think we've finally established that what's going on is nothing .... refer to my first reply on this thread!
ok, so you're taking credit cards .... that's not something i would risk, especially with only a "7 day in advance" policy ....
i've read things about Virtual Credit Cards (VCCs) and how (in theory) you can charge the VCC before the guest's arrival, but also read about so many people having problems, not being able to charge, etc etc ....
anyway, if you are taking credit cards, you need to contact the guest and ask them to call you to make a payment .... if they don't call you and make that payment, you need to contact BDC to say that the guest hasn't paid ....
it's so much easier to just set up Payments by Booking.com .... see above ....
I added a new property on Booking.com a couple of months ago - it took a while for Booking.com to allow things like Payments by Booking.com - lots of messages backwards and forwards, but eventually we got there.
I got the first booking on it on 29th November for arrival 1st December. If I click on the Reservation Details, it shows the Commissionable Amount and the Commission and Charges. Below that it shows:
Nothing is showing under Finance yet - it's too soon. I expect the invoices to show up later this month - much later. Payout to our bank account will be on or about 15th January.
What do you see under Reservation Details?
You haven't actually confirmed how payment is being taken, ie, whether you have set up Payments by Booking.com. You have said you are set up for Cash. If you receive a booking and it's a Cash booking, then guests will expect to pay nothing until they arrive, *if* they arrive.
I never allow this, so no idea what the Booking.com system shows. It might be the case that if there is nothing to pay at the time of booking (because it's Cash on arrival), it'll just be marked as Payment Received (which is kind of false, but would mean that there is nothing for the guest to pay, therefore nothing outstanding).
If this is the case, then you need to collect cash, *if* the guests arrive. There will be nothing to transfer to your bank account.
Please look at our other replies to you, above and below, and check details and reply!
I get the feeling that you're not set up for payments .... you say there is a setting that says "cash", which means you get loads of bookings, guests don't actually pay anything at the time of booking, they pay *if* they turn up .... and invariably, they won't turn up ....
Under the Finance tab, you should have 5 or 6 links. One of these is Getting Paid. Can you copy and paste what you see on that page? This is what one of mine says:
Another of those links will be Bank Details, where you enter your bank details under the heading Receiving Payouts from Booking.com.
I use AirBnB, TripAdvisor, HomeAway and Booking.com
That is a brilliant list Maria - of course, we all do some things a bit differently. I don't meet and greet - I own and manage too many properties to do that.
I'd like to add a few more things I think are important.
11 Guest Information - Make sure to leave good information for the guests. Include instructions for things like heating, appliances, WiFi etc in one information pack. Include instructions for check-out, including "please leave the property clean and tidy, empty the bins" and so on. Add local information for public transport, taxi numbers, doctor, dentist, hospital, shops etc. Keep it simple, easy to read. Guests appreciate this and will not need to contact you so often.
12 Deal with problems quickly - sometimes things go wrong. Maybe the kettle breaks. Maybe the TV stops working. Be prepared to deal with problems quickly - don't leave them till later. The sooner you fix a problem, the happier the guest is. Make sure you put your contact information in the Guest Information in case there is a problem.
13 Clean clean clean - Always clean every part of your property. If there is one cobweb, one dog hair, one biscuit crumb, someone will notice. Cleanliness is the biggest thing for all guests. That extra 10 minutes for cleaning will pay you back.
14 Presentation - Step back to look at your property and think about the little things - the attention to detail - it's often those little things that make all the difference. Our cleaners turn cup handles all the same way, neat and tidy, they put sofa cushions in the right places, all puffed up, they open curtains and make sure they are all hanging straight. That few minutes just gives a better first impression. If guests see cups just shoved in a cupboard, the cushions just thrown on the sofa, the curtains not straight, the lack of attention to presentation, they feel there is also a lack of attention to cleaning. Once you get in the habit of paying attention to detail, you do it automatically.
15 Safety - Always best to take this seriously. The last thing we want is guests to be injured in our properties. We do a full fire risk assessment and safety risk assessment every year and review it frequently. Get electrical equipment checked. Look for slip and trip hazards, finger traps etc. Have working smoke and CO2 alarms and make sure they are tested regularly. Something I often see when I go into other people's properties is electric cables on the floor - a guest might trip on it and pull wiring loose in an appliance and this can start a fire. I don't want crispy fried holiday guests in my property. Would you? You can find guides for safety and fire risk assessments online. Use them!
16 Avoid Overcrowding - When I first started, other owners would always tell me that I need a travel cot, sofa bed, dog bowls, etc etc. But, the more things you have in a holiday home, the less space you have for guests. Sure, having a sofa bed means we can sleep 6 instead of 4, but if 6 people come, that's 6 suitcases, they'll want seating for 6, more tableware in the kitchen cupboards, 6 using the one bathroom, so 6 taking turns in the shower and the toilet etc etc etc. Some guests can then feel the property is too small and crowded, they're less happy. Less than 10% of our bookings use the sofa beds. Less than 10% of our bookings bring a dog. We've only been asked for a travel cot maybe twice, ever, even though we have multiple properties. I find it better to just not provide sofa beds and travel cots.
I'm sure I can think of more things later .....