Booking launched their last minute booking app on Android

Booking has launched the Android version of their Booking Now app for making last minute reservations.

Booking Now lands on Android to help book last minute hotel rooms

The app uses your location to suggest hotels based on where you are in combination with your preferences, then provides directions for getting there.

For the past year the app has only been available on iOS and Apple Watch.

When combined with the option to book without a credit card, this gives every reason for a traveler to go ahead and make a commission-laden reservation even though he is within walking distance of your front desk.

On the other hand, a savvy backpacker could easily use this feature to get step by step directions to your front door and then turn up as a walk-in.

The way I see this playing out is that the travelers will use the app to get to your door and then compare your walk-in rate to your Booking com rate. The lowest price wins their reservation. So if you include OTA commissions in their price, then this development can be quite a win for your hostel.

Sadly, Booking has recently reinforced their rate parity policy with regards to your own website, but this is still being challenged and outlawed in some countries.

In any case, you are specifically allowed (by Booking’s own terms) to offer lower prices at your front desk than you offer through Booking.

Does traveler behavior support Booking's business or the hostel's at this point? Do you find that many of your guests are already reserving their beds with OTAs or apps from nearby your hostel when they could just as easily walk in directly? Or are they using such tools to choose a hostel and then turning up without a reservation?