How Does Booking.com Calculate the Review Score?

Understanding how your review score is calculated can help you better interpret guest feedback and improve your property's performance on Booking.com. Here's what you need to know about the review scoring system.

The Review Process Overview

1. Review Invitation

After guests check out, Booking.com automatically sends them an email inviting them to review their stay. Guests have up to 90 days after checkout to complete their review.

2. Overall Score Calculation

The overall guest review score is the primary rating metric for your property. Guests must select a score from 1 to 10 to submit a review. This overall score is mandatory, while all other ratings are optional.

Your property's overall guest review score is calculated using a weighted formula based on individual scores submitted over the last 3 years. The key factor is recency: more recent reviews have a greater impact on your total review score than older ones.

3. Optional Subcategory Ratings

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

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

Important: How the Overall Score Works

The overall score is not an average or sum of the subcategory ratings. These scores are completely independent of each other and reflect each guest's personal, holistic impression of their entire stay.

While subcategory ratings provide valuable insights into specific aspects of your property, they do not directly affect your overall review score. The subcategories selected by Booking.com may not capture every element of the guest experience that matters to them. For example, guests may value factors like general design or family-friendliness that aren't represented in the standard categories, and these considerations will be reflected in their overall score instead.

Key Takeaway

Your overall guest review score is driven entirely by the 1-10 ratings guests provide, weighted toward recent reviews. Even if a guest leaves positive comments in their written review, their overall score reflects their complete experience. Focus on delivering an excellent stay across all aspects of your property to maintain a strong review score.