This season we had a few unpleasant situations from guests who come through booking.com.
It seems that the information given on bookings.com about us was either not enough or people, when booking the accommodation, do no read all the given information.

For me it is difficult to change any text on booking.com For example, few weeks ago I posted a text change but so far they haven’t even considered reading it let alone putting it on line. In addition, it is hard for me to include all the information that I would like.
All of this is causing a hard time and unpleasant situations for our guests and us.

First, I would like to make it clear that we are not a hotel. We are more of a Guesthouse or Bed and Breakfast type of accommodation. Services we provide are ones similar to all B&B and guesthouses. Soon there will be a special post on my blog explaining our services but right now I am focusing on the booking.com problems we all have.

Despite the fact that in the bookings.com text about our rooms and apartments it states that our double rooms do not have a terrace or sea view we regularly get demands for double rooms with both.
Demands are made after the booking has been completed and once the guests have arrived they are all disappointed. The problem that occurs when booking our rooms is probably because many guests do not click and read the section on the bookings.com page that provides details about the room. Perhaps it is not visible enough and therefore often missed. When booking an accommodation, please pay attention to this informative link so we can all avoid an unpleasant situation. It is upsetting when people demand something that we have never mentioned having. Apartments, on other hand, all have a sea view so, if it is necessary to have one, please book an apartment instead of a room.
The bookings text for our double rooms reads as follows:
This room has twin beds. There is no sea view. No extra bed possible.

Room Facilities: Shower, TV, Air Conditioning, Toilet, Bathroom, Heating, Satellite TV, Refrigerator

Breakfast: Breakfast is included in the room rate.

Taxes: EUR 1.00 city/tourist tax per person per night is not included.

Another problem that is an every day situation with booking.com guests is our location. I wrote in the text given to bookings that we are located 2 km from the city center. This seems to be rather invisible information because bookings.com tends to list inaccurate distances and give our guests wrong information. I’m trying to include the 2km distance in all texts but they have not allowed us to do this. If, after reading this blog, you consider this distance too far from the city center, please cancel the accommodation even it has already been booked.

Steep hill and narrow streets is another topic I would like to address. On booking.com under the “area information” section is a little text explaining our location. It is as follows:

The region is hilly; and the houses sit on small but very steep slopes. Our streets are narrow, like most Mediterranean streets. We would strongly suggest that people who are not used to driving on hilly and narrow streets use public transportion and walk as much as possible. We thank you for accepting our region as it is.

Although I’m not saying specifically that this text is aimed at anyone who finds hills and narrow streets a problem, it is just a discreet little hint saying we are not your best choice if this is a problem. Since I’m not allowed to write do not book our accommodation if you are not prepared for a steep hill and narrow streets, this is my attempt to provide some guidance.
Many of our guests do not find our hill and narrow streets a problem; it is a very short climb of 200m. We have many return guests as well as guests who come on the recommendation of our former guests so there are many people who don’t mind hills and narrow streets. If you or anyone in your party find this too stressful, please, even if you have already booked accommodations, cancel as soon as possible. This will avoid future disappointment.

Why am I writing all this? We want to provide our guests with the best possible atmosphere during their stay and I would rather give up some bookings (money) than have a stressed out and unhappy guest.
Thank you for reading my blog,
Ira