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Booking.com Fees: A Guide for Hosts and Guests

RoomStay
Hotel Marketing
July 30, 2025
9 mins read


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If you’ve ever listed a property or made a reservation through Booking.com, you’ve probably noticed a few extra charges pop up, from booking fees to cleaning costs and even surprise service charges. While the platform offers a massive global reach and a smooth user experience, understanding exactly what you're paying for (or being charged) is essential.
If you're a guest, hotel manager, or short-stay property owner, knowing the ins and outs of Booking.com's fees helps you budget smarter and avoid unexpected surprises. In this guide, we’ll break down the most common charges, answer your top questions, and explain how these fees affect both hosts and travellers.

What Is a Booking Fee?

Let’s start with the basics. A booking fee is any additional cost added on top of the nightly rate for a hotel, apartment, or short-term stay. These fees vary depending on the platform, property type, and destination. They can include:

  • Scheduling fees (especially if the platform automates or manages calendar updates)
  • Cleaning fees
  • Service or transaction fees
  • Resort fees
  • Foreign transaction fees

These fees can quickly pile up and create confusion for both sides of the booking. For hosts, it can impact how you price your property competitively. For guests, it might mean your $200-a-night stay ends up costing $280. No one likes bill shock.

So when you ask, "What is a booking fee?" The answer depends on who's charging it and why. Each platform structures these costs differently. Some are upfront about it, others like to sneak them in at the final step like a plot twist in a bad movie. For Booking.com specifically, the breakdown gets a bit layered, so let’s unpack it.

Does Booking.com Charge a Booking Fee?

This is one of the most searched questions online, and for good reason. Booking.com is known for shouting "no booking fees!" from the rooftops. But dig a little deeper, and it’s not quite so clear-cut.

Booking.com doesn’t charge a direct booking fee for guests using the platform. You can search and book without an upfront charge from Booking.com itself. However, many hosts factor Booking.com’s commission (usually 10% to 25%) into their nightly rate, so you might still be covering that cost indirectly.

There are also extra charges to watch out for, like cleaning fees, resort fees, service charges, and scheduling fees. These aren’t imposed by Booking.com but are passed on from hosts and can vary widely.

In short: Booking.com doesn’t charge a booking fee directly to guests, but costs often show up in the final price.


Here’s a quick snapshot to make sense of it:

So, is Booking.com charging a fee? Not directly to guests, but the costs find their way onto the final bill one way or another.


Booking.com Fees for Guests

If you’re a guest using Booking.com, you might think you’re getting a sweet deal. And sometimes, you are. But those savings can be offset by additional charges that creep in before you click ‘confirm’.

Here’s a breakdown of what guests might encounter:

  • Hotel reservation fees: While Booking.com doesn’t charge this directly, the property might. These can appear as admin fees or local taxes.
  • Booking.com cleaning fees: These are common with apartments, holiday homes, and short-stay rentals. Often not included in the nightly price, they appear later in the booking process.
  • Resort fees: Think of these as a mystery tax for using the pool, gym, Wi-Fi, or just for existing in a nice location. Properties in resort areas love these.
  • Foreign transaction fees: If your card is in AUD and the property is charging in USD or EUR, your bank might slap a fee on top.
  • Booking.com cancellation fee: While the platform itself doesn’t charge guests directly, many properties do if you cancel outside their policy window. Always check the cancellation terms before booking.

In addition, some bookings may incur a booking.com service fee that applies when bundled with other services like transport or excursions. This is rare but worth watching.

Want more tips on how to spot and manage these charges? Explore the differences between OTAs and direct bookings and learn how to make smarter booking decisions.


Booking.com Fees for hosts, hotels and property owners

Now let’s flip the coin. If you're listing your property on Booking.com, fees are baked into the business model.


The big one? The booking.com commission fee. This is how Booking.com makes money, by charging hosts a cut of every booking.


Commission ranges from 10% to 25%, depending on the market, property type, and agreement.


Hotels, motels, holiday rentals, B&Bs, and short-term accommodation all pay this.


The fee is applied to the total booking amount, including taxes and other charges.


Booking.com issues invoices monthly, covering all completed stays from the previous month.


Hosts are typically required to pay via direct debit or bank transfer by the due date listed on the invoice.


Want to see how this plays out? Here are a few real-world examples:

  • A boutique hotel in Sydney might agree to a 15% commission. For a $1,000 booking (including taxes), that’s $150 going to Booking.com.
  • A holiday apartment in regional Victoria could be on a 12% commission, but might add a $90 cleaning fee that isn’t commissionable.
  • A B&B in Byron Bay offering premium placement might pay 18% to 20% to stay high in search rankings.


Then come the optional extras:

  • Promoted placements or visibility boosters cost extra. These help properties rank higher in search results.
  • Booking.com fees for owners might also include VAT or GST depending on the region.
  • Cancellation costs, refunds, or disputes may not be refunded, so hosts sometimes wear the cost.

There’s no flat listing fee. But between commissions, extras, and the occasional marketing package, costs can escalate if you're not paying attention.

To stay on top of it, many hosts build in a margin of 10–15% above their ideal nightly rate to account for platform-related expenses.


Hidden fees on Booking.com: What to watch out for

Not all fees are obvious. Some are buried in the fine print, or show up late in the booking journey. A few to keep your eye on:


1

City taxes and local charges are often collected at check-in and not shown on the initial quote.


2

Booking.com extra fees like pet surcharges, early check-in or late check-out fees can also appear.


3

Booking.com change dates fee or change flight fee might apply if you use their packaged travel services.


4

Cleaning or resort fees that look optional but are actually mandatory.


You may be wondering: does Booking.com have hidden fees? Technically, they just pass on what the host sets. But if the platform doesn’t clearly flag it early on, it still feels sneaky.

Always read the terms before you book. Don’t assume all properties follow the same rules. What’s included in one hotel’s rate could cost extra at another.

How Are Booking.com Fees Calculated?

Hosts often want a clear answer to this, so here’s how it generally works:

  • The base commission is calculated as a percentage of the booking’s total value.
  • This includes room rate, taxes, and any mandatory fees.
  • It doesn’t include refundable deposits, optional extras, or cleaning fees set to ‘cash on arrival’.

There’s no public booking.com fees calculator, but some third-party tools exist. Still, most hosts estimate based on an average commission rate and track performance manually.

Hosts should also be aware that promotions or discounts offered through the platform may impact the total commissionable amount. And for large chains or frequent listers, custom agreements might apply.


How to Avoid Extra Booking.com Fees

For guests:

  • Always click through to the final cost breakdown before booking.
  • Use a travel-friendly credit card to dodge foreign transaction fees.
  • Book directly with the hotel if they offer price matching and better perks.
  • Set filters to “no prepayment” or “free cancellation” to reduce risk.

For hosts:

  • Adjust pricing to factor in commissions — don’t absorb the cost unless it makes strategic sense.
  • Avoid over-discounting or relying too heavily on promotions that erode profit margins.
  • Offer additional services (like early check-in or airport transfers) for a fee to recover some commission costs.
  • Track conversion and cancellation rates to optimise your pricing strategy.

Want more guidance on boosting profitability and cutting third-party fees? Check out our definitive guide to increasing direct bookings for practical strategies that actually work.


What Booking.com fees really mean for you

Booking.com has a slick user interface and a massive reach, but it’s not free money for hosts or a bargain bin for guests. From scheduling fees to hotel booking fees, it pays to understand exactly what’s being charged and why.

So, does Booking.com include all fees? Not always. You’ve got to read the fine print.

The takeaway? No one loves fees — but knowing where they are and how to work around them helps you stay in control.

Running a property or short-stay rental? Want to keep more of your profits instead of handing it over in commissions?

Roomstay helps you streamline bookings, take direct reservations, and grow your business — trusted by forward-thinking operators ready to grow their direct bookings and take back control


Get started with Roomstay today and take charge of your revenue — or book a quick demo to see how it all works.


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