What is changing
Starting Monday, 28 September 2026, Booking.com will no longer share guest phone numbers with property management systems (PMS).
Booking.com is doing it to fight scams, and it applies to every PMS and tool connected to Booking.com.
Because UpMarket receives guest details through your PMS, we will no longer receive guests' WhatsApp numbers for new Booking.com reservations.
This affects new Booking.com reservations from 28 September, and any existing reservation that doesn't have a phone number yet.
What is the impact
The impact depends on how you communicate with guests and how they complete online check-in. Find the setup that matches yours below.
Not sure which one applies to you? Reach out to our support team through the chat and we'll help you check.
If you use OTA messaging
Impact: Your guests keep receiving your messages.
When a guest's phone number isn't available, UpMarket's fallback strategy sends your automated messages and replies through Booking.com messaging instead of WhatsApp, so guests see them in their Booking.com app. Your guests keep receiving your messages, and you can stay in touch with them throughout their stay. Guest phone numbers become available once they have completed their online check-in process.
What you can do: Review your fallback strategy in UpMarket now to make sure messages go to the right channel when a phone number is missing.
If you don't use OTA messaging and use UpMarket online check-in
Impact: 7 days before arrival, UpMarket emails your guest their online check-in link. It goes to the guest's Booking.com alias email address, so the guest receives it in their Booking.com chat and their personal inbox.
The check-in form asks for their phone number, and as soon as the guest completes online check-in, UpMarket automatically starts messaging them on WhatsApp.
What you can do: Make sure email is one of your delivery channels in UpMarket. Without it, the check-in link can't reach your guest before a phone number is available.
If you don't use OTA messaging and your PMS handles online check-in
Impact: What happens depends on how your PMS handles the phone number guests enter during online check-in:
If your PMS adds the number to the reservation from the online check-in, it syncs to UpMarket automatically and your automated messages are sent on WhatsApp.
If your PMS doesn't add the number to the reservation from the online check-in, UpMarket won't receive it, and WhatsApp messages can't be sent until the number is added.
What you can do: Contact your PMS provider to confirm what happens to the phone number guests enter during online check-in.
For all setups: add phone numbers manually
You can always add a guest's phone number to the reservation in your PMS yourself. UpMarket syncs it within 20 minutes and starts messaging the guest on WhatsApp. If you would prefer to do it instantly, you can update it directly in your Comms Hub.
What's coming next
We know how important it is to keep your guest communication running smoothly, so we're working on two new features:
New guest onboarding experience:
In the coming weeks, we're introducing a guest onboarding experience sent directly to your guests on Booking.com that lets you collect guest details, including their email and phone number, directly from the booking confirmation.
Direct Booking.com messaging integration:
For hosts whose PMS doesn't support OTA messaging, exploring a direct integration with Booking.com about a direct integration with the Booking.com inbox. This would let you message guests through Booking.com straight from your UpMarket Communications Hub.
If you have any questions in the meantime, reach out to our support team through the chat.