Booking.com Closes all UK Calendars until May 9th.
After Airbnb’s blocking booking calendars in wake of the COIVID-19 situation in the UK, Booking.com just announced closing all UK calendars until May 9th. The decision was made following the government’s call to Booking.com as part of their measures to shut down hospitality businesses in the country to contain the outbreak. According to the emails sent to all hosts by Booking.com, properties will remain unbookable until May 9th because of the lockdown extension, and this might go beyond the period already specified should the lockdown be renewed.
As the UK government has asked all online travel platforms to participate in the fight against the pandemic, for the safety of both hosts and guests, it is also highly expected that Expedia will join the campaign, making properties unbookable until the end of the current lockdown. The limitations also apply to key workers wishing to make a booking for self-isolation, as Booking.com do not have the technology to vet guests. So, there’s no exception.
Now that all major travel platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb and soon probably Expedia too are not accepting bookings in the UK during the lockdown, you, as short term rental owners, should be able to accommodate key workers. Frontliners cannot be left stranded looking for a place of stay for self-isolation. How can Zeevou help?
Here to Help, Heart to Heart
In response to the growing demand for self-isolation and help both hosts and key workers during these turbulent times, Zeevou launched a commission-free property listing site, Here to Help. Accommodation providers of all types, including serviced apartments, vacation rentals, self-catering lodges, campsites, guesthouses, bed & breakfasts, hostels or hotels can and should join the initiative as soon as possible to counteract the losses imposed on them by Booking.com and Airbnb and online travel agencies in general. All you have to do is sign up for free, load your properties, and check “Isolation Suitable.” With Here to Help, you’ll have all the means of keeping track of only letting key workers in through Zeevou Book.
Now is the perfect time for all vacation rental and serviced apartment owners to consider decreasing their dependency on online travel agencies and property listing sites and think of an alternative.
If you have any questions, you can join Q&A with Na’ím Anís Paymán, Zeevou’s Chief Revolutionary, on Thursday at 3 pm UK time. To sign up to his interactive webinar, please click here.
To download a recording of previous webinars, click below:
Apr 21, 2020
