Booking.com Survey: 62% of UK Hosts Have Lost Bookings Over Payment Options

Nearly two-thirds of UK accommodation businesses say guests have walked away from a booking because their preferred payment method was missing, according to new Booking.com research.

Booking.com surveyed 500 senior decision-makers at UK hotels, resorts, serviced apartments and B&Bs between September 11 and 16, 2026. Sixty-two percent had seen payment-related abandonment, and 67% said travellers were less willing to complete a reservation without their preferred option. Some 87% reported rising guest expectations around digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Seventy-one percent said international guests look for payment methods common at home, with Booking.com citing Alipay, WeChat Pay and Pix.

More than eight in ten respondents said a wider choice of payment methods had helped them win extra bookings. Thirty-four percent believed accepting more domestic and international options could lift revenue by over 20%. That figure is an expectation, not a measured result, and the survey was run by a company that sells payment services to the same properties.

The survey also covered AI. Daily AI use among respondents rose from 32% in 2025 to 66% in 2026. Among AI users, 45% use it to analyse guest feedback and 40% for translation and guest communication. Seventy-four percent expect AI fraud detection and cybersecurity to have a meaningful effect over the next three years, and 71% said the same of AI-driven revenue management.

More than three-quarters see growth in international travel as an opportunity for 2027, while 28% named meeting overseas travellers' differing expectations as one of their biggest conversion challenges. Carlo Olejniczak, Booking.com's vice president and managing director for EMEA, said there is a "real opportunity for UK accommodation businesses" to welcome more international guests next year.

Short Term Rentalz reported the findings and noted they matter for property managers who want better direct-booking conversion and more international guests.