@Mike-And-Jane0
Thank you for your input.
Three of my homes are situated on the island of Curacao.
Our guests come from all over the world—no local guests.
If I use the flexible policy, guests can cancel shortly before arrival. Chances are slim that I can get a new reservation.
Unfortunately, booking.com does not handle the payments of reservations in Curacao.
I have to send an invoice myself and collect the rent
I notice that booking.com guests can be very opportunistic and book several accommodations to be sure that IF they decide to buy airfare, the accommodation is locked in. If they decide to cancel, I have no recourse.
With the flexible policy of Airbnb, I could run the same risk.
For our homes in The Netherlands, my policies are more flexible.
Although we have many overseas guests there, too, I’m in the fortunate position that I do not have too much competition in my area.
If a guest cancels, the apartment will be filled with (business) guests from the Netherlands or neighbouring countries.