Mismatched number of guests to the booking price
In the case of Booking.com, it may happen that the portal offers the guest a price for a different number of people than the guest is actually looking for.
In this case, the problem is caused by the fact that Booking.com first displays the best available price based on the search parameters, but the guest also has the option to select a different price combination that is not for the number of people searched for.
This issue is not caused by an incorrect connection but by how Booking.com displays prices. This behaviour is the default and cannot be changed.
In our experience, the problem most often occurs when:
- The guest chooses a price option for a lower number of people (cheaper stay)
- The guest selects a price option for a higher number of people and does not update the number of people in the search
- The guest searches for a group option with multiple rooms
- Price option for lower number of people is not available (if prices for different occupancy are the same)
In the cases mentioned above, Booking.com may display a price that does not fully correspond to the actual number of guests, leading to discrepancies between the price and the number of paying guests.
Here are some examples:
The first option occurs when Booking.com correctly displays the price for the number of people (EUR 101) , but the guest has the option to select a lower occupancy rate. In this case, the number of people in the booking is not updated according to the selected price option, and the booking is completed for 3 people at the price for 2 people (EUR 78).
The second example is the reverse situation: the guest searches for a stay for 1 person but selects the price option for 2 people (106 EUR), knowing the reservation will actually be for 2 people. As with the previous example, the number of guests in the reservation will not be updated afterward.
A final example involves a group of guests booking multiple rooms. For instance, if two guests each want their own room, the Booking.com form initially offers a room with a two-person rate, which can be confusing when the guest selects 2 rooms.
As a result, the reservation is created for 2 people but at a price intended for 4 people (€78 per room).
ATTENTION! Based on the price combination selected, Booking.com will also determine the amount of the City tax (, i.e. the number of paying persons). The number of paying guests is therefore not based on the actual number of people in the booking, but on the price option selected.
Therefore, if you do not differentiate prices based on occupancy and there is no better price option available for the guest, it will only offer the one for the higher number of people.
In this case, the guest is charged according to the booked price option (2 persons), which may lead to a mismatch between the number of guests and the booking price (amount of the City tax).
In this particular case, the city tax amount for two persons sent by Booking.com will then be split in the Previo reservation account between the actual paying guests (one person).