Weekly Coronavirus Update: March 16, 2020
EDIT: Since this post was published we have added more resources to help you during this time. You can find them here
Dear partners,
To begin, on behalf of the Partner Community team here we want to thank you for continuing to support one another during this time. Since launching the Community we have been continuously amazed with the time you have taken to support each other and this situation has been no exception.
This is a big topic, and community support is essential - so we are adding a #Coronavirus tag to help you easily find all relevant information from fellow partners. We are also constantly monitoring the community to update our help article with the questions we are receiving from you here.
You can see the article here: https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/help/legal-security/important-information-regarding-coronavirus
As always, this article is available in 30 languages; should English not be your preferred language, you can click on the language dropdown at the top right of the page.
On behalf of the Community Team, thank you again for continuing to support one another during this time.
Sergei and the Community Team
Hi Sergey,
What about Cyprus?
We have guests that suppose to arrive from Poland and from Germany. I guess they all need to cancel as Cyprus is in lockdown. No entry for travelers to the island.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Alice
Please update guests and hotels with the Real Laws of the States. Italy in this case. Be honest and communicate the real things, thank you.
Measures of the Italian State Decree-Law
Covid Ter of 16 March 2020
allows hotels, in case a customer cancels the
booking a stay invoking the impossibility of occurrence
determined by the Covid-19 epidemic and related measures,
to proceed, instead of reimbursing the amount paid, to the issue of
a voucher of the same amount to be used within one year of issue.
Yes, but Booking don´t care ! Booking is calling us "partners" but we are only cows good for the money. At least Expedia gives the possibility to offer a voucher. Greedy people in Booking !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After speaking with account manager about this he said we all signed agreements and contracts saying we would refund all monies if force cancellations take place.Just hope none of these BDC reps don't lose their jobs but perhaps that might be a good thing so they can experience what many of their MUCH SMALLER so called partners are going through.
Hello. Be aware that Expedia has AUTOMATICALLY activated the cancellation with voucher but HOST must REFUND EXPEDIA and THEY send voucher to the guest. Who can use it however he doesn't MUST come back to you.
They refund With our money, they take from the current account and / or deactivate their vcc and the credit card company reimburses them by reversing your credit.
You have to take away what they secretly activate! Unbelievable.
IT'S A FRAUD. ATTENTION, DO NOT ACCEPT.
Booking.com have started issuing ZERO charge cancellations on NON REFUNDABLE reservations without offering the hotel the opportunity to offer a credit.
This is not correct. Please help & sign the petition
STOP Booking.com from enforcing hotels to provide refunds without our consent!
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/community_petitions/glenn_d_fogel_stop_bookingcom_from_enforcing_a_force_majeur_policy_upon_hotels_without_our_consent
Hi, Good Day. Please help.
Will we be able to cancel the reservation of guests that were not able to come due to the lockdown. Our property is listed in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines. Our guests can not come and was not able to cancel his reservation 48hours prior to his check-in date. I have been trying to click "request for cancellation" of his reservation but a message box appear says: "You'll have to contact customer service to cancel this reservation. Cancellation requests must be received at least 48 hours before the guest's check-in date".
I have been trying to call the toll-free contact number of booking.com but it can not be reached. So should I just mark it a no show?
Hoping for a helpful response, Thank you very much.
Hi just mark it as a NO SHOW quickly
Dear Sergei,
I am kindly ask for your help and support as Genius level 2 booking.com client.
I paid in advance booking in Budapest, Hungary without refund option (non-refundable rate) since I didn’t plan to cancel it on my own will.
Now since we face with force majeur (forced circumstances) due to coronavirus outbreak I asked the property to allow me cancelation free of charge but they are rejecting to do so. Below this e mail are details of that reservation (number ***) and confirmation of booking.
I am from non-EU country (Serbia) while Hungary announced today that borders will be closed for foreigners and also that EU announced the same starting tomorrow – therefore I am not able to enter any EU country and in that sense Hungary so I am not able to use my booking.
Please let me know about my rights and help me in this issue.
Best regards,
Vladan
Hi vladan vilotijevic! This is a booking.com partner community, you need to reach out to Customer Service support for guests.
How did a guest not a partner post on here!!! Not secure you have to log into the account to gain access here very worrying, thisbinfo should be private and confidential between Hoteliers etc!!!
A partner can also be a guest, but as I said before, a guest won't be able to get help here, because it is a partner community.
So we haven't got anywhere for just hoteliers to discuss topics, didnt know that , we should have separate forums
Hello All,
Do you how to act or process to follow in case there is a guest showing up with covid-19 symptoms?
Can we ask them to cancel their booking cuz we need to ensure other guests health?
Please advise,
Thank you!
Just wondered if anyone as noticed where they are located some large accommodation providers slashing prices? some hotels here on South Coast UK 4* are offering double rooms for around £40 per night.This is going to be brutal we small guys do not stand a chance though The British government have just announced small guys like me will be gifted a grant of around £10,000 (ten thousand pounds )by early April
I believe, I've posted here yesterday. and was deleted without a notice?
Hi Kritti Nimboonchaj! What was your question?
We are being inundated with free cancellation requests since incoming tourists were blocked on the 18th.
BDC sent mails with only 2 options >cancel free of charge, or "no". We would like to offer our guests the option of taking a postponement/voucher for a future dated booking. This option is not available. My reply rate has dropped to below70% although all guests were messaged online with our offer because of the mails from BDC.
Any Ideas how I can solve this?
As a pub we are expecting Government enforced closure any day now.
Where do we stand in terms of guests booked in to stay with us - those that have not already cancelled of course.
Obviously there is not a fixed date we can re-open etc
Do we need to contact every single guest directly that's booked I assume
BOOKING.COM Please do the right thing and let us know what we as business owners need to do if we become ill or need to self isolate and are unable to honour guest reservations. PLEASE ANSWER it's not difficult.
How can I cancel a guest who was due to arrive tomorrow?
Do I ask them to cancel the reservation themselves? It's past the 48 hrs.
Are non refundable bookings subject to the BC force majeure notice, or are the what they say they are "non refundable" , I seen it was mentioned that the notice was carefully worded as advisory is that official on non refundables? cheers very confused if I need to refund or not bookings made under those policies.
Yes, BdC refunds guests even when the reservation is non-refundable. Last week guest wanted to cancel their reservation, I denied the request, but the next day BdC canceled the reservation without penalty.
So a "non refundable" magically transforms in a refundable? Shocking behaviour of BC, anybody with a legitimate reason to cancel are unforseen circumstances, this is no different from someone breaking their leg just before travelling, a heart attack , a diagnosis of cancer etc
There is a huge global industry charging billions every year in premiums , the insurance industry much be laughing their sides off, what a pass on their responsibilities they have had.
The compounded affect of so many forced refunds will bankrupt many small operators.
Airbnb overrides host's policy as well and they refund everyone, hosts stay with no income and empty calendar. Guest should make a claim on their travel insurance.
Hi Piotr have to disagree Airbnb does not override host's policy I have had cancellations and it is partial to both parties. Maybe it is determined by the cancellation policy you have in place
Airbnb overrides hosts' policy due to Covid-19. Guests receive full refund and hosts are left with nothing.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-airbnb-hosts-angry-at-refunds.html
Hi, I agree guests should claim of their insurance why should we suffer, non refund should mean non refund, what do bdc do if you dont refund?
Well sea spirit. I got a mail today From bdc saying they will refind the guest and invoice me if i don't Pay within 5 days. We should all ignore booking.com and refuse to refund. If we all stick together they'll be forced to change their policy of trying to destroy all their so called partners. I've told them no. We are not able and we are not willing, partly because of their behaviour towards us which is disgusting shameful and dirty. As well as illegal.
Shane on you booking.com truly despicable behaviour.
We have the same issue with BDC regarding non-refundable bookings, but Booking.comes over rules by accepp\ting the cancellations free of charge based on the FC policy and forces us to refund although its non-refundable and we offer the client a credit to come and stay another time. Nice partnership BDC, you won't have many partners much longer if you continue this policy.
Just got an email from bdc saying if I don't do the refunds they will. Then they will invoice me. I told them no I will not pay. My rates are non Refundable and because of their destructive new policy I cannot pay even if I want to. I find it incredibly disgusting that they are siding 100% with guest whilst knowingly and willingly destroying their so called partners. I offered guests rescheduling or 50% refund when I am able and the hotel killers at bdc have overwritten that and insisting on the impossible full refund.
Maybe bdc will be bankrupt before us. Let's see.
Have to say I have had the cancellation confirmation through and the payouts
Please explain Why we have to accept the auto force cancel with full refund?
Most of guest accept to amend their booking but why Booking.com force hotel to accept cancel booking. Then why we have to accept your force policy???
Stop moaning? That's very condescending of you Barry! we don't all have a two-bedroom property barry! Putting the energy into phoning for your two bedrooms in a house it might be easy for you but we have over 60 apartments refunding over 40,000 euros and a family to consider. WHILE WE ARE UNDER HOME LOCKDOWN.
Hi Barry Reilly, Info! Let's, please, stay professional.
Your comment Sergei is a bit of a joke really because Booking.Com is being far from professional towards the very people that pay there and yours wages the SO CALLED BUSINESS PARTNERS - WHAT A JOKE.
Hi Craigmoniecottage! I'm sorry to see that you think my comment is a joke. You are free to share your opinion about Booking.com but, please, do it in a professional way.
Made in the so called 'professional' way Booking.Com conducts itself
It would be professional to answer questions or requests for explication from the Hosts.
You Mr. Sergey only comments on the accent of the messages.
Respond to requests clearly and professionally.
Otherwise it is obvious that it seems a joke.
How would you feel to be called a partner and then be treated with this arrogant indifference?
Thanks for .....?
So mr sergey? Silence as always?
You are making fun of us and you confirm it every time. There will be changes of strength when all this ends. You should think about it before you find yourself selling your rooms.
Sincerely, your PARTNER
To be fair to Sergei, he and the communities team are just ambassadors, not support nor finance team.
They simply relay the comments from here to other teams who then make the decisions.
No point harassing him or anyone else for that matter. He's only doing what he can.
Barry once again you appear to err on the side of B.com do you work for them?
lol no.
nor would I want to.
And that's not what I actually said either.
Skim reading is a bad habit.
Direct it to the management not the frontline was my point, as they can only do their job.
This is for the attention of Mr. B. Reilly
Perhaps, as you are so fed up with the post and its contents you should as I suggested earlier cease taking part in the posts because your comments are written (as also suggested by others) in an extremely rude,condescending and aggessive manner and indeed perhaps suggest you are writing/acting in the interests of others than that of the concerned parties of this forum.
I like 'info' have a large very well appointed establishment in an area of outstanding beauty in a very busy tourist location. I was brought up in the Hotel and Catering Industry and have been in it for over 60 years, my parents owned pubs, and I began my career in those and progressed though the major Hotel groups such as Hilton etc, before owning my own pubs/hotels and now laterrley well appointed Bed and Breafast so I have been well used to working with various agents throughout these years and experienced the changes that come with time. I feel, from expereience that it is not wrong to continually challenge and question the actions of parties we join forces with particularly when they refer to us as being partners and partners as we know them constantly questions each other actions.
All the posts on this forum are from extremely concerned property owners whose liveliehoods (like myself) obviously depend 100% on the tourist industry i.e. no revenue - no business - bankrupt so obviously we are going to challenge the policies of those who ill represent us.
Couldn't agree more it seems my post reply was deleted as BDM didn't like it , good luck and hope we get through this
Hi info
Your are not alone a couple of my earlier posts regading this situation were also deleted so much for it being a partners forum but have you read the conditions of that lately - bit different to when they started it up. Truth hurts hey. D.......ship what? This will probably gett deleted because i have used the D word.
There are different posts appearing on these forums on different pages you should try and read them as everyone is now mentioning legal action and many are looking and questioning the legalities of B.Com practices. I will say it again some have talked about legal action and this could be made possible by crowdfunding - a reasonable amount among many people would be a possibility
BDC please stop bullying your partners and telling them WHAT YOU EXPECT.You need to understand this situation is unprecedented and you need to change your approach
For those people interested the British transport secretary Grant Shapps is about to agree to a list of measures to protect the beleaguered travel industry see below
As the travel industry implodes because of the coronavirus crisis, rules on refunds for cancelled holidays are to be suspended.
At present package holidaymakers whose trips are cancelled are entitled to all their money back within two weeks of the trip being called off.
But the Package Travel Regulations 2018 were never designed for a total shutdown of international tourism.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/package-holiday-refund-rules-suspended-abta-coronavirus-a9417261.htmBarry Reilly I do understand your point that we should help ourselve by contact customer directly.
To be honest this is a good idea from you. And I took your advise and already ask my reservation team to start working on that. Once again thank you for a great tip.
@info I totally understand as I manage several hotels as well, and we have huge number of online booking. I understand that it difficult and take lot of time to contact all guest but if we can
But in other hand, we as hotel partner have to shout out (very lound) / send strong feedback to Booking.com. So in the future we hope they can think harder with better solution than this time. As it will benefit for both Hotel and Booking.com partners.
Ilaria - Community Manager Laura, Community Manager Sergei - Commu…and all community team, I would like to ask all of you to make sure that you send all these feedback to your revelant team. Thank you.
I spoke to a member of the Irish management team last week.
They called me .
I was very vocal in sharing all the feedback like this to her. in a polite way.
I several times I found I had to hammer home the points as she couldn't see past the GDT, she just was not trying , so I called her out on it.
Finally she started to get the point.
She promised she would take it to her team meeting, a daily meeting they have to discuss all things , it was less than an hour after speaking to me.
I was to get a follow up call, from her , this has yet to happen.
Kind regards
Hello Bandara Hotels & Resorts! Of course, our team collects all the feedback posted by partners.