While the booking platforms similar rules and standards, they have their own regulations regarding specific language that can and cannot be used in messaging.

If your messaging rules contain information, words, or phrases that we identify as potentially breaching their rules, we'll display a message like this on the messaging rule:

The message states which platform may reject the message and the term that may cause it (in parentheses). In the example above, Vrbo may reject the message due to the mention of Airbnb.

All platforms regularly review and change their guidelines, so it's possible that a message without a content warning will still be rejected. Likewise, while the warning doesn't guarantee that your message will be blocked, we suggest reviewing your message and removing any potentially offending content.

Some terms may simply be censored, while others may cause your message to be rejected entirely. If you're unsure whether the content prevented your message from sending successfully, you can try sending the exact message directly on the platform. If it fails, the content is the most likely culprit.

Platforms don't allow sharing personal information before a reservation is accepted.

Phone numbers may be able to be sent if separated by periods i.e. 123.456.7890, but we recommend researching and following platform guidelines.

This may breach the platform's policy, which can result in your account being suspended.

All messages containing links will fail on Booking.com unless they have been "whitelisted" first. Learn how to add links to the approved links list on Booking.com here.

Importantly, all link shorteners (such as bit.ly) will be blocked on Booking.com, even if they have been added to the safe list. If you use a link shortener in your messaging rules, you'll need to remove it or use a different rule for Booking.com.