Booking.com stops sending guest phone numbers to channel managers

Since September 28, 2026, Booking.com no longer passes guest phone numbers to channel managers and property management systems. Its documentation for connectivity partners says that "all new reservation payloads (including those for past-dated reservations, modifications and cancellations) will omit phone numbers. Phone numbers already shared will not be removed retroactively" (Booking.com for Developers). It applies to every property. Before, "the phone number could be absent only for newly onboarded properties."

You can still get the number

The change doesn't force every conversation into Booking.com's messaging. Booking.com tells software providers to "Retrieve the guest phone number from the Booking.com Extranet, when needed." Smoobu, a channel manager, says hosts "can still see each guest's phone number in the Booking.com Extranet and the Pulse app" (Smoobu). If you manage your listing in the Extranet without connected software, nothing changes.

Why Booking.com did it

Software partners passing on Booking.com's notice describe it as an anti-phishing step. NextPax, a connectivity partner, wrote that "Booking.com has noted a rise in scam texts and WhatsApp messages targeting guests with genuine booking info, often pressuring them for immediate payments to protect their stay" (NextPax). Fewer systems holding the number means fewer places it can leak from.

What to check this week

• Automations that text or WhatsApp door codes, Wi-Fi details or check-in steps. For Booking.com guests, move them to Booking.com messaging, which Smoobu says keeps working through connected software.
• Integrations that expect a phone number, such as smart locks or guest registration. Booking.com tells developers to "Make sure that empty values do not cause rejection, failure, or invalid-payload handling." Ask your software provider whether a blank phone field stops anything.
• Your urgent-contact plan. When a neighbor reports noise and the guest isn't answering messages, look the number up in the Extranet or the Pulse app, and copy it elsewhere only when you need it.
• Your welcome message. Smoobu suggests telling guests you'll never ask for payment by WhatsApp or text, which helps them spot a scam.

If you're weighing a channel manager against iCal sync, this doesn't change the calendar side. Smoobu says "Reservations, rates, availability and guest names still sync normally"; only the phone field arrives empty.