Hosts are treated like second-rate sh*t by booking.com

This booking platform shows a blatant disrespect for its hosts. Guests may rate hosts, yet hosts are not afforded the same courtesy of rating guests. Guests can score the host/hotel without leaving a comment, automatically denying the host/hotel the right to reply to set the record straight. The biased booking.com rating system does not encourage or promote mutual accountability, responsibility or respect. The host is always at risk and must perform at peak for fear of suffering a less-than-perfect rating, while the guest can do and say and rate as they please with zero consequence if their behaviour is less than perfect. Airbnb gets this right. Travelground has finally gone the same route, allowing the host to rate the guest too.

With booking.com hosts/hotels are not allowed to block 'less-than-happy' guests from staying again in future, even if the guest has clearly illustrated that they do not appreciate/rate/value the establishment. This means a host/hotel is forced to host a less-than-happy client over, and over, and over again, running the risk of suffering ever-decreasing overall scores. Surely the guest must vote with their feet and search elsewhere for that perfect 10 hotel and check in there? Why expose themselves to less-than-perfect accommodation over and over and over again? Could it be because they hope to ********* the hotel in some way? It's completely illogical.

Booking.com also demands a CVC when a booking is made through them, however, if the Host/Hotel gets a virtual card booking through their platform they accept those bookings without the system demanding a CVC. It is common knowledge that without the 3-digit CVC a virtual card is useless. Does booking.com care about fixing this constant problem that causes risk and confusion for hosts and guests? Certainly not. What do they gain by ensuring a virtual card is only accepted when all the critical information has been provided? Nothing. It's the host or hotel's problem. Not theirs. Zero skin off their cold shoulders.

How 'easy' is it to speak to a real live person when you have an issue as a host or hotel? Ha! Practically impossible! Brace yourself for endless generic auto-generated responses and 100s of self-help articles to wade through, which still will not solve your problem.

Yet all of this, is part and parcel of the senseless, unfair and disrespectful modus operandi deeply engrained into the toxic booking.com culture that refuses to see sense or budge.

I use them because I get most of my bookings through them. But they treat me exceptionally poorly as a host, and I dislike them intensely for that.