The public needs to know.

An Open Letter to Booking.com and the Public

As the owner of Whale’s Way Ocean retreat, I’ve always tried to do right by our guests and uphold my obligations to our partners—even when things go wrong. But what recently happened with Booking.com has left me with no choice but to speak out.

On 10 April 2025, a guest named Gertjie Van Keulen made an online booking for one of our rooms while I was already checking in walk-in guests who had physically arrived and confirmed that same room just minutes earlier. By sheer misfortune, the booking systems overlapped. I did my best—I called the guest immediately, offered them a better room with more features, and even reduced the price to half to make up for the inconvenience. They declined. I then waived all cancellation fees and kept the room on hold in case they didn’t find alternative accommodation.

Despite following Booking.com’s own rules, going above and beyond, and taking a financial hit for something that wasn’t my fault—Booking.com still penalized us, billed us for the guest’s new accommodation (with no cost breakdown), and never even bothered to contact me to hear my side.

This is more than unfair—it’s shameful.

What this shows is that Booking.com can punish small businesses without due process, without facts, and without care. And worse: they’ll do it knowing we rely on their platform to survive. They know we’re vulnerable—and they use that power.

I’ve had enough. Our business, like many others, is still clawing back from the disaster that was COVID-19. We’re doing our best with every cent we earn. Booking.com has shown no regard for this. No responsibility. No fairness. Just blind guest appea*****t and financial exploitation.

It’s disgusting. And it’s time people knew.