For those accounts connected via API to Booking.com (BDC), native in-app BDC messaging is available as a Public Beta! Corresponding with Booking.com guests directly in OwnerRez allows users to unify their guest messaging that much more. With OwnerRez's inbox, conversation view, system alerts, and channel templates/triggers, you can automate more of your messaging to be delivered via the channel (or "on the platform").
If you already use Airbnb or Vrbo messaging in OwnerRez, you'll be quite comfortable with the addition of Booking.com messaging.
OwnerRez recommends keeping your email triggers in place for Booking.com bookings alongside any new BDC channel triggers until all bookings that were booked prior to January 24, 2024, have departed. After that, users can rely only on BDC messaging if they so choose.
Booking.com messages come into OwnerRez even before a booking is made! So, if the prospective guest has a question about your property, it will appear in OwnerRez. There may be a minute or two delay for it to appear in OwnerRez (i.e., you may see the message come through via alert from Booking.com). Once it comes into OwnerRez, there are a few different places you can see it, but if it's not yet a booking, the quickest way to get to it will be the Inbox. If you keep alerts enabled, you can click the link in the email system alert you receive.
- Inbox
- Inquiries
- Guest Contact Information
- Conversation View
- Communication History
- Alerts
- Common Issues and Questions
Inbox
The Inbox is located within the CRM menu of OwnerRez. Users can navigate to their Inbox by clicking on the CRM drop-down menu and selecting Inbox.
Booking.com messages are listed in the Inbox. Note that the Via column indicates where the messages are from.
Clicking on each individual message opens the message in the Conversation View.
In the Conversation View, users can see any comments that Booking.com guests have added, allowing them to respond directly to the BDC guest within OwnerRez.
Inquiries
Booking.com inquiries appear in the OwnerRez Inquiries section. Note the Via Listing Site shows that these inquiries are from BDC guests.
When users view the inquiry, they will see all the information associated with this inquiry.
Further down on the inquiry page, users can see the following.
- General Info about
- Date the quote was received
- Which property
- Number in party
- Channel information
- Guest information
- Requested Dates calendar view
- Any Comments added by the potential Booking.com guest
- Inquiry Activity
Users can respond to inquiries by clicking on the button.
Guest Contact Information
As of February 2024, Booking.com (BDC) guest platform emails are not passed to OwnerRez from new BDC bookings. Is there any way to get the guest's real email address? Yes. Use a channel template and trigger to ask the guest for their email address directly.
Similar to the Request Airbnb Guest Contact Information process, OwnerRez recommends that all BDC API-connected users configure their own channel template and an associated trigger to request guest email addresses and phone numbers.
OwnerRez will add a channel trigger in your account for all new Booking.com bookings so that guests are asked for contact information as soon as bookings occur. We do this for Vrbo and Airbnb bookings, so now it will work for Booking.com bookings as well. Users will see the new trigger showing alongside the others in your Settings > Triggers list. If you already had this kind of channel trigger, that trigger will now work for Booking.com, Vrbo, and Airbnb.
Users can verify their current templates by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Templates and current triggers by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Triggers. OwnerRez recommends that users review their messaging templates and triggers to ensure they are sending the correct template to their guests across BDC, Vrbo, and Airbnb. This can be done in place of or to augment other custom messages (e.g., email, SMS) sent on your behalf to the guest.
What happened to the BDC platform email addresses? The platform email address that Booking.com provided was always problematic. It created a lot of duplicate messages, stripped out links and formatting, truncated lines, and caused other mayhem. While Booking.com provides it along with the booking, it was really a terrible way of communicating with guests, so the BDC platform email address will no longer be added to bookings in OwnerRez.
Conversation View
When users open the Conversation View, they can see any comments that Booking.com guests have added, allowing them to respond directly to the BDC guest. Click Send.
Users will see a Message Queued modal pop-up in the upper right side of the screen letting them know that the message is outgoing.
Back in the Conversation View, users will be able to see their guest conversations. Note that this outgoing message is still in the queue to be sent. Users can open specific sections by clicking on the right side downward facing arrow to view more information.
Users can open specific sections by clicking on the right side downward facing arrow to view more information. Clicking on the View BDC Message will display that specific BDC message.
Users can view message details at the top of the message including the following.
- Message sender
- Message recipient
- What Inquiry number the message was sent regarding
- How the message was sent. In the case below the message was sent manually.
Users can click on the green links to return to the Inquiry or All Messages.
Communication History
More info and screenshots coming soon...
Alerts
Booking.com messaging Alerts (found under the Profile dropdown menu) are enabled by default. You can disable them if you do not want to receive email alerts when a message comes in or fails to send. We recommend you keep them enabled until you know how they assist you in your workflow.
Please Note: Turning off Channel Message Received Alerts will also disable alerts for Vrbo.
Common Issues and Questions
I'm seeing "echo" messages (i.e., something I sent the guest) coming back from Booking.com via Channel Message Received email alerts. How do I keep that from happening?
That is probably happening because you have a trigger in OwnerRez sending an email template to your Booking.com guests. To fix: Go in and switch that trigger (or create a new one) to send a channel template to Booking.com guests instead. This will be a cleaner experience for the guest and stop the echo message from happening. If you use the same email trigger for different types of bookings, put "everything but Booking.com" on the trigger criteria like you do for Airbnb. Then, make sure that a channel trigger is sent.
The reason the email one creates an echo is that when you email the Booking.com guest, it sends a message to their platform email address (e.g., xxxxx@guest.booking.com), which lands in the messaging system. The messaging system strips out the text and adds it to the existing messaging thread. OwnerRez is then alerted by Booking.com that a new message was added to the thread, not realizing that it was the email you sent. When you switch to a channel trigger, this will stop because the message will be created on the thread directly by OwnerRez. No emails will be created on either side.
Can I or my guest send images as attachments through Booking.com messaging?
While hosts have the ability to send images as attachments, guests cannot send images through Booking.com messaging.