How does Booking.com calculate the review score?

Understanding how your review score is calculated can help you better manage your property's reputation on Booking.com. 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 their checkout date 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 overall score is the only mandatory question needed to submit a review. Your overall Guest Review Score is calculated based on all individual scores submitted by guests over the last 3 years, with more recent reviews carrying greater weight in the calculation.

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

While these subcategory ratings provide valuable insights into different aspects of your property, they do not affect your overall score as they are completely independent of each other.

Why Your Overall Score May Not Match Subcategory Ratings

You might notice that a guest left positive comments and optional ratings, yet the overall score seems lower than expected. This is because the overall score is neither an average nor a sum of the subcategories. The overall score reflects each guest's personal, holistic impression of their entire stay and is completely independent from the optional subcategory ratings.

The subcategories selected by Booking.com may not cover all aspects of the guest experience at your property. Guests might value factors not listed in the categories, such as general design, family-friendliness, or other specific criteria. These personal priorities are reflected in their overall score.

Key Takeaways

• Your overall score is based on reviews from the last 3 years with more recent reviews weighted more heavily
• Only the overall 1-10 score is mandatory; subcategory ratings are optional
• Subcategory ratings do not contribute to or affect your overall score
• The overall score represents a guest's complete impression of their stay, not just the average of individual categories