What does "Verified by Ethiopia Bookings" mean?
The green Verified badge means our local team has physically visited the property, confirmed it exists at the listed address, checked that the photos accurately represent the rooms, and confirmed the basic facilities and pricing with the owner or manager.
What verification includes
Physical visit
A Ethiopia Bookings team member visits the property in person.
Real and operational
We confirm the property exists and is accepting guests.
Photographic verification
Our photos are taken by our team — not by the owner.
Pricing confirmed
Listed rates are confirmed directly with the owner.
Basic facilities checked
WiFi, hot water and cleanliness standards are inspected.
Identity recorded
The owner or manager's details are recorded on file.
What verification does not include
Verification is a baseline quality check, not a star-rating or quality award. It confirms that the property is genuine and that its listing is accurate — it does not rate the quality of service, cuisine or amenities beyond the basics. Verified properties range from excellent five-star hotels to clean and honest budget guesthouses. Read the guest reviews for quality assessment.
Unverified listings
Some properties on Ethiopia Bookings are listed but not yet verified — usually because our team has not yet been able to visit them. Unverified listings clearly show their status. We encourage verified booking on properties with the green badge, but we include unverified listings because even an accurate but unverified listing is more useful than no information at all.
Our 24-point verification checklist
Every property awarded the green Verified badge is inspected against a 24-point checklist covering identity, safety, accuracy and operating standards. The full checklist is below.
Re-verification cycle
Verification is not one-and-done. Every verified property is re-inspected at least once every 12 months, and any property that drops below a 4.0 average review score over a rolling 90-day window is triggered for an unscheduled re-verification visit. New ownership, a change of address, or a renovation also triggers re-verification.
Payout protection
Guest payments are held in our payment partner's escrow until 24 hours after check-in. If you arrive and the property does not match the listing — wrong room, missing facilities, safety concerns, or the property cannot honour your booking — you can raise a dispute and the funds are not released. We then rebook you at a comparable verified property at our cost, or refund you in full. This protection applies automatically on every booking; you do not need to opt in.
How to raise a dispute
- Open WhatsApp and message the support number on your booking confirmation.
- Send a short description and one or two photos of the issue.
- Our Addis Ababa team phones the property in Amharic to attempt resolution within one hour.
- If unresolved, we rebook you at a comparable verified property — or refund — within 24 hours.
- The property owner has seven days to respond formally; the case is logged on their account.
When we remove the Verified badge
- Three or more substantiated guest complaints in a 90-day period.
- Failure to honour a confirmed booking without acceptable reason.
- Misrepresentation in photos, room counts, amenities or pricing.
- Expired trade licence or tax registration.
- Failure to allow re-verification on request.
Removed badges can be reinstated after a corrective re-verification visit, typically within 30 days.