We spent the summer listening to guests and hosts, and this release is the result. Nothing here is flashy. All of it makes booking a stay on the coast a little less uncertain, which, after a summer of ferry queues, we think is the right goal.
Calendars that agree with each other
Hosts can now import calendars from Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO and export ours, with updates as often as every hour. A night sold elsewhere closes on Getaway within the hour, and the other way round. Guests see fewer “sorry, that room has gone” messages, and hosts can stop doing arithmetic on the kitchen wall.
Pay part now, the rest later
Stays can now take a 30% deposit at booking. The price breakdown shows what you pay now and what you pay later, and the balance is due at the property or before arrival, as the rate states. Cards go through Stripe, and a small number of stays also offer a pay-at-the-property rate.
Request to book, for small villas
For stays where the host wants to approve each booking, you send a request with your dates and the host accepts or declines, usually within a day. You are booked only once they accept. It suits villas and one-unit apartments, where the host has to be there to hand over the keys.
A map that shows prices
The map search now shows price pins for your dates, groups nearby stays into clusters and lets you draw an area with your finger or mouse to search inside it. Zoom into Atrani and every pin is a real price in euros. You can also search around a point, with a radius from 1 to 100 kilometres.
Saved stays and compare
Heart a stay to keep it on the Saved page, and add up to four to Compare. Both work without an account and stay on your device. When you do sign in, they follow you from phone to laptop.
Clearer cancellations and reminders
My trips now shows a refund preview before you confirm a cancellation, with the policy tier that applies on the day you cancel. We also send a reminder three days before arrival with directions, the check-in time and your host’s phone number, so you are not hunting through email on the ferry.
Reviews you can trust
Only guests who stayed can leave a review, and each one carries a verified-stay badge. Hosts can reply in public, and we do not remove a review because a host dislikes it.
What is next
We are working on a printable itinerary for each booking, more host languages and better winter timetables for ferries and buses on every stay page. If something would make your booking easier, tell us. The best features this year all started as emails.
