Because they are one of the most widely trusted sources of information about your property, reviews may make or break the success of your listing on Booking.com. When they bring to light stellar features of your property that you might have missed when creating your listing’s profile page, they can be a godsend, but if they are brutally honest or unduly critical, they can also ruin your listing.
In charge of Booking.com reviews
Strong reviews that potential renters may use as a guide are essential for maintaining a continuous flow of reservations, but how can the property owner keep track of what previous tenants are posting? Hosts at Booking.com have the option to keep track of these reviews in a single location on the extranet. You may receive a quick overview of your property’s performance by selecting the “Analytics” tab and then selecting the subsection labeled “Guest review scores,” which aggregates your scores and comments from various renters. Additionally, it keeps track of your reviews over time so you can evaluate the long-term performance of your property.
Don’t panic if the data displayed on the “Analytics” page differs from what you see when you visit your properties on the Booking.com website: The numbers may differ slightly because Booking.com’s study includes all reviews, including those that have not yet been authorized and those that are missing from no-show reservations.
How to Get Positive Booking.com Reviews
When you list your property on Booking.com, you expect favorable reviews to follow soon. However, accumulating positive evaluations in your favor can occasionally be difficult. As so many variables can affect a traveler’s experience, there is no surefire way to get positive reviews. For instance, even if you have the most amazing rental home, if your guests get food illness or are unhappy with their traveling companions, it may affect how they feel about your place.
However, the following advice might improve your chances of receiving a favorable review:
Profit from customer service by ensuring your tenants know you are always available. If they ask questions, answer them as soon as possible, and try to be as accommodating as you can (and within reason). While you shouldn’t feel compelled to go out of your way for them, making sure they feel taken care of can go a long way when reviewing time.
Add finishing touches: It’s incredible how powerful a little extra can be when it comes to property reviews. Visitors will know that you sincerely want them to feel at home if you give them a handwritten card or a little welcome package with suggestions for local restaurants or exciting excursions. The more at ease people feel in your home, the more fondly they are likely to recall their stay.
Don’t be afraid to follow up: when it’s time for check-out, speak to your guests directly or via the extranet message function on Booking.com to find out how their stay was. This demonstrates your desire to be flexible and is an excellent opportunity to remind them how beneficial a positive review would be.
How to Respond to Negative Booking.com Reviews
Few things are more demoralizing than a bad review for your hotel on Booking.com, especially if it was caused by factors beyond your control (for example, a guest complaining that it rained for the entire week that they booked your beachside villa or a guest who reports a plumbing issue only after they check out). There is no need to give up when these unfavorable evaluations start to flow in; everyone experiences them and there is no way to prevent them. It is not worthwhile to worry about bad press since, as we previously discussed, it is difficult to forecast how visitors will react to your property with precision.
One of the finest initial steps after receiving a bad review is to reply to it. You can respond to any accepted reviews submitted about your property by going to the “Guest Reviews” link on the Booking.com extranet. Remember that the guest’s criticism is of your property, not you while responding, and try to remain upbeat while expressing your sincere wish to take something away from their feedback. Consider it a chance to further emphasize your goal for customer happiness since prospective tenants searching Booking.com will see your comments on these unfavorable reviews.
But remember that you can only reply to reviews with a comment, and each reply you publish will also be checked for suitability by staff from Booking.com internally. This means that you should edit your response before submitting it to remove objectionable material like profanity, private information, advertisements for other OTA platforms, or discounts for future bookings.
How to Delete a Booking.com Review
The Booking.com support team spends a significant amount of time reading guest reviews and removing those that are derogatory, inappropriate, or otherwise infringing on any of Booking.com’s terms of service. However, occasionally a bad review will get through Booking.com’s review team and may be inaccurate regarding your hotel or Booking.com’s services. These can involve situations where a visitor:
- I canceled a reservation yet nevertheless managed to write a review of the place
- Reviewed the incorrect building
- Posts a false review to attack the reputation of the property owner or Booking.com
- uses language that is offensive or threatening
- Divulges private information
Contact the Booking.com team using the extranet message system and share the problematic review if you encounter a guest review that satisfies one or more of these requirements. You can mark your message to the team as “Reviews” to process your request faster.
