Dear Booking.com,

As our season is in full swing and bookings coming thick and fast, the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is undoubtedly booming. Some say that Sri Lanka is going to be the next Bali and we can see it too, but hopefully with a more sustainable approach. That is an entirely different topic which will discuss another time. We are here to talk about the popular Booking dot com. By not sharing their link, you can probably tell that we are not impressed with them. Like for most partners, it is a love-hate relationship.

With nearly 500 million website visits in November 2024 alone, it is undoubtabtly the king when it comes to hotel booking sites, especially if you are looking for a good price. Like most of us, we use it too. The flexible cancellation policies, genius discounts (up to 20% discounts for members) has planted the website into consumers almost the same way Google has.

But what if you are a partner (host or an accommodation) ? Does booking dot com look after its partners as much as its consumers? Absolutely not.

Firstly, it is fair to say that most of their users are price and convenience conscious. What does that mean for an accommodation? Well, it means that they are looking for a bargain where other values such as sustainability, ethics and culture are way down the list of priorities. Does that work for hotels or guest houses that try to be different and focus on a more sustainable tourism industry? Nope. They too have joined the big corporate 'greenwashing' club with their scam of a sustainability certificate which you as a partner can obtain by answering a few questions and paying a fee. There is no genuine effort to become more sustainable.

Over the last few years we have seen that most of our complaints have come from guests booking through their website. Our rating for 'value for money'  is the lowest at 7.5 compared to 9s for all the categories at time of writing this. The reason is exactly what we just mentioned. Price. 

Understanding of ecotourism, our story or efforts to support the community and protect our forest is simply not appreciated. Price is. The understanding of running a unique lodge like ours means higher maintenance, transport and food costs which, unless explained is not much of a thought. That being said, we are not attacking our guests who book through this platform but we do wish that there was more consideration for our efforts. The simplicity of booking, cancelling and reviewing with a simple click does not always equal to the effort our staff and team put in everyday.

Here you can see Prasanna explaining our manual hot water system. Although we have solar system, it can be a challenging balance between preserving nature and providing guests with hot water. During the rainy periods and where trees are more vital we offer this back up system that uses firewood to heat up a barrel.

To attract more guests, booking dot com also suggest to have flexible cancellation policies and we often get cancellations a day before arrival or a no-show without any notice or communication from the guest. There seems to be little awareness of what that can do to a business and I am sure I speak for many, especially smaller accommodations who do not even receive their payment support system (virtual card payments). It can feel very hopeless at times.

The final straw for us is their lobsided review system which allows guests to review an accommodation with a few clicks and little thought process. It is all made for convenience. However, where is the chance for a hotel to review the guest? Or perhaps counter a review to balance power? Although there is a chance to reply to reviews, thats literally all you get. Your new score rating has already been updated.

Although our score is relatively high, we suggest that guests get a score too, similar to AirBnB and allow accommodations to review bookings before accepting them which would shift some of the power away from the guests. The travel industry needs both travellers and accomodations so why cant we create a level playing field?

So that begs the final question; why are we all on this terrible website? Well, that's because they have a market share of almost of 70%! The simple fact is that if you want guests at your accommodation then you are left with little choice but to become a partner. And they know it!

However, we would like you to know that more partners (hotels, guest houses, homestays, etc) are beginning to move away. That includes us. Yes, it is a gamble and it could result in us getting fewer bookings but we are taking measures to sell our rooms on other more ethical channels including our own website. So if you do not see any availability, fear not - we are likely to have rooms available so please visit our website or contact us directly via email:)

Much love from a sunny jungle!