Is Booking.com legit? It was for this booking.
Are you preparing to travel and looking to book accommodation, a flight or a rental car? I’m sure Booking.com would have popped up, amongst others, onto your screen while doing your research. And before you spend your money you have concerns whether these platforms are reliable, safe and legit, right? Well, I’ve been down that road too and from my years of research there is only one platform I use and trust. So if you ask me if Booking.com is legit, then my answer is a big YES. If you’ve also asked is Booking.com safe? Or is Booking.com reliable? Yes, it is. Here’s why I use Booking.com all the time and why it is legit, safe and reliable to book your next adventure also.
Is Booking.com Legit, Safe and Reliable? And What is Booking.com?
Booking.com is an online travel website allowing you to make your own reservations for airfares, car rental and accommodation. And yes, Booking.com is definitely legit because it is owned by one of the world’s leaders in online travel – Booking Holdings and been around for some 30 years. In the stable also are Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable. If you visit the Booking Holdings website you can get overall stats of how big this company is – if this is of interest to you. Some stats that caught my eye are that it is available in some 220 countries in 40 languages and is ranked one of the most admired companies in Fortune 500, and Fortune Future 50. Impressive! But back to Booking.com. On the website you will find a variety of accommodation types ranging from hostels to five star luxury hotels, and this is why most people come to the website – to book accommodation. So yes, Booking.com is legit.
Who is Booking.com For?
Booking.com is for everyone and anyone looking to travel and who is wanting to book accommodation, rent a car or buy an airfare. And there is something for every budget. One thing I love about Booking.com is when I’m looking for accommodation, I can set a dollar range and only those properties in that range will appear. In fact, I have booked so much accommodation on Booking.com that to reward me I have been given a Genius Level. This gives me a discount on the accommodation cost every time I book.
The Booking.com Booking Process
There are a number of things to consider before booking accommodation on Booking.com but In a nutshell, Booking.com works like this:
- You are looking to go on holiday and want to purchase an airfare, accommodation and maybe a rental car so you visit Booking.com website or app and do a search.
- Options of accommodation, rental cars and airfares appear.
- You choose, book and pay (though sometimes you will pay at the time of starting the service) after creating a free account.
- Booking.com makes the booking and sends you a confirmation of your booking.
- You use the service and pay for the service, if you didn’t at the time of booking.
- Booking.com receive a commission from the service for being a middle man.
Pros and Cons of using Booking.com
Like everything, there are pros and cons. I do feel the positives of using Booking.com outweigh the negatives. Overall, I have had plenty of positive experiences with Booking.com.
Pros of Booking.com
Having used Booking.com for many years let me explain the reasons why you would want to use the platform. Let me first say, I mostly use the platform to find accommodation, so my reasons are related to this.
- You get a lot of choice. There are some 28 million listings in around 226 countries. These accommodation listings range from budget to five star luxury hotels.
- Booking.com is so easy to use.
- You can set some filters on Booking.com to ensure you get the right property. Filters include:
- Date availability, your budget, star rating, property type, your requirements – I always book a property with free wifi and parking!
- Extensive details of each property can be viewed, along with photos of the property and a map showing where the property is. I like using this map so I can know where the property is located.
- You can compare prices and choose the right property for you at the right price. I feel I get the best value for money.
- I always check the cancellation policy at this stage. I like properties that allow free cancellation – most up to 48 hours before your arrival at the property.
- Guest reviews of properties by people who have previously stayed at the property are a great help to decide on the property. I have made decisions to not stay at a property from a negative review. I always leave a guest review after I have stayed to help future guests make their decision on whether to choose the property or not.
- The booking process is easy.
With all these pros, I have found Booking.com legit, safe and reliable. But not everyone has had positive experiences with Booking.com, you just need to do a Google search to discover this.
Cons of Booking through Booking.com
- The one main risk with booking through Booking.com is that Booking.com acts as a middleman between the host (hotel, car rental company, airline) and traveller (you). This can mean, you may not get the cheapest price for what you are booking as when you book directly.
- As Booking.com is acting an an intermediary between you and the service, your contract is with Booking.com and not the service. Therefore, the service is not responsible for your booking, so don’t expect to get much direct help from them if there are any issues. You will have to get any issues resolved through Booking.com. However, can I say, there customer service is somewhat lacking. I have found lengthy delays with them and sometimes, no response at all. Lucky, I haven’t had too many issues. But some people have had trouble getting refunds or cancellations from Booking.com after requesting them, and not had much luck.
Some FAQs about Booking.com
What if I want to cancel my booking with Booking.com?
Booking.com has a cancellation policy, well actually, as it is a third-party site, it’s the actual hotel, car rental company or airline cancellation policy you will be dealing with. Having a cancellation policy makes Booking.com legit to use. In short, you can cancel your booking, but read the fine print first. You can read about the Booking.com cancellation policy here. It should answer all your questions.
Are the Guest Reviews on Booking.com Fake?
Nope, reviews aren’t fake – well I hope not, because I have chosen accommodation before of a review! Booking.com always request you provide feedback for your stay. Most leave honest and positive feedback but there are some people who like to leave negative reviews. I’ve also found that all properties have been ‘real’ and not some scam.
Are there unexpected Costs when booking through Booking.com?
Not usually, I’ve never had unexpected costs added to my bill. I am aware that some people have seen fees incurred and been very surprised by them. As a seasoned traveller using Booking.com regularly I suggest you keep an eye on your credit card statements.
Does Booking.com use cookies?
Yes, like most online websites, Booking.com uses cookies. Read about their cookie policy here. As a repeat searcher of travel products, I recommend always clearing your cookies. This is because as us frequent travellers know, booking sites will raise the prices if they see you re-visiting and searching the same information. I have found this particularly when searching for an airfare. So I usually clear the cookies or search in incognito mode.
Does Booking.com collect personal information
To provide the service they do, Booking.com does collect and retain some of your personal information. Read their privacy policy here.
Things to Consider Before Booking with Booking.com
Now we’ve established that Booking.com is legit, safe and reliable to use, it is time to book your travel. Here are things I always consider before booking a hotel with booking.com.
Things to Consider Before Booking with Booking.com
Before you begin to book accommodation for your holiday abroad on Booking.com or any other accommodation booking site, consider these things before booking.
Types of Hotels can vary abroad
Looking to book accommodation outside of your home country can sometimes feel intimidating, especially when different names for similar accommodation is used. Each country’s idea of a hotel may be different, but the principle behind it isn’t. That principle being, accommodation is offered in return for money.
Standard amenities are not so standard abroad
As well as the different types and name types for hotels abroad, the standard amenities are not so standard also. Standard amenities could include, miniature shampoo and conditioner, a hairdryer, soap, towels and maybe a white dressing gown available in the bathroom. While a fridge, kettle, cups, plates and cutlery may be found. Some hotels may include all of these things, while others will just provide a room. If you are expecting these amenities to be included in your room, then expect to pay for them, or you may need to reconsider your expectations. When you visit a hotel on Booking.com you will find a list of the amenities on offer. Choose which ones will suit your needs before booking.
Bathrooms, if you have one, are different
Hotel bathrooms abroad can greatly differ from your home country. Some bathrooms I have seen have ranged from a toilet in a shower cubicle to a bathroom the size of my hotel room. But expect lots of variations with bathrooms. Some are really small with no bath tub, or have a bath tub and shower combination, or may just be a shower. Some bathrooms may have a bidet as well as a toilet and offer no toilet paper. And toilets can be different also. I mean, the shape and how the water flushes away. You may not even have a bathroom, but are required to share a bathroom with others. If a bathroom is important to you, then ensure when you are booking a hotel room, the hotel offer these with your room choice.
Free Wifi and TV are not a given
You should not expect to have free wifi and a television in your hotel room. Hotels in your home country may offer these for free as a given, but this isn’t the case in other countries. Many countries charge extra to provide you with free wifi. And that maybe for wifi that isn’t even in your hotel room, it may only be in the communal areas. If these things are important to you along with some amenities mentioned previously, when you do your research to find a hotel ensure you confirm these things are included in the cost. Booking.com will let you know if the hotel is offering free Wifi and a tv. This is great because you can make an informed choice. Here is an example of a London hotel on Booking.com to show you the amenities on offer.

Lots of amenities being offered here.
Food – is breakfast included?
During your holiday you will want to eat. Are you happy to go out and eat or would you like food brought to your room? Depending on the size of the hotel, they may have a coffee shop or restaurant you can visit. Perhaps you would prefer your own kitchen so you can cook healthy meals for yourself. This is quite an important thing consider when looking to book accommodation.
Timing of your visit
As well as wanting or needing amenities in your hotel consider the time of your visit. Will you be visiting during the height of summer. If so, does your hotel have air conditioning and maybe a pool where you can cool off. Or if needing a hotel room during winter, is there appropriate heating available. Hotels abroad may not have heating and cooling in each room, it may be a central system which may be turned off at night, a cost saving measure. What will you do if this is the case?
Keep your budget in mind
Hotels can range from budget to 5 star with everything else in between. You will know what your budget is for the holiday and how much you are prepared to spend. You may have a lower budget for when only needing a hotel room for a night as you may just want somewhere to sleep. But you may increase this budget if you are spending 7 days in the one place cause you will want to use all the amenities that may be on offer in your hotel room.
Location of your hotel to main attractions
As said, hotels can vary in price. This price can often be influenced by the location. I mean, location is the distance from the hotel to the centre of town, to public transport or to the attractions you are there to see and do. Yes, hotel rooms can be cheaper when they are further away from the centre of town, but the cost you save on accommodation may go on transport costs. Therefore, spending a little more on your hotel room may work out more budget friendly. So consider the location of your hotel room from what you are there to see and do. To help you with this, I have discovered that a number of the hotel booking sites offer useful maps that show accommodation and local attractions. Take the following map from Booking.com. It is a map of Sydney showing the popular tourist ‘must sees’ along wth the accommodation nearby and the cost. These are great for helping you find a hotel for your holiday abroad.
Pay attention to Star Ratings
Star ratings can work greatly to your advantage. They were introduced because the hotel has attained certain standards. Typically, a hotel’s amenities can determine its star rating as do staff experiences. Though I suggest you pay attention to star ratings of hotels, take it with a grain of salt as the star ratings aren’t all standard between countries. But having a star rating, no matter where you are looking to book your hotel room for you holiday abroad will provide you with confidence of the quality of your hotel. A 5-star hotel rating will provide many more amenities than a 3-star hotel rating.
Read Guest Reviews
After every stay, Booking.com will email the guest to rate their stay. As well as considering the star rating of the property consider any guest reviews. They will provide you succinct information on how their stay was. Most people comment how friendly the staff were, or not. Or how clean the property was, or not. And how close to the centre of town it is, or not. I think you get the drift!
Consider room size
Hotel room sizes can vary greatly from country to country. The size of your room may matter, but is usually dependent on how long you will be staying in your room. If it is for a one night stay, it may not matter if the room is small. But if you are staying for a week, you will probably want a large room as you will be spending more time there.
Location of your hotel room
Lastly, consider when booking a hotel room for your holiday abroad is where in the hotel your hotel room might be. Like most, you may overpack for your holiday abroad and if you do, I hope you can easily reach your room. Not all hotels have a ‘bell boy’ or someone to help carry your bags to your room. If this is the case, I hope there are elevators or not too many stairs and hallways to navigate.

Book a room with a view
I hope this post has helped understand that Booking.com is legit and also given you tips to help you decide on what you want from your hotel room. There is a lot to consider when choosing accommodation however, when you know what things are important to your hotel room stay, the choice becomes a lot easier to make. And Booking.com and other accommodation sites are great to use to help you choose the best hotel room possible. I’d love to hear about any other things you consider when choosing your hotel room abroad in the comments following.
Are You Ready to Book Your Travel through Booking.com?
Overall, Booking.com is a legit, safe and reliable platform to use to book travel. I have been using them to book my accommodation for years without problem. I could just be lucky as I have heard other people have had negative experiences on booking flights, car rentals and accommodation. I love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments following or better still, tell me what you have just booked.
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