Bookably Guest FAQ

Yes. Bookably is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and focused on the New Zealand short-term-rental market.

Bookably is owned and operated by Istria.Holiday Ltd, founded and led by Jovica Mrkela (Managing Director).

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0800 448 938

Yes. Booking requires a Bookably account so we can show you your booking history, send confirmations, and let you message your host. You can still browse and search without an account; you just need to sign in before booking.

Click Sign Up from the top of any page. Enter your name, email, and a password (or sign in with Google or Facebook). We will send you an email with a link to verify your address. Once you click that link, you are ready to book.

Yes. The sign-in screen has both options. Using social sign-in skips the password step and the email-verification step, since your account is already verified through Google or Facebook.

Yes. After signing up with email, you receive a verification link. Click it to activate your account. If you do not receive the email, check your spam folder or contact support.

Two options from the homepage:

• Use the search bar to find properties by destination, dates, and number of guests.
• Open the Concierge chat and describe what you want in plain language (“a beachfront bach for four people, dog-friendly, two nights in July”).

Both lead to the same places to stay; pick the one that suits how you like to search.

Holiday homes, baches, cottages, apartments, lodges, and other short-term rentals across New Zealand. Every host on Bookably is identity-verified and has been through our onboarding, so the quality bar is consistent.

Yes. From the search results page you can filter by region, category, price range, number of guests, dates, and many amenities (pet-friendly, hot tub, parking, and so on). The Concierge can apply the same filters in a conversation; just tell it what matters.

The Concierge is Bookably's AI assistant. You will find it on the homepage. It can help you search for properties, compare options, check availability, walk you through the booking flow, and answer questions before, during, and after a booking.

The standard flow uses forms and pages. The Concierge uses a conversation. Both lead to the same kind of booking, with the same payment, the same host approval, the same confirmation emails.

People who like to type natural questions often prefer the Concierge. People who like to filter and compare visually often prefer the standard flow. Use whichever fits how you think.

The Concierge can search, suggest, and book, but it does not make decisions for you. Every booking goes through your explicit confirmation, including a clear summary of dates, price, and host before payment. If the Concierge ever suggests something that does not fit, just tell it and it will adjust.

No. The Concierge is part of every Bookably account at no extra cost. You pay the same price for the booking whichever path you use.

Pick a listing, choose your dates and number of guests, and click Book. You will be taken through a short flow where you confirm details, verify your identity (if you have not already), and either submit a request to the host or pay immediately, depending on the listing type.

Most Bookably hosts review each booking request before accepting; they want a chance to see who is coming before committing. For these listings, you submit a request first and pay only after the host accepts.

A small number of listings are set to Instant Book. For these, your booking is confirmed the moment you pay, with no host approval step. You will see Instant Book on the listing if that is the case.

For Instant Book listings, the moment you pay.

For approval-required listings:

• You submit your request. You are not charged anything yet.
• The host reviews and either accepts or declines. There is no fixed deadline, though most hosts respond within a day or two.
• If accepted, you receive an email titled Booking Accepted with a link to complete payment. You have 48 hours from acceptance to pay, or the booking is automatically cancelled and the dates released.
• Once you pay, you receive a confirmation email and the booking is locked in.

If your request sits for a few days without a reply, contact Bookably support and we will follow up with the host. You are not charged while you wait, and you can cancel an unanswered request at any time without penalty.

You receive an email letting you know, sometimes with a reason from the host. Your card is not touched. You are free to book a different listing right away.

Short-term rentals are about strangers trusting strangers. Hosts open their homes to guests they have never met. To give them that confidence, every new guest on Bookably completes a one-off identity check before their first booking. Hosts go through a similar check when they sign up to receive payouts, so both sides of every booking on Bookably have been identity-checked.

It is the difference between a “verified email” tick and an actual identity check. We think guests and hosts deserve the stronger one.

A government-issued photo ID (passport, drivers licence, or national ID card) and a live selfie taken with your phone or laptop camera. Stripe Identity, our verification partner, compares the photo on the document to the selfie using biometric matching and confirms you are a real person.

About a minute. You upload the document, take the selfie, and the result comes back almost instantly. There is nothing to wait for and no paperwork to fill out.

Documents, selfies, and personal details are handled by Stripe. Bookably never stores any of them. What we keep is the outcome of the check (verified or not) and the date it happened. Nothing else.

For the full detail, see our Privacy Policy and the Identity Verification page.

Stripe Identity reads the name from your document and compares it to the name on your account. If they do not match (for example, you signed up as “Jo” but your passport says “Joanne”), your check goes to manual review.

The fastest way to avoid that: update your Bookably account name before you verify, so it matches what is on your ID. You can do this from your account profile, or just ask the Concierge to open the account form for you.

You get up to three attempts. The most common reasons checks fail:

• The document image is blurry or partially cut off.
• The selfie was taken in poor lighting.
• The document is expired.

Just try again. If you still cannot verify after three attempts, your account is parked for manual review and our team will be in touch to help. We do not lock you out; we take a closer look.

No. It is a one-off check. Once you are verified, you stay verified for all future bookings on Bookably.

No. The check is required for every guest before their first booking. There is no skip option. We have designed the flow so it is quick and never asks for more than necessary.

All payments are processed through Stripe, the same payment processor used by most major travel and accommodation platforms. We accept all major credit and debit cards. Your card details never touch Bookably's servers; Stripe handles them directly.

For Instant Book listings, immediately when you submit the booking. For approval-required listings, only after the host accepts your request and you complete the payment step (within the 48-hour payment window).

No deposits, no holds, and no charge for unsuccessful requests.

The price shown on each listing is what you pay (plus any cleaning fees or per-guest fees the host has chosen to charge, which are shown clearly before you confirm). A 3% bank payment fee is included in your booking total to cover the card processor's charge; this fee is non-refundable in the event of a cancellation.

Yes, but the refund depends on the host's cancellation policy. Every listing shows its policy before you book, so you will know exactly what you are committing to.

Bookably hosts choose from a clear set of policies, all using the same simple rule: full refund up to a certain number of days before check-in, no refund after that. The cutoff varies by host:

• Anytime Cancellation: full refund any time before check-in.
• 3-Day, 7-Day, 14-Day, 30-Day, 60-Day, 90-Day, 180-Day Cancellation: full refund up to that many full days before check-in.
• Non-Refundable: no refund after booking, regardless of when you cancel.

No. Whichever cancellation policy applies, the 3% bank payment fee is non-refundable in all cases. That covers the card processor's charge, which Bookably does not get back when a refund is issued.

To cancel, open your booking from your account and click Cancel, or ask the Concierge to handle it for you. Cancellations and refunds are processed by the Bookably team rather than automatically, so allow a few business days for any applicable refund to land back on your card.

Messaging is available to any logged-in Bookably user, not just after you have booked. Open the messages area from your account menu to start a conversation with a host on a listing you are considering, or to follow up on a booking you have made. Hosts usually reply within a few hours.

Check-in details are included in your confirmation email and on the booking detail page in your account. If the host has added arrival instructions (key code, parking, gate codes, and so on), they appear there too. Hosts typically share these in the days before your check-in date.

Try the messaging area first; most hosts respond quickly. If they are unresponsive, contact Bookably support on 0800 448 938 or [email protected]. We will work with you and the host to find a solution.

Yes. After check-out, you can leave a review of the property and your host. Reviews help other guests choose where to stay, and they help hosts improve.

Yes. Bookably uses bilateral reviews: hosts review guests after each stay, and guests review hosts. Neither side sees the other's review until both are submitted, or until a 14-day window expires. That way each review is independent.

Three layers:

• Identity verification on both sides. Every guest and host is identity-checked through Stripe.
• Secure payments. All money goes through Stripe; cards never touch our servers.
• Bilateral reviews and a New Zealand-based support team. Issues are escalated to real people you can reach by phone.

Try to resolve it directly with the host first via the messaging area; most issues are sorted that way. If you cannot reach agreement, contact Bookably support and we will mediate. We have insight into the booking, the messages, and the cancellation policy, and we will work toward a fair resolution.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0800 448 938

Or open the Concierge from the homepage and ask. It can escalate to our support team if it cannot answer your question itself.

Email and the Concierge are available 24/7. Phone support is available during New Zealand business hours; outside those hours, leave a message and we will return your call the next business day.