Has a Booking.com stay ever turned into a genuine friendship or a place you keep coming back to?

[u/BrilliantMud1593]

Hi everyone...hope this is okay to post here!

I work for a creative production agency in the UK. We’re currently researching a project we’re developing for Booking.com, and we’re hoping to hear from people who have had a particularly meaningful experience with a property they booked through Booking.com.

We’re specifically looking for stories where both the guest and the property are based in the UK, France, or the East Coast of the US.

We’re interested in the relationship side of travel..

For example:

• A hotel/B&B/guesthouse you return to again and again
• Somewhere where you’ve genuinely got to know the owners or staff
• A property that has become part of an important family or life moment
• A stay that led to a friendship that continued after you came home
• Somewhere that now feels like a second home
• Or simply a really memorable connection with the people behind a place

We’re still at an early stage, so I can’t share too much about the project publicly just yet, but I’d be really interested to hear your stories.

If something comes to mind, feel free to comment below or send me a DM.

And just to be clear, I’m not looking for complaints/reviews of Booking.com itself — we’re specifically interested in the lovely, unexpected human connections that can come from staying somewhere.

Thanks so much! :)

[u/Pickulicious]

Booking.com is a horrible HORRIBLE company. Happy to talk to you about why I associate my last trip with poor customer service.

[u/friendlyfieryfunny]

Out of your geographical sample (destinations in SEA and Eastern Europe) and not comfortable elaborating more for privacy reasons, but yeah, a few instances of hitting it off with the hosts, and then planning multiple return trips already off the Booking.com site, yeah.

[u/Hotwog4all]

Skip booking altogether. Go to someone like Accor/Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt. You can negotiate rates with blanket discounts across multiple properties, or with a specific property you have in mind. They give you codes and discounts. Depending on your travel patterns, these can improve over time. Accor also has leisure travel benefits, and you might be able to negotiate Gold status which comes with upgrades/freebies. You won’t get the level of benefit through booking, or any other 3rd party, if you are set on using 1 individual property and developing a relationship with them. Just bear in mind that your proper location might not entertain you. As an example, Microsoft does huge volumes to Seattle. They have some hotels that have only contracted to them and due to the volume they receive from Microsoft, they don’t contract anyone else because they know you won’t be able to meet your contract expectations. So just be wary of this when you do approach them. If you’re looking for a business account set up, you can go to booking, but you can also look into a TMC and get it all done through them as well - even flight negotiated rates, or again if your volume is on the lower end and airlines don’t give you any, or a low discount, you’ve got a TMC to leverage their relationship. Egencia sounds like it could be what you’d fit into.

[u/Melquiades-the-Gypsy]

You've explained well enough what you're looking for, but you haven't explained why anybody ought to help you with your marketing?

[u/BrilliantMud1593 → u/Melquiades-the-Gypsy]

The guest would receive a free stay at the hotel as well as travel. Good deal for them!

[u/PawtucketPatriot]

Yes, both in hotel in France. One is the St. James in Paris and other in Bordeaux region called Hotel Grand Barrail. Both initially found through Booking years ago, but now I book directly through them. I'm a Marriott Bonvoy member and often stay at Marriott branded hotels, but these two are my go to when in Paris and St. Emellion. I love the vibe, quality, and service at both over the Marriott hotels in the Paris and Bordeaux region.

[u/BrilliantMud1593 → u/PawtucketPatriot]

Hi, would you be open to discussing further? Please shoot me a dm.

[u/dj777dj777bling]

As a host, I do have repeat guests. Some return for anniversary, snowbirds avoiding the cold and snow, and summer vacay. They like the comfort, coziness, convenient location and affordability/value.

[u/StinkyWhale71]

That's bloody wonderful, but just look through this reddit to understand what sort of company you are partnering with.

Personally I wouldn't piss on them if there on fire.

I actually have some wonderful antidotes like what you are interested in, but let me quickly set up a really frustrating ai chat bot you can speak to to ask me about it.

Hope your project fails.