How does Booking.com calculate the review score?

Understanding how Booking.com calculates your review score helps you interpret guest feedback and identify areas for improvement. Your overall Guest Review Score is based on individual scores submitted by guests over the last 3 years, using a weighted calculation where more recent reviews have a greater impact on your total score.

How the Review Process Works

1. Review Invitation

Once guests check out, Booking.com sends them an email asking them to review their stay. Guests have 90 days after checkout to complete their review.

2. Overall Score

Guests are asked to select an overall score from 1 to 10 to rate their experience at your property. This is the only mandatory question to submit a review. Your overall Guest Review Score is calculated using a weighted formula, meaning recent reviews carry more weight than older ones.

3. Optional Subcategory Ratings

In addition to the overall score, guests can optionally rate specific aspects of their stay:

• Cleanliness
• Comfort
• Value for money
• Facilities
• Location
• Staff

While these subcategory ratings provide valuable insights, they do not affect your overall score. They are completely independent of each other.

Understanding Your Overall Score

Your overall score is neither an average nor a sum of the subcategories. Instead, it reflects the guest's personal, holistic impression of their stay. The subcategories selected by Booking.com may not represent the full experience your guests had at your property.

For example, some guests may value aspects not covered in the standard subcategories, such as general design or family-friendliness. This is reflected in their overall score rather than in the optional ratings.

This is why you might notice a guest leaving positive comments but the overall score not fully aligning with their review text. The overall score represents their complete experience, while comments provide additional context and detail.

Key Takeaway

Focus on delivering excellent experiences across all aspects of your property. Monitor both your overall score and subcategory ratings to understand guest satisfaction and identify opportunities for enhancement. Remember that recent reviews have more weight, so consistently positive experiences will improve your score over time.