Can I ask Booking.com or Airbnb guests to book direct next time? What the rules say in 2026

Updated 9 November 2026

Almost every small hotel asks this: if a guest came through Booking.com or Airbnb and enjoyed the stay, can I invite them to book directly with me next time? The answer has three parts that often get mixed up: price (what you can charge on your website), contact (what you can do with the platform's guest data and messages) and privacy law (when you may send a marketing email). This guide sums up what Airbnb's rules, Booking.com's terms for properties, the European Commission and the law say as of November 2026, with sources at the end. Where no official source makes it clear, we say so. It is not legal advice.

Price: in the EU you can be cheaper on your own website

This part is clear:

Since 14 November 2024 Booking.com must comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Its article 5(3) says the platform cannot prevent you from selling the same thing through your own direct channel «at prices or conditions that are different».
The European Commission's factsheet of 28 September 2026 puts it this way: properties can «freely» set their prices and conditions on and off Booking.com, including on their direct channel. Since September 2026 Booking no longer looks at outside prices when deciding whether you qualify for its partner programmes.
Booking.com's own terms for properties (General Delivery Terms) say properties in «No Parity Countries», which include the whole European Economic Area, are not required to keep rate parity.
For more on parity, see our guide on rate parity with Booking.

Booking.com: guest data and messages

What its terms and partner help say:

You see the guest through an anonymous alias email ending in @guest.booking.com. Booking asks you to use only the extranet, the Pulse app and its platforms to talk to guests, and messaging works from booking until seven days after check-out or cancellation.
Clause 2.9.3 of the General Delivery Terms forbids using the messaging service or the guest's contact details to send unsolicited electronic communications.
Clause 2.1.1 forbids references or links to your own website or to third parties in your property information on Booking. Booking can switch off links in messages if it detects suspicious activity.
The data protection annex says the property is an independent data controller, but may process guest data only to the extent necessary, unless it has another legal basis such as the guest's consent.
We found no clause in the General Delivery Terms that expressly forbids inviting guests to book direct. Article 5(4) of the DMA says the platform must let businesses communicate and promote offers, free of charge, to customers acquired through it. No official source we read explains how that fits with clause 2.9.3: do not treat it as settled.

Airbnb: stricter rules

Airbnb says it plainly in its help centre and in its Terms for European users (version of 5 February 2026):

You may not ask or encourage guests to pay outside Airbnb, or communicate off the platform before booking.
You may not put links leading off Airbnb in listings or messages, offer discounts for booking outside, or rebook or extend an Airbnb booking outside the platform.
Another member's data may only be used to facilitate the transaction, and commercial messages need their express consent.
For bookings made from 20 November 2026, hosts may not ask for personal data such as phone number, email or home address at any point during booking or the stay, except in cases such as complying with the law. Wi-Fi portals asking for an email are not allowed, except at hotels and resorts.
In practice: with an Airbnb guest, do not offer a direct booking or ask for their email for that purpose.

Emailing a past guest: what the law says

On top of each platform's rules, there is privacy and electronic marketing law:

Article 13(2) of Directive 2002/58/EC lets a business send marketing emails about its own similar products or services to customers whose email it obtained in a sale, as long as they can object, free and easily, when the email is collected and in every message.
In Spain, the data protection authority (AEPD) explains this through article 21.2 of the LSSI: no prior consent is needed where there is «a prior contractual relationship», but every message must allow unsubscribing in a «simple and free» way.
No official source we read says whether a platform alias email, or data the platform passed on, counts as obtained by the hotel in its own sale. And Booking and Airbnb have their own bans.
The prudent route: send marketing only to people who gave you their email directly and agreed to receive your offers, with an unsubscribe link in every message.

What you can do without breaking any rule

The safest way to win back direct bookings is for the guest to find you on their own next time:

Have your own website with direct booking and, in the EU, the price you choose, equal to or better than on the platforms.
Make sure your hotel shows up well in Google, Google Maps and AI assistants when someone searches its name: that is where returning guests usually look.
Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere, so search engines and assistants are not confused.
With guests who booked direct, use their data within the law, with consent and an easy unsubscribe.
Before printing cards, vouchers or messages for platform guests, read the current terms of your contract with each platform: they change and depend on the country.

Why it matters for AI

More and more travellers who want to return ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google «how do I book directly with hotel X». If the answer finds your official website with availability and price, the guest can choose to book with you without you having written to them at all. If it does not, the AI sends them to the platform.

How iQuota helps

iQuota publishes an official page for each property with direct booking, no commission and payment at the property, and connects it to AI assistants, so whoever searches for your hotel by name finds the direct door. iQuota does not email platform guests for you, does not advise on your contracts and cannot guarantee that an AI will recommend your property.

Want guests searching for your hotel by name to find direct booking? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Can I charge less on my website than on Booking.com?

In the EU, yes. DMA article 5(3) has prevented Booking.com from forbidding it since 14 November 2024, and its terms say properties in the European Economic Area are not bound by parity.

Can I email the @guest.booking.com address to offer a direct booking?

It is not the prudent choice. That address is an alias for the booking, messaging works until seven days after check-out and Booking's clause 2.9.3 forbids using guest contact details for unsolicited communications.

And an Airbnb guest?

No. Airbnb forbids offering discounts for booking outside, rebooking outside and links leading off the platform; from 20 November 2026 you also may not ask for their email or phone, except where the law requires it.

Can I send offers to guests who booked direct with me?

Under Directive 2002/58/EC and, in Spain, the LSSI, you may send offers for similar services to customers you had a contractual relationship with, if you offer a simple, free opt-out when collecting the email and in every message.

What does the DMA say about contacting guests?

Its article 5(4) says the platform must let businesses communicate and promote offers to customers acquired through it. We found no official source clarifying how this applies to emailing Booking guests, so do not treat it as permission.

Sources

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