The difference between Booking.com and Airbnb (for Hosts)

If you have a property that you want to rent for short stays, you will probably be overwhelmed when you start looking for places where you can offer your rental property.

New platforms focused on rental properties are popping up every month, but there are a few of them that are well-established and have thousands of users. Two examples of online platforms like this are Booking.com and Airbnb. If you want to decide whether you should use Booking.com or Airbnb as a host, you should learn more about the differences between these platforms.

Types of properties on Airbnb vs Booking.com

Your decision as a host must be based on research and browsing the categories and rental options that these websites have will tell you a lot about the difference between them. When it comes to properties in large cities, it looks like Booking.com usually has lists that are focused more on affordable stays. In case you have a property that can be described as economy-class, you should probably try Booking.com. On the other hand, owners of luxurious rental properties will probably do better on Airbnb. Remember that it all depends on the location of your property and this comparison we’ve made is just something that we were able to notice after doing some research. This is not a rule and you can find cheap and expensive accommodation on both sites.

Types of guests

Most experts agree that those who are interested in establishing a long-lasting business and who are serious about renting their properties should focus on Airbnb. This is a platform that allows you to create a great fan base and repeat guests too. One of the main differences between Airbnb and Booking.com is that you can talk to your potential guests before they book the property. This lets you create a long-lasting relationship and avoid potentially dissatisfied visitors because they were not really sure what they can expect from your property. Airbnb also makes it easy for hosts to provide special discounts and deals to repeat guests. We can freely say that Airbnb is more personalized and allows hosts to focus on specific categories of guests, something that Booking.com cannot provide at this moment.

Starting a rental property venture

Another thing that hosts should take into consideration is the things they’ll need to start offering their rental properties on these sites. It turns out that it’s much simpler to become a host on Airbnb than on Booking.com. For instance, Booking.com requires users to create a listing and wait for approval. They will also ask you to create a unique booking policy, choose a rating category and add it to your policy, create rates and get an account on Stripe or similar payment processor.

On the other hand, in theory, people can set up an account as hosts on Airbnb and have a guest via Airbnb in less than 24 hours. They can sign up as hosts, add their listing, select a booking policy, set rates and add payment preferences and that’s it.

Host guarantees

Booking.com doesn’t come with any host guarantee, unlike Airbnb. What is even more important is that Airbnb has shown genuine care about their hosts in case of damage by guests. They have some really great insurance policies and insurance companies are prone to providing nice insurance policies to Airbnb hosts. So, with Airbnb you will get a double protection – you can communicate with your potential guests and you are insured too.

Commissions for hosts

The fact is that Airbnb charges hosts less compared to Booking.com. The commission on Airbnb for hosts is between 3 and 5 %. On the other hand, Booking.com charges between 15 and 20%. Airbnb’s commission depends on the cancellation policy.

Public perception

The image of these websites is different even though they are similar in their essence. Namely, most people believe that users cannot find individual properties on Booking.com and that there are no hotels listed on Airbnb. Although this is not true because you can find all kinds of properties on both websites, more people are using Booking.com when they are looking for a hotel and Airbnb when they need rooms, apartments or houses.

All in all, there are many similarities and differences between Airbnb and Booking.com, but when we take everything into account, Airbnb has more advantages over Booking.com at least for hosts. Of course, your final decision should be based on a more extensive research and your personal needs, requirements, and desires.