The guest review score is a critical KPI for accommodation providers, influencing everything from OTA visibility to guest trust. So when Booking.com announced a major update to how these scores are calculated, the hospitality industry understandably had questions.
On the latest episode of Back of House Banter, GuestRevu’s Amy Branford sat down with Rodica Buzescu, Group Product Marketing Manager at Booking.com, and Lee-Anne Singer, Marketing Director of the Singer Group and Chairperson of FEDHASA Western Cape, to unpack what’s changed, why it matters, and how hoteliers can adapt.
A More Dynamic Review Score
Booking.com’s updated guest review score went live at the end of January. The key change? The score is now weighted more heavily towards recent reviews, rather than being a simple average over time.
“We’re changing the maths, the logic, behind how we compute your overall property level score, and making it a bit more dynamic, weighing it by recency, so counting those most recent reviews a bit more.”
While around 50% of properties saw no change at all, others experienced small shifts of 0.1 or 0.2 points. Only a small percentage (about 4–5%) saw more dramatic movement.
We’ve also analysed how your Tripadvisor score is calculated and how to improve it
Why the Change?
Feedback from partners played a pivotal role in the decision to update the system. Many long-time Booking.com partners felt their scores were static and unresponsive to recent improvements or declines in guest experience.
“Over the years, we evolved from serving only hotels to serving home-stay properties and multi-national chains, so the system has to also change to adapt to how the market is today, and it needs to behave in a fair way both for the accommodation and the traveller.”
What Hoteliers Need to Know
For hoteliers, adapting to the new system means embracing agility and focusing more intently on real-time guest satisfaction. Lee-Anne Singer captured the sentiment perfectly:
“What I want is a handbook – a best practice guide – so I can go back to my team and help them understand how to benefit from these changes.”
Rodica offered three core takeaways for hotel teams:
- Prioritise guest experience from beginning to end.
- Actively prevent negative reviews by checking in with guests during their stay (but don’t try to block negative reviews with underhanded practices!)
- Be a great host – think of each guest as a visitor in your own home.
Capturing Feedback Before It’s Too Late
One of the most valuable tactics discussed was gathering feedback before guests leave the property—and before they get that automated review request from Booking.com.
Lee-Anne shared how the Singer Group blends old-school hospitality with modern tools to connect with guests at every stage of their journey:
“As [Rodica] correctly pointed out, we need to be able to give people access to speaking to us in the way that they prefer.”
Rodica noted that many negative reviews can be avoided if guests have a way to share frustrations discreetly and in the moment. One example she shared was a hotel using technology to collect mid-stay feedback without putting guests in uncomfortable face-to-face confrontations.
Use in-stay surveys to get guest feedback while there’s still time to sort out issues
Should You Respond to Reviews?
Yes! Even if it doesn’t impact your Booking.com score (yet), both Rodica and Amy stressed the value of responses for future bookers.
Rodica noted that some guests look for the bad reviews, and what matters most is seeing that the property acknowledges and tries to resolve problems.
With the integration between GuestRevu and Booking.com, responding to reviews has become significantly easier, as Lee-Anne highlighted:
“It’s just bad manners not to respond,” she said. “Now, my managers can do it all in one place – it’s life-changing in terms of productivity.”
Find out how to respond to reviews even faster with GuestRevu’s built-in AI assistant
Reputation as a Revenue Tool
Towards the end of the discussion, the conversation turned to how review scores can and should feed into broader revenue and operational strategies.
Lee-Anne reflected on the evolution of the role online reviews have played for hoteliers. Initially, reviews were just something you responded to, then we learned to take advantage of review insights for operations, and now they even have the potential to be a revenue management tool.
Rodica echoed that view, emphasising that reviews reveal invaluable insights about operations, guest preferences, and even staff performance.
Amy summed it up:
“Your reviews are your story. Make sure it’s the one you want potential guests to hear.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can higher commissions influence review scores?
No. Booking.com scores are based solely on guest reviews and cannot be influenced by commission levels.
Do stricter cancellation policies impact revenue?
It depends. Rodica advised discussing this with your Booking.com account manager for tailored data and insights.
Will hoteliers ever be able to review their guests?
Not currently. While this is a popular request, especially from home and short-term rental providers, there are no immediate plans to introduce it.
The bottom line?
From grading systems to guest expectations, the role of online reviews is evolving, and so is the technology that powers them. But, at the heart of all the technology is the guest experience. As Rodica reminded us:
“If a general manager is focused on that experience, the guest reviews will follow, I can assure you, almost 100%.”
Back of House Banter will continue to explore these industry shifts with the people shaping them. If you’re a hospitality professional looking to stay ahead of the curve, be sure to join the mailing list for upcoming episodes.
