08/09/2025
As a property owner, I expect to be held accountable if I fail to deliver what I promised.
But what happens when a guest causes serious damage — and the platform treats it as if we failed to deliver?
At Manoir du Suquet, a guest’s child broke a glass table by the pool. Glass went into the water. We immediately closed the pool for safety, refunded or discounted other families, and called a professional company. The costs are real and significant.
Now Booking.com has escalated this as a “facilities not delivered” complaint, proposing to deduct money from us and refund the guest — unilaterally. In effect:
• The guest damages the property,
• We carry the costs,
• And Booking.com punishes us for not delivering the very facilities their guest destroyed.
This isn’t about one booking. It’s about a system where hosts are stripped of their right to protect themselves against misconduct. Platforms claim to support both sides, but in practice, they treat every dispute as a service failure by the property.
We need a better balance: one that protects guest rights and recognises property owners’ right to protect their assets, enforce house rules, and ensure safety for all.
Have you had similar experiences with platforms overriding your right to enforce deposits and hold guests accountable?
Booking.com
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