Booking a trip via Booking.com, almost all of us have done it before. But, is booking an accommodation with Booking.com that sustainable? I didn’t make up my mind yet. So, let’s list all the advantages and disadvantages.

Firstly, what is Booking.com? For those who don’t know, Booking.com is a website that offers all kinds of accommodations in one place. B&Bs, hotels, apartments, campsites, villas, etc. They are all bundled in one place by booking.com and it is very simple. You enter your destination, the check-in and check-out date, the number of people and the number of rooms. The result? Thousands of different accommodations which you can choose from. After this, you can start selecting based on different criteria and find your ideal stay. With other words: super super handy!

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Firstly, let’s start by listing the benefits. Some of the benefits of Booking.com are:

1. Many different accommodations can be found via one website. You have endless options to choose from. The research is already done for you.
2. You can select and filter based on your preferences and easily compare accommodations.
3. Smaller and local accommodations can be found more easily. Visibility and findability are increased. So, also the chance to obtain a booking. Booking.com can thus be used as a marketing channel by accommodations.

Biggest disadvantage to Booking.com is:

1. Accommodations have to pay a commission to Booking.com. But, the thing is: to ensure that accommodations are found, Booking.com makes many investments in marketing channels and advertisements. For this reason, accommodations have to pay a commission. So, in a sense, accommodations give up some of their earnings, but in this way they invest in the marketing channel they use.

So, these were the main arguments, and let’s weigh them. “Is booking an accommodation with Booking.com that sustainable?” YES! Firstly, because smaller and local accommodations are more easily found. Secondly, although they have to hand over a part of their income, it serves as a compensation to increase the visibility of their accommodation(s). So, I definitely think that booking an accommodation via Booking.com is a good compromise. 

Booking.com also attaches great importance to sustainability and is currently working to make sustainable travel easier. Great, right? More information can be found here. 

Not entirely convinced yet? You can make even more of a difference by eating in a local restaurant, booking a trip with a local supplier, avoiding the popular trails, etc. That way you do your part again!

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