How does Booking.com calculate the review score?

Understanding how Booking.com calculates your property's review score is essential for managing your online reputation. 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.

The Review Process on Booking.com

1. Review Invitation

After guests check out, Booking.com sends them an email invitation to review their stay. Guests have 90 days from checkout to complete their review.

2. Overall Score

Guests are asked to select an overall score from 1 to 10 to rate their experience. This is the only mandatory question required to submit a review. Your overall Guest Review Score is calculated based on all individual scores submitted over the last 3 years, with recent reviews weighted more heavily 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

How Overall Score Works

Your overall score is not an average or sum of the subcategory ratings. The overall score and subcategories are completely independent of each other. The overall score reflects the guest's personal, holistic impression of their entire stay, while subcategories provide additional insights into specific aspects.

Since the subcategories selected by Booking.com may not represent your guest's complete experience, factors like general design or family-friendliness that matter to your guests will be reflected in their overall score rather than in the optional ratings.

Why Your Score May Not Match Guest Comments

You might notice a positive review with comments that seem to contradict a lower overall score. This happens because guests rate their holistic experience with a single number, while their written comments focus on specific elements. Both provide valuable feedback for improving your property.