*****ulent Listing and Poor Resolution

We booked accommodation for 10 people for a weekend in June via Booking.com and paid in full upfront. After booking, we noticed the property listing had disappeared from the platform. We immediately contacted Booking.com for clarity.

We were told by phone that the property had been removed due to “*****”. However, in writing, Booking.com still confirmed the booking as valid and advised that if there were any issues on arrival, they would assist with alternative accommodation.

We explained that the booking was in a remote town during a major festival weekend, where all accommodation was already fully booked. We warned them there was a real risk of arriving with nowhere to stay. Due to the seriousness of this, we travelled approximately two hours to verify the address. On arrival, we found only a vacant plot — no accommodation exists at the listed address. Despite this, their final position was to refund us and to inform us that finding alternative accommodation was now our responsibility after assuring us that if there was a problem it would be their duty to find accommodation for us.

We were ultimately forced to secure accommodation more than 30km outside the town, as everything locally was fully booked due to the festival. This situation caused significant stress and disruption for 10 guests, arising from what appears to have been a *****ulent listing on their platform.

Stronger controls and more consistent communication are clearly needed to prevent situations like this in future!