Blog · 30 October 2026

How to get more Booking.com reviews and a better review score

Your Booking.com score is a number out of ten, built only from guests who booked a stay with you. Many travellers filter their search by it, so a higher score means more people see your hotel. Since January 2025 it also changes faster than it used to.

How the score works now

• Only real guests can review. Guests who booked a stay with you rate it out of ten and can add comments.
• Recent reviews count most. Since January 2025 Booking.com weights the overall score by recency, so the most recent review has the biggest effect.
• A better score means more visibility. Booking.com says a high score leads to better visibility on its platform, and many travellers filter by it.

The upside of recency weighting: a bad patch last year matters less than how guests feel this month. The downside: a bad week now shows up quickly.

Check your score in the Extranet under Guest reviews.

Before the guest arrives

Most low scores start with a surprise. Booking.com's own advice:

• Make sure every detail of your listing is correct, and your photos are up to date.
• Select the right facilities, so guests filtering for parking or air conditioning find you and aren't disappointed.
• Confirm the booking and ask if there's anything else you can help with.
• Read your past reviews and fix what guests keep mentioning.

During the stay

• Make it easy to raise a problem. Tell guests at check-in how to reach you, or set up a WhatsApp or text line. A problem fixed on the spot rarely ends up in a review.
• Small touches. Booking.com suggests things like a drink while guests wait to check in, a map, water or earplugs.

After check-out

• Encourage guests to leave a review. Booking.com recommends it. Ask everyone, not only the guests you think were happy.
• Send a short satisfaction survey so you hear about problems even from guests who don't review.
• Don't offer anything in return for a review. Read Booking.com's content guidelines before you write anything to guests about reviews.

Reply to every review you can

Replies don't change the number, but future guests read them, and they show you listen.

1. Log in to the Extranet and go to Guest reviews.
2. Under the review, click Reply.
3. Type your response and click Send.

You can also reply from the Pulse app. A few things to know:

• You can only reply to reviews with a title or a comment. Score-only reviews have no reply button.
• Write in the language of the review, or in English. Replies in other languages aren't published.
• Booking.com reviews every reply before it's published.
• To edit or remove a reply, use the Extranet: under the review, click View your approved response, then Edit. The Pulse app can't edit.

Booking.com's advice for replies: keep them personal, short and accurate, write each one yourself, and when a guest had a bad stay, acknowledge it and say what you're changing.

Questions

Can I remove a bad Booking.com review?

Not yourself. If you have a question about a specific guest comment, contact Booking.com through the Extranet. Meanwhile, reply calmly so other guests see your side.

Why can't I reply to some reviews?

Reviews with a score but no title or comment can't be replied to.

Does replying improve my score?

Booking.com doesn't say replies change the score. They do help future guests decide, and they show you act on feedback.